Solarposition.org

Rheinland-Pfalz · Germany · 49.71° N · 7.31° E

Solar position in Idar-Oberstein

Sun position, daylight and the best solar panel angle for Idar-Oberstein — computed for 49.71° N, 7.31° E, 288 m above sea level.

Sunrise today08:06107° ESE
Sunset today18:22252° WSW
Best panel angle38°year-round, facing south
Off-grid angle70°best for the darkest month

The sun right now

Azimuth180.0°
Elevation28.5°
At solar noon, 13:14Open on the sun map

Sun in Idar-Oberstein today

Saturday, 24 October 2026 · local time UTC+2

EventTimeDirection / height
Astronomical dawn06:18sun 18° below horizon
Nautical dawn06:5512° below
Civil dawn07:336° below
Sunrise08:06107° ESE
Golden hour ends08:52sun 6° up
Solar noon13:1428.5° high
Golden hour starts17:37sun 6° up
Sunset18:22252° WSW
Civil dusk18:556° below
Nautical dusk19:3312° below
Astronomical dusk20:1018° below
Day length10 h 16 min

Sun path diagram for Idar-Oberstein

Where the sun stands in the sky: the centre is straight overhead, the outer ring is the horizon. Numbers mark local clock hours.

15°30°45°60°75°N30°60°E120°150°S210°240°W300°330°June solstice6789101112131415161718192021EquinoxDecember solstice910111213141516Today
  • June solstice
  • Equinox
  • December solstice
  • Today

On the June solstice the sun reaches 63.7° at solar noon in Idar-Oberstein; on the December solstice only 16.9°. Sunrise swings from 51° NE in June to 127° SE in December — a 76° arc along the horizon.

Sunrise, sunset and sun height by month

Values for the 21st of each month, local clock time including daylight saving time.

MonthSunriseSolar noonSunsetDay lengthNoon elevation
January08:1712:4217:078 h 51 min20.5°
February07:2912:4417:5910 h 30 min29.9°
March06:3112:3818:4512 h 13 min40.6°
April06:2613:2920:3314 h 06 min52.2°
May05:3813:2721:1715 h 39 min60.5°
June05:2213:3221:4216 h 19 min63.7°
July05:4613:3721:2715 h 41 min60.7°
August06:2913:3320:3614 h 07 min52.3°
September07:1513:2319:3112 h 16 min40.9°
October08:0113:1518:2810 h 27 min29.5°
November07:5112:1616:408 h 49 min20.4°
December08:2512:2816:328 h 07 min16.9°

A year of daylight in Idar-Oberstein

Each column is one day of 2026. Bright: sun above the horizon; soft: civil twilight; line: solar noon. Steps are daylight saving time changes.

00:0003:0006:0009:0012:0015:0018:0021:0000:00JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Best solar panel angle in Idar-Oberstein

Fixed array facing south (azimuth 180°). Energy per kWp from NASA POWER monthly climate, including clouds, temperature and snow reflection.

38°collects the most energy over a year: 1122 kWh per kWp.

70°gives the most in the darkest month — the one an off-grid system is sized for.

30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%0°10°20°30°40°50°60°70°80°90°Best year-round 38°Best worst-month 70°Yearly energyWorst-month energy
  • Yearly energy
  • Worst-month energy
TiltkWh/kWp per yearShare of best yearDecember kWh/kWp/dayBest ÷ worst month
0°93083%0.509.2×
15°105194%0.776.1×
30°111499%1.004.6×
38° year-round best1122100%1.104.1×
45°111599%1.173.7×
50° = latitude110298%1.213.4×
60°105594%1.273.1×
70° off-grid best98288%1.292.8×
90°77269%1.222.2×

A fixed array in Idar-Oberstein produces the most over a year at 38°. The design month for an off-grid system is December: at 70° it makes 1.29 kWh per kWp a day, 17% more than at 38°, and costs 12% of the yearly total. Why steep panels win winter.

Off-grid solar in Idar-Oberstein at 70°

Daily energy of 1 kWp by month. Bars: panels at 70°. Line: panels at 38° (year-round best).

