Scientists call this measure solar insolation.Knowing how much of the Sun's energy reaches the surface helps scientists understand weather and climate patterns as … United States Solar Radiation Map Solar photovoltaic systems generate electricity using technologies that capture the energy in sunlight. Use this solar insolation map of Mexico and Central America to help you determine the size of the solar electric system you will need during the time of the year when there's the least amount of sun (worst case). These maps show where and how much sunlight fell on Earth's surface during the time period indicated. You can also use these maps which include global solar insolation maps… This chart shows solar insolation in kilowatt-hours per square meter per day in many US locations. The solar insolation in Australia exceeds by way far the solar insolation available in Europe, Russia, and most of North America. Solar Insolation Maps From the National Renewable Energy Labs (NREL) There are Four Maps Here: Average Yearly Sun - The first one shows the yearly average; Best Case - The 2nd one is the "best case" or June; Worst Case - The 3rd one is the "worst case" or December. This is an official map provided by NREL ( US Department of Energy) that shows the average average daily solar insolation values for various areas of the US. Many parts of the United States—especially the Southwest—have abundant solar resources (see Figure 5, which shows estimates of the average daily total radiation for flat plate solar collectors). Solar Insolation Map - New York & Pennsylvania U.S. United States: Western US: Eastern US: Pacific Northwest: Pacific: Southern Plains: Southeast: Atlantic Seaboard: New England: Great Lakes: Northern Plains: New York & Pennsylvania . Solar Insolation Map - Caribbean, Mexico & Central America. This insolation chart shows the average daily hours of solar insolation for the United States. The Minnesota Solar Suitability Analysis is an ongoing project led by graduate students in the Masters of Geographic Information Science program at the University of Minnesota. Each kWh/m/day is consider to be one "solar hour". Solar insolation maps are also useful to engineers who design solar panels and batteries designed to convert energy from the Sun into electricity to power appliances in our homes and work places. To find the average sun hours per day in your area look at the maps at the bottom of this page, or find a city in the table below that has similar weather to … ; With Tracking Mount - The 4th map shows the worst case (January) again, but with a tracking panel mount, which follows the sun. For simplicity, we call this figure "Sun Hours / Day." Solar irradiance is the amount of power (in … Average Daily Solar Hours (Insolation) Map USA. Charts or maps such as the one below accurately predict the annual insolation of an area and can be used to determine the needed size of a solar energy system or to calculate future energy production. For solar array sizing the most useful units are in kWh per m² per day.. Irradiance is another term thrown around. Insolation refers to the amount of energy (in Joules or more commonly kilowatt hours) per unit area for a given time.