Guides · Faisalabad, Lahore, Punjab
How Many Units Does a 5, 10 or 15 kW Solar System Produce in Punjab?
Short answer
As an indicative range, a well-installed, south-facing, unshaded solar system in Punjab tends to produce roughly 1,300 to 1,600 units (kWh) per kW of panels per year. That works out to about 6,500 to 8,000 units a year for 5 kW, 13,000 to 16,000 for 10 kW and 19,500 to 24,000 for 15 kW. These are planning figures drawn from published studies and solar data, not a promise. Your own roof, dust, shade, panel angle and equipment will move the number up or down.
The short answer in a table
All figures below are indicative ranges for planning only, using about 1,300 to 1,600 units per kW per year. One unit is one kilowatt-hour (kWh), the same unit printed on your electricity bill.
| System size (panels) | Units per year (indicative) | Average units per month | Average units per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 kW | 1,300 to 1,600 | 110 to 135 | 3.6 to 4.4 |
| 5 kW | 6,500 to 8,000 | 540 to 670 | 18 to 22 |
| 10 kW | 13,000 to 16,000 | 1,080 to 1,330 | 36 to 44 |
| 15 kW | 19,500 to 24,000 | 1,625 to 2,000 | 53 to 66 |
Averages hide the seasons. A spring day can give far more than the average and a foggy December day far less. See the seasonal section below.
Solar Works Pakistan designs systems from about 6 kW upwards, so 5 kW appears here only as a reference point.
Solar units in Punjab
Per kW per year
About 1,300–1,600 units
Summer
Highest output
Winter
Roughly half of spring
Where the range comes from
No single number fits every rooftop in Punjab, so we looked at several independent sources and took a conservative band where they overlap.
- World Bank global PV potential study (2020). It places Pakistan among the countries where the long-term average output of a typical PV system exceeds 4.5 kWh per kWp per day. That study models large ground-mounted plants at the best tilt, with fairly low losses, so it is an upper-end reference for rooftops.
- **A 2022 national assessment in Energy Science & Engineering** (Khatri and co-authors) modelled a 1 kWp system with NREL's System Advisor Model and reported an average of about 4.5 kWh per kWp per day for Pakistan.
- Measured data from a 1 MW plant in the Gujranwala-Sialkot area (journal Processes) showed a real-world yield of about 1,344 kWh per kWp over a year, below the same paper's simulations.
- A Lahore residential design study (Memorial University of Newfoundland) modelled about 1,439 kWh per kW per year for a Model Town house.
Rooftop systems in cities usually sit below the ideal plant figures because of heat, dust, partial shade and wiring losses. That is why we use about 1,300 to 1,600 units per kW per year as the planning band, and why we mark it for each site. For an exact site estimate, an engineer runs the location through a modelling tool such as the Global Solar Atlas or NREL's PVWatts and then adjusts for the real roof.
Why "5 sun hours" is not 5 units per kW
Sizing guides, including our panel count guide, often use about 5 "useful sun hours" a day as a round number. Sun hours measure sunlight on the panels. Heat, inverter and cable losses, dust and shade all take a share before the units reach your meter, so the yearly average is closer to 3.6 to 4.4 units per kW per day.
How output changes through the year
Punjab's solar output follows a clear seasonal pattern. Seasonal estimates for Lahore and Faisalabad built from NASA POWER weather data show the shape well:
| Season | Relative output (indicative) | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Spring (March to May) | Highest | Long clear days, moderate heat |
| Summer (June to August) | High, close to spring | Longest days, but heat and monsoon cloud cut into it |
| Autumn (September to November) | Medium | Clear skies but shorter days |
| Winter (December to February) | Lowest, roughly half of spring | Short days, low sun, fog and smog |
In those estimates, a winter day gave only about half the output of a spring day. Those seasonal figures are higher overall than the measured results above, which suggests they leave out some real-world losses, so we use them only for the shape of the year, not for totals.
What this means for you:
- Winter is the weak point. If you rely on solar to cover evening or winter use, design for the weaker months, not the yearly average.
- Monthly readings will swing. Example arithmetic only: if a system gave 1,400 units in April, a December reading of 700 to 800 units would fit the seasonal pattern, and nothing would be wrong with it. Your monitoring app will show this pattern over a full year.
For more on fog and smog, read do solar panels work at night, in fog and in smog.