012345January: 1.54 (70°)1.5JanFebruary: 2.25 (70°)2.2FebMarch: 3.12 (70°)3.1MarApril: 3.58 (70°)3.6AprMay: 3.33 (70°)3.3MayJune: 3.27 (70°)3.3JunJuly: 3.26 (70°)3.3JulAugust: 3.26 (70°)3.3AugSeptember: 3.33 (70°)3.3SepOctober: 2.51 (70°)2.5OctNovember: 1.53 (70°)1.5NovDecember: 1.29 (70°)1.3Dec38°
MonthSun hours, flatSun hours at 70°kWh/kWp/day at 70°at 38°Mean temp.
January snow0.841.731.541.330.0 °C
February1.572.512.252.140.8 °C
March2.813.523.123.274.2 °C
April4.344.123.584.248.7 °C
May5.093.903.334.3512.9 °C
June5.603.893.274.4817.0 °C
July5.423.923.264.3919.2 °C
August4.553.903.264.0418.7 °C
September3.473.913.333.6614.4 °C
October1.992.892.512.479.5 °C
November0.971.751.531.394.6 °C
December0.661.461.291.101.1 °C
Year3.12 avg3.13 avg982 kWh1122 kWh

Sizing example. To run a 1 kWh-per-day load through December on LiFePO4 batteries (charge controller, battery and inverter losses included) you need about 920 Wp of panels at 70°, versus 1,070 Wp at 38°. The steep array is 14% smaller for the same winter. Size your own system.

Row spacing in Idar-Oberstein

Distance between rows of 2 m long panels (slope length) so that no row shades the next between 10:00 and 14:00 solar time on the winter solstice.

8.4 mrow pitch at 70°

6.6 mrow pitch at 38°

Row spacing calculator

How Idar-Oberstein compares in Germany

Against the other 959 places in Germany with climate data, for a fixed array at its best angle.

268thof 960 places in Germany for sunshine, shared: 3.12 peak sun hours a day on flat ground.

+2%solar energy a year compared with the average place in Germany: 1,122 against 1,097 kWh per kWp.

−31 mindaylight on the longest day, compared with Berlin: 16 h 19 min against 16 h 50 min.

38°best year-round tilt here; across Germany it runs from 38° in Munich to 41° in Flensburg.

Of the 960 places in Germany, Weil am Rhein and one other place get the most sun (3.42 peak sun hours a day) and Berlin and 3 other places the least (2.83); Idar-Oberstein ranks joint 268th. In its darkest month, December, 1 kWp of off-grid panels at 70° makes 1.29 kWh a day here, against 1.26 kWh on average in Germany. The shortest day lasts 8 h 07 min, +28 min compared with Berlin.

The sunniest places in Germany

Solar forecast for Idar-Oberstein, next 48 hours

Expected output of 1 kWp at 70°, computed from the ICON-EU weather model of the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), Europe.

Loading the latest forecast…

Questions about the sun in Idar-Oberstein

What is the best solar panel angle in Idar-Oberstein?
For a fixed array facing south, the best year-round tilt in Idar-Oberstein is 38°, worth about 1122 kWh per kWp a year. An off-grid system that has to get through December does better at about 70°.
What time is sunrise and sunset in Idar-Oberstein today?
On 24 October 2026 the sun rises at 08:06 and sets at 18:22 local time (UTC+2), giving 10 h 16 min of daylight. Solar noon is at 13:14.
How many peak sun hours does Idar-Oberstein get?
On a flat surface 3.1 hours a day averaged over the year, from 0.7 in December to 5.6 in June. Panels tilted at 70° receive 1.5 sun hours a day in December.
How high does the sun get in Idar-Oberstein?
At solar noon the sun stands 63.7° above the horizon on the June solstice and 16.9° on the December solstice.
Is Idar-Oberstein a good place for solar panels?
With 3.1 peak sun hours a day on flat ground, Idar-Oberstein ranks joint 268th of 960 places in Germany for sunshine. A 1 kWp array at the best angle (38°) makes about 1,122 kWh a year here, 2% more than the average place in Germany.

Places near Idar-Oberstein

All places in Germany

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Sun positions: NREL Solar Position Algorithm. Climate: NASA POWER monthly climatology (NASA Langley Research Center). Forecast: Deutscher Wetterdienst, ICON-EU (CC BY 4.0), processed. Places: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Time zones: IANA. Sources and licences.