29 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Zimbabwe
Across the 29 places in Zimbabwe the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 19° in Kariba to 24° in Beitbridge, and flat ground gets 5.5 to 6.0 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Zimbabwe at a glance
Averages over 29 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing north.
- 5.45–5.55
- 5.55–5.65
- 5.65–5.75
- 5.75–5.85
- 5.85–5.95
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in Zimbabwe is Gokwe (Midlands Province) with 5.95 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny is Chiredzi with 5.45. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,695 kWh a year in Chiredzi to 1,855 kWh in Bulawayo — 1,814 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 19° in Kariba to 24° in Beitbridge. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 16° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.59 kWh per kWp a day in Kariba and 1.89 kWh in Beitbridge.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Zimbabwe
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 | Gokwe | Midlands Province | 5.95 | 1,852 | 21° |
| 2 | Kadoma | Mashonaland West | 5.92 | 1,852 | 21° |
| 2 | Hwange | Matabeleland North | 5.92 | 1,843 | 22° |
| 4 | Kwekwe | Midlands Province | 5.90 | 1,854 | 22° |
| 4 | Chegutu | Mashonaland West | 5.90 | 1,844 | 21° |
| 6 | Redcliff | Midlands Province | 5.89 | 1,853 | 22° |
| 6 | Victoria Falls | Matabeleland North | 5.89 | 1,834 | 21° |
| 8 | Norton | Mashonaland West | 5.86 | 1,832 | 21° |
| 9 | Bulawayo | Bulawayo | 5.85 | 1,855 | 23° |
| 9 | Gweru | Midlands Province | 5.85 | 1,848 | 22° |
Least sunny places in Zimbabwe
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Zvishavane | Masvingo Province | 5.67 | 1,788 | 22° |
| 24 | Masvingo | Masvingo Province | 5.67 | 1,780 | 22° |
| 27 | Chipinge | Manicaland | 5.61 | 1,750 | 21° |
| 28 | Beitbridge | Matabeleland South Province | 5.49 | 1,729 | 24° |
| 29 | Chiredzi | Masvingo Province | 5.45 | 1,695 | 22° |
Solar by region in Zimbabwe
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matabeleland North | 2 | 5.91 | 1,839 | 22° | 1.69 kWh | Hwange |
| Midlands Province | 5 | 5.88 | 1,847 | 22° | 1.76 kWh | Gokwe |
| Mashonaland West | 7 | 5.86 | 1,822 | 20° | 1.70 kWh | Kadoma |
| Bulawayo | 1 | 5.85 | 1,855 | 23° | 1.84 kWh | Bulawayo |
| Harare | 2 | 5.84 | 1,829 | 21° | 1.75 kWh | Chitungwiza |
| Mashonaland East Province | 2 | 5.82 | 1,827 | 21° | 1.75 kWh | Ruwa |
| Mashonaland Central | 2 | 5.82 | 1,806 | 20° | 1.70 kWh | Mvurwi |
| Manicaland | 3 | 5.68 | 1,786 | 21° | 1.76 kWh | Rusape |
| Masvingo Province | 3 | 5.60 | 1,754 | 22° | 1.79 kWh | Zvishavane |
| Matabeleland South Province | 2 | 5.58 | 1,761 | 24° | 1.86 kWh | Gwanda |
Largest places in Zimbabwe at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harare | 17.8° S | 21° | 14° | 5.84 |
| Bulawayo | 20.2° S | 23° | 17° | 5.85 |
| Chitungwiza | 18.0° S | 21° | 15° | 5.84 |
| Mutare | 19.0° S | 21° | 19° | 5.68 |
| Gweru | 19.5° S | 22° | 16° | 5.85 |
| Kwekwe | 18.9° S | 22° | 15° | 5.90 |
| Kadoma | 18.3° S | 21° | 14° | 5.92 |
| Ruwa | 17.9° S | 20° | 15° | 5.83 |
| Chinhoyi | 17.4° S | 20° | 13° | 5.85 |
| Masvingo | 20.1° S | 22° | 19° | 5.67 |
| Norton | 17.9° S | 21° | 14° | 5.86 |
| Marondera | 18.2° S | 21° | 16° | 5.81 |
| Chegutu | 18.1° S | 21° | 14° | 5.90 |
| Zvishavane | 20.3° S | 22° | 19° | 5.67 |
| Beitbridge | 22.2° S | 24° | 24° | 5.49 |
| Bindura | 17.3° S | 20° | 14° | 5.81 |
| Redcliff | 19.0° S | 22° | 15° | 5.89 |
| Chiredzi | 21.1° S | 22° | 23° | 5.45 |
| Hwange | 18.4° S | 22° | 13° | 5.92 |
| Rusape | 18.5° S | 21° | 17° | 5.75 |
Daylight and clock time in Zimbabwe
In Kariba (16.5° S), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 13 h 07 min and the shortest 11 h 09 min; in Beitbridge (22.2° S), the southernmost, 13 h 30 min and 10 h 46 min. Zimbabwe does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Africa/Harare | 29 | UTC+2 | no daylight saving time |