Solarposition.org

Crete · Greece · 35.33° N · 25.14° E

Solar position in Irákleion

Sun position, daylight and the best solar panel angle for Irákleion — computed for 35.33° N, 25.14° E, 60 m above sea level.

Sunrise today07:33104° ESE
Sunset today18:33256° WSW
Best panel angle27°year-round, facing south
Off-grid angle58°best for the darkest month

The sun right now

Azimuth180.0°
Elevation42.9°
At solar noon, 13:03Open on the sun map

Sun in Irákleion today

Saturday, 24 October 2026 · local time UTC+3

EventTimeDirection / height
Astronomical dawn06:08sun 18° below horizon
Nautical dawn06:3712° below
Civil dawn07:076° below
Sunrise07:33104° ESE
Golden hour ends08:08sun 6° up
Solar noon13:0342.9° high
Golden hour starts17:58sun 6° up
Sunset18:33256° WSW
Civil dusk18:596° below
Nautical dusk19:2912° below
Astronomical dusk19:5818° below
Day length11 h 00 min

Sun path diagram for Irákleion

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 solstice7891011121314151617181920EquinoxDecember solstice891011121314151617Today
  • June solstice
  • Equinox
  • December solstice
  • Today

On the June solstice the sun reaches 78.1° at solar noon in Irákleion; on the December solstice only 31.3°. Sunrise swings from 60° ENE in June to 119° ESE in December — a 58° 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
January07:2512:3017:3610 h 10 min34.8°
February06:5912:3318:0711 h 08 min44.2°
March06:2112:2618:3112 h 10 min55.0°
April06:3913:1819:5713 h 17 min66.6°
May06:1113:1620:2114 h 10 min74.9°
June06:0413:2120:3714 h 33 min78.1°
July06:1913:2520:3114 h 11 min75.1°
August06:4313:2220:0113 h 18 min66.7°
September07:0613:1219:1712 h 11 min55.3°
October07:3013:0318:3611 h 06 min43.9°
November07:0012:0517:0910 h 10 min34.7°
December07:2412:1717:109 h 46 min31.3°

A year of daylight in Irákleion

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 Irákleion

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

27°collects the most energy over a year: 1625 kWh per kWp.

58°gives the most in the darkest month — the one an off-grid system is sized for.

50%60%70%80%90%100%0°10°20°30°40°50°60°70°80°90°Best year-round 27°Best worst-month 58°70°Yearly energyWorst-month energy
  • Yearly energy
  • Worst-month energy
TiltkWh/kWp per yearShare of best yearDecember kWh/kWp/dayBest ÷ worst month
0°147191%1.643.8×
15°159398%2.152.9×
27° year-round best1625100%2.472.3×
30°1623100%2.542.2×
35° = latitude161299%2.632.1×
45°155996%2.771.8×
58° off-grid best143188%2.841.7×
60°140687%2.841.6×
70°126078%2.781.5×
90°89355%2.462.1×

A fixed array in Irákleion produces the most over a year at 27°. The design month for an off-grid system is December: at 58° it makes 2.84 kWh per kWp a day, 15% more than at 27°, and costs 12% of the yearly total. Why steep panels win winter.

Off-grid solar in Irákleion at 70°

Daily energy of 1 kWp by month. Bars: panels at 70°. Line: panels at 27° (year-round best).

01234567January: 3.03 (70°)3.0JanFebruary: 3.29 (70°)3.3FebMarch: 3.87 (70°)3.9MarApril: 3.72 (70°)3.7AprMay: 3.33 (70°)3.3MayJune: 3.07 (70°)3.1JunJuly: 3.18 (70°)3.2JulAugust: 3.69 (70°)3.7AugSeptember: 4.18 (70°)4.2SepOctober: 3.95 (70°)4.0OctNovember: 3.35 (70°)3.3NovDecember: 2.78 (70°)2.8Dec27°
MonthSun hours, flatSun hours at 70°kWh/kWp/day at 70°at 27°Mean temp.
January2.353.533.032.7613.4 °C
February3.143.833.293.3413.3 °C
March4.574.523.874.4614.5 °C
April5.904.403.725.1616.3 °C
May6.953.993.335.5219.7 °C
June7.813.743.075.7923.3 °C
July7.753.913.185.7925.6 °C
August6.984.533.695.6426.1 °C
September5.645.094.185.1524.3 °C
October4.024.753.954.1321.3 °C
November2.753.973.353.1218.2 °C
December2.083.272.782.4715.1 °C
Year5.00 avg4.13 avg1260 kWh1625 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 420 Wp of panels at 70°, versus 480 Wp at 27°. The steep array is 11% smaller for the same winter. Size your own system.

Row spacing in Irákleion

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.

4.2 mrow pitch at 70°

3.5 mrow pitch at 27°

Row spacing calculator

How Irákleion compares in Greece

Against the other 116 places in Greece with climate data, for a fixed array at its best angle.

3rdof 117 places in Greece for sunshine: 5.00 peak sun hours a day on flat ground.

+6%solar energy a year compared with the average place in Greece: 1,625 against 1,533 kWh per kWp.

−16 mindaylight on the longest day, compared with Athens: 14 h 33 min against 14 h 48 min.

27°best year-round tilt here; across Greece it runs from 27° in Irákleion to 34° in Sérres.

Of the 117 places in Greece, Ródos gets the most sun (5.17 peak sun hours a day) and Dráma the least (4.18); Irákleion ranks 3rd. In its darkest month, December, 1 kWp of off-grid panels at 70° makes 2.78 kWh a day here, against 2.64 kWh on average in Greece. The shortest day lasts 9 h 46 min, +15 min compared with Athens.

The sunniest places in Greece

Solar forecast for Irákleion, 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 Irákleion

What is the best solar panel angle in Irákleion?
For a fixed array facing south, the best year-round tilt in Irákleion is 27°, worth about 1625 kWh per kWp a year. An off-grid system that has to get through December does better at about 58°.
What time is sunrise and sunset in Irákleion today?
On 24 October 2026 the sun rises at 07:33 and sets at 18:33 local time (UTC+3), giving 11 h 00 min of daylight. Solar noon is at 13:03.
How many peak sun hours does Irákleion get?
On a flat surface 5.0 hours a day averaged over the year, from 2.1 in December to 7.8 in June. Panels tilted at 70° receive 3.3 sun hours a day in December.
How high does the sun get in Irákleion?
At solar noon the sun stands 78.1° above the horizon on the June solstice and 31.3° on the December solstice.
Is Irákleion a good place for solar panels?
With 5.0 peak sun hours a day on flat ground, Irákleion ranks 3rd of 117 places in Greece for sunshine. A 1 kWp array at the best angle (27°) makes about 1,625 kWh a year here, 6% more than the average place in Greece.

Places near Irákleion

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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.