Peak Sun Hours Canada: (List, and Maps)

The number of total peak sun hours varies from location to location. There are a few methods to calculate them. But, to make it easy for you, I've created a chart on "Average peak sun hours in Canada for different cities/towns and provinces".

Peak sun hours in Canada

Here's a chart on the daily average Peak sun hours in Canada for every City and Town.

City/Town In Canada	Lowest Peak Sun Hours Per Day (Winter)	Highest Peak Sun Hours Per Day (winter)	Daily Average Peak Sun Hours
Banff	1.6 hours	6 hours	3.9 hours
Brooks	1.5 hours	7 hours	4.1 hours
Calgary	1.7 hours	6.9 hours	4.2 hours
Edmonton	1.2 hours	6.2 hours	3.9 hours
Fort McMurray	0.8 hours	5.7 hours	3.5 hours
Grande Prairie	0.7 hours	6.4 hours	3.6 hours
Jasper	1.3 hours	5.6 hours	3.7 hours
Lake Louise	1.4 hours	5.7 hours	3.7 hours
Lethbridge	1.8 hours	7.2 hours	4.4 hours
Medicine Hat	1.6 hours	7.2 hours	4.3 hours
Red Deer	1.4 hours	6.3 hours	4 hours
Saint Albert	0.9 hours	6.3 hours	3.8 hours
Barkerville	1.1 hours	6 hours	3.5 hours
Burnaby	0.9 hours	6.3 hours	3.6 hours
Campbell River	1.1 hours	6.6 hours	3.7 hours
Chilliwack	1.1 hours	6.3 hours	3.5 hours
Courtenay	1 hours	6.4 hours	3.7 hours
Cranbrook	1.4 hours	6.9 hours	4.3 hours
Dawson Creek	0.7 hours	6.1 hours	3.6 hours
Delta	1.1 hours	6.7 hours	3.8 hours
Esquimalt	1.1 hours	7 hours	4 hours
Fort Saint James	0.9 hours	6.3 hours	3.7 hours
Fort Saint John	0.7 hours	6.3 hours	3.7 hours
Hope	1.2 hours	6.2 hours	3.6 hours
Kamloops	1.1 hours	6.4 hours	4 hours
Kelowna	1.2 hours	6.8 hours	4 hours
Kimberley	1.6 hours	6.7 hours	4.2 hours
Kitimat	0.7 hours	5.7 hours	3.2 hours
Langley	1 hour	6.3 hours	3.5 hours
Nanaimo	1 hour	6.6 hours	3.8 hours
Nelson	1.2 hours	6.5 hours	3.8 hours
New Westminster	1.1 hours	6.3 hours	3.6 hours
North Vancouver	1 hour	6.1 hours	3.5 hours
Oak Bay	1.1 hours	7.2 hours	4.1 hours
Penticton	1.2 hours	6.9 hours	4.2 hours
Powell River	1 hour	6.5 hours	3.7 hours
Prince George	1 hour	6.1 hours	3.7 hours
Prince Rupert	0.6 hours	4.6 hours	2.6 hours
Quesnel	1 hour	6.3 hours	3.7 hours
Revelstoke	1 hour	5.6 hours	3.5 hours
Rossland	1.2 hours	6.9 hours	4 hours
Trail	1.2 hours	7.2 hours	4 hours
Vancouver	0.9 hours	6.3 hours	3.7 hours
Vernon	1 hour	6.9 hours	4 hours
Victoria	1.1 hours	7.1 hours	4 hours
West Vancouver	0.8 hours	6.3 hours	3.5 hours
White Rock	1 hour	6.6 hours	3.7 hours
Brandon	1.7 hours	6.9 hours	4.3 hours
Churchill	0.3 hours	6 hours	2.6 hours
Dauphin	1.5 hours	6.7 hours	4.2 hours
Flin Flon	1.5 hours	6.7 hours	4.2 hours
Kildonan	1.7 hours	6.7 hours	4.3 hours
Saint Boniface	1.9 hours	5.9 hours	4.2 hours
Swan River	1.3 hours	6.7 hours	4 hours
Thompson	1.1 hours	6.2 hours	3.9 hours
Winnipeg	1.6 hours	6.7 hours	4.3 hours
York Factory	2 hours	6.3 hours	4.3 hours
Bathurst	1.9 hours	5.8 hours	4.1 hours
Caraquet	1.7 hours	6 hours	4 hours
Dalhousie	1.7 hours	5.7 hours	3.8 hours
Fredericton	2 hours	6 hours	4.2 hours
Miramichi	1.9 hours	6 hours	4.2 hours
Moncton	2 hours	5.8 hours	4.2 hours
Saint John	2 hours	5.8 hours	4.2 hours
Argentia	1.3 hours	5.6 hours	3.7 hours
Bonavista	1.3 hours	5.8 hours	3.7 hours
