30 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for the United Arab Emirates
Across the 30 places in the United Arab Emirates the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 22° in Zayed City to 24° in Ras Al Khaimah, and flat ground gets 5.6 to 6.1 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in the United Arab Emirates at a glance
Averages over 30 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing south.
- 5.64–5.73
- 5.73–5.82
- 5.82–5.91
- 5.91–6.00
- 6.00–6.09
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in the United Arab Emirates is Zayed City (Abu Dhabi) with 6.09 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny are Dibba Al-Fujairah and one other place with 5.64. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,725 kWh a year in Dibba Al-Fujairah to 1,851 kWh in Al Ain City — 1,773 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 22° in Zayed City to 24° in Ras Al Khaimah. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 34° on average: at 70° that month brings 2.25 kWh per kWp a day in Al Ain City and 2.34 kWh in Ras Al Khaimah.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in the United Arab Emirates
Ranked by peak sun hours on flat ground: the yearly average of a day's sunshine energy (NASA POWER climatology). Output: 1 kWp at its best year-round angle.
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zayed City | Abu Dhabi | 6.09 | 1,848 | 22° |
| 2 | Al Ain City | Abu Dhabi | 6.05 | 1,851 | 23° |
| 3 | Bani Yas City | Abu Dhabi | 5.96 | 1,818 | 23° |
| 4 | Al Shamkhah City | Abu Dhabi | 5.95 | 1,814 | 23° |
| 5 | Mohammed Bin Zayed City | Abu Dhabi | 5.94 | 1,812 | 23° |
| 6 | Musaffah | Abu Dhabi | 5.93 | 1,807 | 23° |
| 7 | Khalifah A City | Abu Dhabi | 5.92 | 1,806 | 23° |
| 8 | Abu Dhabi | Abu Dhabi | 5.87 | 1,791 | 23° |
| 9 | Ḩattā | Dubai | 5.84 | 1,790 | 23° |
| 9 | Jebel Ali | Dubai | 5.84 | 1,786 | 23° |
Least sunny places in the United Arab Emirates
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Ras Al Khaimah | Ras Al Khaimah | 5.67 | 1,739 | 24° |
| 26 | Khawr Fakkān | Sharjah | 5.67 | 1,734 | 23° |
| 26 | Umm Al Quwain City | Umm Al Quwain | 5.67 | 1,734 | 23° |
| 29 | Dibba Al-Hisn | Fujairah | 5.64 | 1,727 | 23° |
| 29 | Dibba Al-Fujairah | Fujairah | 5.64 | 1,725 | 23° |
Solar by region in the United Arab Emirates
Averages of the places in each region, sunniest first. Darkest month: what 1 kWp of off-grid panels at 70° makes a day in the worst month of the year.
| Region | Places | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt | Darkest month at 70° | Sunniest place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi | 9 | 5.94 | 1,811 | 23° | 2.29 kWh | Zayed City |
| Dubai | 7 | 5.81 | 1,778 | 23° | 2.31 kWh | Ḩattā |
| Sharjah | 6 | 5.72 | 1,749 | 23° | 2.31 kWh | Kalbā |
| Ajman | 1 | 5.71 | 1,744 | 23° | 2.33 kWh | Ajman |
| Fujairah | 5 | 5.69 | 1,744 | 23° | 2.30 kWh | Ţarīf Kalbā |
| Umm Al Quwain | 1 | 5.67 | 1,734 | 23° | 2.34 kWh | Umm Al Quwain City |
| Ras Al Khaimah | 1 | 5.67 | 1,739 | 24° | 2.34 kWh | Ras Al Khaimah |
Largest places in the United Arab Emirates at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai | 25.1° N | 23° | 34° | 5.82 |
| Abu Dhabi | 24.5° N | 23° | 33° | 5.87 |
| Sharjah | 25.3° N | 23° | 35° | 5.74 |
| Al Ain City | 24.2° N | 23° | 27° | 6.05 |
| Ajman | 25.4° N | 23° | 36° | 5.71 |
| Ras Al Khaimah | 25.8° N | 24° | 36° | 5.67 |
| Musaffah | 24.4° N | 23° | 32° | 5.93 |
| Jebel Ali | 25.0° N | 23° | 33° | 5.84 |
| Fujairah | 25.1° N | 23° | 33° | 5.73 |
| Warīsān | 25.2° N | 23° | 34° | 5.79 |
| Khalifah A City | 24.4° N | 23° | 32° | 5.92 |
| Mohammed Bin Zayed City | 24.3° N | 23° | 32° | 5.94 |
| Reef Al Fujairah City | 25.1° N | 23° | 33° | 5.73 |
| Bani Yas City | 24.3° N | 23° | 32° | 5.96 |
| Zayed City | 23.7° N | 22° | 30° | 6.09 |
| Al Shamkhah City | 24.4° N | 23° | 32° | 5.95 |
| Umm Al Quwain City | 25.6° N | 23° | 37° | 5.67 |
| Al Sajaah | 25.3° N | 23° | 35° | 5.73 |
| Lahbab | 25.0° N | 23° | 33° | 5.83 |
| Ţarīf Kalbā | 25.1° N | 23° | 33° | 5.74 |
Daylight and clock time in the United Arab Emirates
In Ras Al Khaimah (25.8° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 13 h 45 min and the shortest 10 h 32 min; in Zayed City (23.7° N), the southernmost, 13 h 36 min and 10 h 41 min. The United Arab Emirates does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia/Dubai | 30 | UTC+4 | no daylight saving time |