What pushes your units up or down
| Factor | Effect | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Direction and tilt | South-facing at a tilt near your latitude gives the most per panel | See solar panel angle and direction for Punjab |
| Shade | Even partial shade on one panel can cut a whole string | Plan the layout around water tanks and walls; see how shading cuts output |
| Dust and bird droppings | Steady loss between cleanings, worst in dry months | Follow a cleaning routine |
| Heat | Panels lose a little output for every degree above 25°C | Good airflow under panels; N-type panels lose less. See summer heat |
| Inverter clipping | Some midday output is capped if panels far exceed the inverter | Keep the DC/AC ratio within datasheet limits |
| Export limits | If export is blocked and nobody is using power, the inverter throttles back | Size for self-use; see sizing under net billing |
| Panel age | Output slowly declines over the years | Check the manufacturer's degradation figure in the datasheet |
| Downtime | Faults, tripped breakers or outages on an on-grid system stop production | Monitoring and quick service |
Export limits and outages are hidden losses. If a zero-export setting is on and nobody is using power at noon, the inverter turns the panels down. An on-grid inverter also shuts down during load-shedding. Low readings on such days are a design and usage question, not a panel fault.
How to estimate your own system
- Start with the planning band. Multiply your system size in kW by about 1,300 and by about 1,600. Example arithmetic only: a 12 kW system gives roughly 15,600 to 19,200 units a year.
- Adjust for your roof. East-west layouts, a flat tilt, partial shade or a dusty industrial area push you toward the lower end or below it.
- Split by season. Expect spring and summer months to sit above the monthly average and winter months well below.
- Compare with your bill. Your highest summer bill tells you what you need; the yearly estimate tells you what the system might deliver. The solar calculator gives a quick first figure.
- Ask for a site-specific estimate, with its assumptions. If a seller promises a fixed number of units every month, ask how they worked it out. Solar Works Pakistan does not promise generation figures; our engineers show the assumptions behind any estimate.
To turn units into rupees, follow the step-by-step method in our solar payback guide. Prices by system size are on the solar system price page.
Get today's price or a free site survey
Send us your last 12 months of electricity bills and a few photos of your roof. Our engineers will design around your load and roof and explain what to expect through the seasons.
- WhatsApp or call: 0336 666 4321
- Email: info@solarworks.pk
- Head office: Main Boulevard, Sargodha Rd, Block F FDA City, Faisalabad
- Lahore branch: 2nd Floor, Jeff Heights, Gulberg, Lahore
- Hours: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, daily
- Service area: all of Punjab. See our Faisalabad and Lahore pages, or contact us.
Site surveys are normally free. Solar Works Pakistan was founded in 2021 and has served 300+ customers, including 50+ industrial clients.
Frequently asked questions
How many units does a 10 kW solar system produce per day in Punjab?
As an indicative yearly average, roughly 36 to 44 units a day. Spring and summer days are usually higher, and foggy winter days can be much lower. Treat this as a planning range, not a guarantee.
How many units does a 5 kW solar system produce per month?
On average, roughly 540 to 670 units a month across the year in Punjab, based on about 1,300 to 1,600 units per kW per year. Winter months will be lower and spring months higher.
How many units does a 15 kW system produce in a year?
Roughly 19,500 to 24,000 units a year as an indicative range for a well-installed, unshaded system in Punjab. Shade, dust, a flat or east-west layout, or export limits can bring it lower.
Why is my solar system producing less in December?
Winter days are short, the sun is low and fog and smog block light. In seasonal data for Punjab, a winter day can give around half the output of a spring day. Clean the panels and check the monitoring app, but a winter dip is normal.
Does one kW of solar always give 4 units a day?
No. Four units per kW per day is a reasonable rough yearly average for a good site in Punjab, but daily output swings with the weather and season. Shade, dust and export limits can reduce it.
Can Solar Works guarantee how many units my system will make?
No. Nobody controls the weather, so no honest company can guarantee generation. We give site-specific estimates with the assumptions shown, and we design for your load and the weaker months.
Sources
- World Bank / ESMAP, "Global Photovoltaic Power Potential by Country" (2020), report text
- Khatri S. A. et al., "Solar photovoltaic potential and diffusion assessment for Pakistan", Energy Science & Engineering 10(7), 2022 (DOAJ record): https://doaj.org/article/df0835e0a68a4c37b35b6ed5b88b225f
- Saleem M. U. et al., "Techno-Economic and Environmental Performance Assessment of a 1 MW Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System Under Subtropical Monsoon Conditions", Processes 14, 616: https://mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/processes/processes-14-00616/article_deploy/processes-14-00616.pdf
- Hassan A. M. (supervisor M. T. Iqbal), "Design, Modelling and Performance Analysis of a Residential Grid-Tied and Off-Grid Solar System" (Lahore case), Memorial University of Newfoundland
- profileSOLAR, seasonal PV output estimates for Pakistani cities based on NASA POWER data: https://profilesolar.com/countries/PK/ and https://profilesolar.com/locations/Pakistan/Lahore/