Channel-Port aux Basques	1 hour	5.4 hours	3.4 hours
Corner Brook	1 hours	5.6 hours	3.4 hours
Ferryland	1.6 hours	5.4 hours	3.7 hours
Gander	0.3 hours	5.7 hours	3.6 hours
Grand Falls–Windsor	1.4 hours	5.3 hours	3.7 hours
Happy Valley–Goose Bay	1.3 hours	6 hours	3.4 hours
Harbour Grace	1.4 hours	5.5 hours	3.7 hours
Labrador City	1.3 hours	6.1 hours	3.5 hours
Placentia	1.4 hours	5.5 hours	3.6 hours
Saint Anthony	1.2 hours	5.6 hours	3.5 hours
St. John’s	1.3 hours	5.4 hours	3.6 hours
Wabana	1.4 hours	5.7 hours	3.7 hours
Fort Smith	0.7 hours	6.2 hours	3.5 hours
Hay River	0.7 hours	6.4 hours	3.4 hours
Inuvik	0 hours	6.6 hours	3 hours
Tuktoyaktuk	0 hours	6.6 hours	3 hours
Yellowknife	0.3 hours	6.4 hours	3.5 hours
Baddeck	1.3 hours	6 hours	4 hours
Digby	1.6 hours	6.3 hours	4.2 hours
Glace Bay	1.2 hours	6 hours	4 hours
Halifax	1.7 hours	5.6 hours	4 hours
Liverpool	1.8 hours	6 hours	4.2 hours
Louisbourg	1.6 hours	5.9 hours	4 hours
Lunenburg	1.8 hours	5.8 hours	4.1 hours
Pictou	1.5 hours	6 hours	4.1 hours
Port Hawkesbury	1.4 hours	6 hours	4 hours
Springhill	1.9 hours	6.7 hours	4.1 hours
Sydney	1.4 hours	6.1 hours	4 hours
Yarmouth	1.6 hours	6.1 hours	4.1 hours
Iqaluit	0.5 hours	5.8 hours	3 hours
Bancroft	1.8 hours	6.6 hours	4.4 hours
Barrie	1.8 hours	6.5 hours	4.3 hours
Belleville	1.7 hours	6.5 hours	4.4 hours
Brampton	1.8 hours	6.5 hours	4.4 hours
Brantford	1.8 hours	6.4 hours	4.3 hours
Brockville	1.9 hours	6.2 hours	4.2 hours
Burlington	1.8 hours	6.3 hours	4.4 hours
Cambridge	1.7 hours	6.5 hours	4.3 hours
Chatham	2.1 hours	5.9 hours	4.2 hours
Chatham-Kent	2 hours	6.4 hours	4.4 hours
Cornwall	2.1 hours	5.9 hours	4.3 hours
Elliot Lake	1.7 hours	6.3 hours	4.2 hours
Etobicoke	1.8 hours	6.4 hours	4.3 hours
Fort Erie	1.6 hours	6.3 hours	4.2 hours
Fort Frances	1.8 hours	6.3 hours	4.2 hours
Gananoque	1.7 hours	6.1 hours	4.3 hours
Guelph	1.8 hours	6.5 hours	4.3 hours
Hamilton	1.9 hours	6.4 hours	4.3 hours
Iroquois Falls	1.6 hours	5.9 hours	4.1 hours
Kapuskasing	1.7 hours	5.9 hours	4.1 hours
Kawartha Lakes	1.6 hours	6.3 hours	4.3 hours
Kenora	1.5 hours	6.4 hours	4.2 hours
Kingston	1.7 hours	6.8 hours	4.4 hours
Kirkland Lake	1.7 hours	5.9 hours	4.2 hours
Kitchener	1.8 hours	6.4 hours	4.3 hours
Laurentian Hills	1.9 hours	6.1 hours	4.2 hours
London	1.6 hours	6.7 hours	4.2 hours
Midland	1.5 hours	6.7 hours	4.3 hours
Mississauga	1.6 hours	6.4 hours	4.3 hours
Moose Factory	1.2 hours	5.9 hours	3.8 hours
Moosonee	1.5 hours	6 hours	4 hours
Niagara Falls	1.7 hours	6.3 hours	4.2 hours
Niagara-on-the-Lak	1.7 hours	6.6 hours	4.4 hours
North Bay	1.7 hours	6.2 hours	4.1 hours
North York	1.6 hours	6.3 hours	4.3 hours
Oakville	1.9 hours	6.2 hours	4.3 hours
Orillia	1.6 hours	6.3 hours	4.2 hours
Oshawa	1.6 hours	6.5 hours	4.3 hours
Ottawa	2 hours	6.1 hours	4.2 hours
Parry Sound	1.7 hours	6.4 hours	4.3 hours
Perth	1.7 hours	6.5 hours	4.3 hours
Peterborough	1.9 hours	6.3 hours	4.4 hours
Picton	1.6 hours	6.5 hours	4.4 hours
Port Colborne	1.6 hours	6.8 hours	4.3 hours
Saint Catharines	1.7 hours	6.5 hours	4.3 hours
Saint Thomas	1.5 hours	6.5 hours	4.3 hours
Sarnia-Clearwater	1.8 hours	6.7 hours	4.4 hours
