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Solar panels in Houston, Texas
Houston receives 4.54 peak sun hours a day and 1,656 kWh/m² of solar energy a year. That is measured satellite data for Houston's coordinates, not a national average — and it changes the panel count.
Houston solar data
4.54peak sun hours/day
1,656annual irradiance (kWh/m²)
1.50kWh/day from one 400 W panel
547kWh/year from one 400 W panel
Monthly solar irradiance in Houston
| Month | Peak sun hours/day | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 3.01 | 0.3 |
| February | 3.75 | 0.3 |
| March | 4.00 | 0.3 |
| April | 4.94 | 0.4 |
| May | 4.80 | 0.4 |
| June | 6.61 | 0.6 |
| July | 5.18 | 0.4 |
| August | 5.79 | 0.5 |
| September | 5.13 | 0.4 |
| October | 4.97 | 0.4 |
| November | 3.37 | 0.3 |
| December | 2.76 | 0.2 |
Source: NASA POWER daily point API, parameter ALLSKY_SFC_SW_DWN (global horizontal irradiance), year 2024. Coordinates 29.7604, -95.3698.
How many solar panels does Houston need?
For a typical US household using 900 kWh a month, Houston needs about 21 panels of 400 W (8.00 kWp), with a south-facing roof. That is fewer panels than the same household would need in a city with 4.5 peak sun hours.