Solar Yield by Region: How Much Power Does Solar Produce Worldwide?

Annual Yield Comparison by Country

Annual solar yield by country | Sources: PVGIS, NREL PVWatts, NASA POWER

Country / Region↕	Annual Yield (kWh/kWp)↕	Best Location	Lowest Location	Electricity Price
Australia	1,500–1,900	Alice Springs (1,900)	Melbourne (1,500)	A$0.32/kWh
USA (Southwest)	1,400–1,800	Phoenix AZ (1,800)	Denver CO (1,400)	$0.17/kWh
India	1,300–1,600	Rajasthan (1,600)	Assam (1,100)	₹7/kWh
USA (Northeast)	1,100–1,300	Washington DC (1,300)	Seattle WA (1,050)	$0.22/kWh
Japan	1,000–1,300	Kagoshima (1,300)	Niigata (950)	¥35/kWh
Spain	1,300–1,700	Seville (1,700)	Bilbao (1,100)	€0.20/kWh
France	1,000–1,400	Nice (1,400)	Lille (1,000)	€0.25/kWh
Germany	900–1,100	Munich (1,090)	Hamburg (935)	€0.35/kWh
UK	850–1,050	South Coast (1,050)	Scotland (850)	£0.245/kWh
Netherlands	900–1,000	Zeeland (1,000)	Groningen (900)	€0.34/kWh
Canada	900–1,300	Southern Ontario (1,300)	Vancouver (900)	C$0.15/kWh

USA: Monthly Solar Yield by Region

The US spans a huge range of solar potential — from the Sonoran Desert to the Pacific Northwest.

Monthly yield in kWh/kWp for US reference cities | Source: NREL PVWatts

Month↕	Phoenix AZ↕	Denver CO↕	New York NY↕	Seattle WA↕
January	120	90	60	30
February	135	105	75	45
March	170	135	105	75
April	195	155	125	105
May	210	170	145	130
June	210	180	150	140
July	195	175	150	150
August	185	165	135	125
September	170	145	110	95
October	145	120	85	55
November	125	95	55	30
December	110	80	45	20

Phoenix AZ1.970 kWh/kWp

Denver CO1.615 kWh/kWp

New York NY1.240 kWh/kWp

Seattle WA1.000 kWh/kWp

Why Phoenix Beats Miami

Despite Miami being further south (25°N vs 33°N), Phoenix produces more solar energy. The reason: cloud cover matters more than latitude. Phoenix averages 299 sunny days per year, while Miami has frequent afternoon thunderstorms reducing effective irradiance.

UK: Monthly Solar Yield

Monthly yield in kWh/kWp for UK regions | Source: PVGIS

Month↕	South Coast↕	Midlands↕	Scotland↕
January	25	20	15
February	40	35	25
March	75	65	55
April	110	100	85
May	135	125	110
June	140	130	120
July	135	125	115
August	120	110	95
September	90	80	65
October	55	45	35
November	30	22	15
December	20	15	10

Australia: Monthly Solar Yield

Monthly yield in kWh/kWp for Australian cities | Source: NASA POWER, BOM

Month↕	Sydney NSW↕	Brisbane QLD↕	Perth WA↕
January	170	160	210
February	150	140	185
March	135	140	165
April	110	125	130
May	85	110	100
June	70	100	85
July	75	105	90
August	95	120	110
September	120	140	145
October	145	155	175
November	160	160	200
December	175	165	215

India: Monthly Solar Yield

Monthly yield in kWh/kWp for Indian regions | Source: NASA POWER, MNRE

Month↕	Rajasthan↕	Mumbai↕	Delhi↕
January	145	140	115
February	150	145	125
March	170	160	150
April	175	155	160
May	180	145	165
June	150	80	130
July	120	55	100
August	115	60	95
September	140	95	120
October	155	135	135
November	145	140	120
December	135	135	105

Japan: Monthly Solar Yield

Monthly yield in kWh/kWp for Japanese cities | Source: NASA POWER, NEDO

Month↕	Tokyo↕	Osaka↕	Kagoshima↕
January	75	65	80
February	80	75	85
March	100	95	110
April	115	115	125
May	125	130	130
June	100	105	105
July	110	120	130
August	120	130	140
September	95	100	115
October	80	85	100
November	70	70	80
December	65	60	70

What Determines Solar Yield?

Five factors explain most of the variation between countries:

1. Latitude — closer to the equator means more direct sunlight, but not always more yield (temperature effect)
2. Cloud cover — the single biggest factor. Phoenix beats Miami, Munich beats London
3. Temperature — cooler climates get more efficient module performance (temperature coefficient -0.35%/°C)
4. Altitude — higher elevation means thinner atmosphere and more irradiance
5. Humidity — humid air scatters more light, reducing direct irradiance