Sault Sainte Marie	1.7 hours	6.4 hours	4.2 hours
Scarborough	1.7 hours	6.4 hours	4.3 hours
Stratford 1	1.6 hours	6.4 hours	4.2 hours
Sudbury	1.7 hours	6 hours	4.2 hours
Temiskaming Shores	1.6 hours	6.2 hours	4.1 hours
Thorold	1.6 hours	6.5 hours	4.3 hours
Thunder Bay	1.9 hours	6.4 hours	4.3 hours
Timmins	1.6 hours	6 hours	1.6 hours
Toronto	1.7 hours	6.3 hours	4.3 hours
Trenton	1.7 hours	6 hours	4.1 hours
Waterloo	1.9 hours	6.4 hours	4.3 hours
Welland	1.7 hours	6.2 hours	4.2 hours
West Nipissing	1.7 hours	6.3 hours	4.2 hours
Windsor	1.9 hours	6.4 hours	4.3 hours
Woodstock	1.6 hours	6.6 hours	4.2 hours
York	1.8 hours	6.6 hours	4.3 hours
Borden	1.1 hours	6.7 hours	4 hours
Cavendish	1.5 hours	5.6 hours	3.7 hours
Charlottetown	1.3 hours	6.2 hours	4 hours
Souris	1.2 hours	6 hours	3.9 hours
Summerside	1.6 hours	6.1 hours	4 hours
Asbestos	1.9 hours	6.7 hours	4.3 hours
Baie-Comeau	1.7 hours	6 hours	4.1 hours
Beloeil	1.8 hours	6.1 hours	4.2 hours
Cap-de-la-Madeleine	1.1 hours	5.8 hours	3.8 hours
Chambly	1.6 hours	6 hours	4.2 hours
Charlesbourg	1.8 hours	5.9 hours	4.1 hours
Châteauguay	1.7 hours	6 hours	4.3 hours
Chibougamau	1.4 hours	6 hours	3.9 hours
Côte-Saint-Luc	1.7 hours	6.1 hours	4.3 hours
Dorval	1.6 hours	6.1 hours	4.2 hours
Gaspé	1.5 hours	5.9 hours	4 hours
Gatineau	2 hours	6.1 hours	4.2 hours
Granby	1.6 hours	5.9 hours	4.1 hours
Havre-Saint-Pierre	1.6 hours	6.1 hours	4 hours
Hull	2 hours	6.1 hours	4.3 hours
Jonquière	1.7 hours	6.3 hours	4 hours
Kuujjuaq	0.5 hours	6 hours	3 hours
La Salle	1.7 hours	6.5 hours	4.4 hours
La Tuque	1.6 hours	5.7 hours	4 hours
Lachine	1.6 hours	6.2 hours	4.2 hours
Laval	1.7 hours	6.1 hours	4.2 hours
Lévis	1.6 hours	6 hours	4.1 hours
Longueuil	1.8 hours	6.1 hours	4.2 hours
Magog	1.7 hours	5.9 hours	4.1 hours
Matane	1.5 hours	5.8 hours	3.9 hours
Montreal	1.7 hours	6 hours	4.2 hours
Montréal-Nord	1.7 hours	6.2 hours	4.2 hours
Percé	1.9 hours	5.9 hours	4.1 hours
Port-Cartier	1.4 hours	5.8 hours	3.8 hours
Quebec	1.6 hours	6 hours	4.1 hours
Rimouski	1.6 hours	6 hours	4 hours
Rouyn-Noranda	1.6 hours	6 hours	4 hours
Saguenay	1.7 hours	1.6 hours	4 hours
Saint-Eustache	1.8 hours	6.1 hours	4.2 hours
Saint-Hubert	1.7 hours	6.1 hours	4.3 hours
Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré	1.9 hours	5.8 hours	4.1 hours
Sainte-Foy	1.8 hours	6 hours	4.2 hours
Sainte-Thérèse	1.7 hours	6.3 hours	4.2 hours
Sept-Îles	1.4 hours	5.8 hours	3.8 hours
Sherbrooke	1.6 hours	6 hours	4 hours
Sorel-Tracy	1.7 hours	6 hours	4.1 hours
Trois-Rivières	1.8 hours	5.7 hours	4.1 hours
Val-d’Or	1.7 hours	6 hours	4.2 hours
Waskaganish	1.4 hours	6.1 hours	3.9 hours
Batoche	1.7 hours	6.1 hours	4.1 hours
Cumberland House	1 hours	6.2 hours	3.7 hours
Estevan	1.8 hours	7 hours	4.4 hours
Flin Flon	1.2 hours	6 hours	3.9 hours
Moose Jaw	1.4 hours	6.8 hours	4.1 hours
Prince Albert	1.3 hours	6.3 hours	4 hours
Regina	1.7 hours	7.1 hours	4.3 hours
Saskatoon	1.3 hours	6.5 hours	4.1 hours
Uranium City	0.7 hours	6.3 hours	3.4 hours
Dawson	0.6 hours	6 hours	2.8 hours
Watson Lake	0.7 hours	5.5 hours	3.3 hours
Whitehorse	0.7 hours	6.4 hours	3 hours

Summary

• On average, Canada receives between 1.6 - 4.4 peak sun hours daily.

Tip: Enter your city/town name in the search bar of the table. 

Peak Sun Hours in Canada (by province)

Province (Canada)	Daily Average Peak Sun Hours (Solar irradiance kWh/m2)
New Brunswick	3.5 hours
Northwest Territories	3.5 hours
Prince Edward Island	3.5 hours
Nova Scotia	3.4 hours
Alberta	3.3 hours
Ontario	3.3 hours
Yukon	3.3 hours
Manitoba	3.2 hours
Quebec	3.2 hours
Saskatchewan	3.2 hours
Nunavut	3.1 hours
British Columbia	3 hours
Newfoundland and Labrador	3 hours

Resource: I've used PVWatts peak sun hours calculator to create the above lists.

what are Peak sun hours?

Peak sun hours are not the total number of daylight hours. Instead, 1 peak sun hour = when the intensity of the sunlight (solar irradiance) averages about 1 kWh/m² for an hour.

Solar irradiance will be different throughout the day.

For example:

• Morning: 200 watts/m² of sunlight intensity = 0.2 peak sun hours
• Noon: 1200 watts/m² of sunlight intensity = 1.2 peak sun hours
• Afternoon: 800 watts/m² of sunlight intensity = 0.8 peak sun hours
• Evening: 400 watts/m² of sunlight intensity = 0.4 peak sun hours

4 peak sun hours means, your location receives a total of 4 kWh/meter² of solar radiation in a day.

Why consider peak sun hours?

Solar panels are designed to produce their rated wattage under 1000 watts per square meter (1 kWh/m²) of sunlight intensity or solar irradiance.

Importance of calculating peak sun hours:

1. Helps to determine the ideal solar system size for your rooftop
2. Helps to give an estimated output of a solar system, if you already have any

Note: A solar panel will produce about 80% of its rated DC wattage output during peak sun hour (e.g: 100 watts * 0.8 = 80 watts).

Related: Solar Panel Output Calculator

I have explained peak sun hours in detail, including methods to calculate them.

Must Read: Peak Sun Hours: Explanation, Importance, How To Calculate?

peak sun hours map (Canada)

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