Every solar guide in Malaysia quotes the national average — "4 to 5 peak sun hours a day" — and every homeowner asks the same follow-up: but what about my state? Nobody publishes that table, so we built it. We pulled 30-year climatology derived from NASA's POWER Project — the same dataset behind our solar suitability map — for all 13 state capitals and ran each through the Sunlytic model under current Solar ATAP rules. Same house, same system, same tariff everywhere; only the sun changes.
We expected a clear winner's podium. What the data actually shows is more surprising — and more useful.
Payback period by state
Model home: a terrace house with a 5.5 kWp system (about 10 panels) costing RM23,100 installed, 70% of solar power self-consumed, the rest exported at an assumed SMP of RM0.22/kWh, a blended grid rate of RM0.45/kWh, and industry-standard system losses (0.77 performance ratio). Full assumptions below the table.
| State | Capital (data point) | Peak sun hrs/day | Est. generation (kWh/mo) | Est. saving /mo | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perlis | Kangar | 4.8 | 618 | RM235 | 8.2 yrs |
| Kedah | Alor Setar | 4.8 | 618 | RM235 | 8.2 yrs |
| Penang | George Town | 5.1 | 657 | RM250 | 7.7 yrs |
| Perak | Ipoh | 4.9 | 631 | RM240 | 8.0 yrs |
| Selangor & KL | Kuala Lumpur | 4.8 | 618 | RM235 | 8.2 yrs |
| Negeri Sembilan | Seremban | 4.8 | 618 | RM235 | 8.2 yrs |
| Melaka | Melaka City | 4.8 | 618 | RM235 | 8.2 yrs |
| Johor | Johor Bahru | 4.8 | 618 | RM235 | 8.2 yrs |
| Pahang | Kuantan | 4.8 | 618 | RM235 | 8.2 yrs |
| Terengganu | Kuala Terengganu | 4.8 | 618 | RM235 | 8.2 yrs |
| Kelantan | Kota Bharu | 4.8 | 618 | RM235 | 8.2 yrs |
| Sabah | Kota Kinabalu | 4.8 | 618 | RM235 | 8.2 yrs |
| Sarawak | Kuching | 4.8 | 618 | RM235 | 8.2 yrs |
The surprise: Malaysia is almost perfectly uniform
Eleven of thirteen capitals return the same 30-year figure: 4.8 peak sun hours a day. From Kangar on the Thai border to Kuching in Borneo, from monsoon-facing Kota Bharu to sheltered Kuala Lumpur — the long-term average barely moves. Only the northwest coast breaks pattern: George Town reads 5.1 and Ipoh 4.9, worth roughly five months' faster payback in Penang.
This surprised us too — you'd expect the east coast's northeast monsoon to leave a dent. It doesn't, and the reason is that a 30-year average is ruthless with seasonal drama: Kota Bharu's cloudy Novembers are cancelled out by its brilliant Februaries through Aprils. Short-term weather differs enormously between states; long-term solar fuel barely does. That's equatorial climate in one table.
One honest caveat: NASA's grid cells are large (roughly 50 km), so genuinely local effects — a hillside microclimate, coastal haze — get smoothed. Two towns inside the same state can differ more than two state capitals do. Which is why the table is a starting point and a pin on your own roof is the real answer.
What this means in ringgit
If you've been waiting for confirmation your state is "good enough" — this is it. A 5.5 kWp system saves around RM235 a month and pays for itself in about 8.2 years in essentially every state, against panels warrantied for 25. Penang residents get the one genuine edge in the country: 5.1 sun hours pushes savings to roughly RM250/month and payback down to about 7.7 years.
The state question is settled; the roof question isn't. Since geography contributes almost nothing, the variables that actually move your payback are the ones on your property: roof direction, shading, and how much electricity you use during daylight. A shade-free roof in Kuching beats a half-shaded roof in George Town, every time. Those inputs are exactly what the full calculator works through.
Assumptions, honestly stated
These are estimates, not quotations. Sun-hour figures are 30-year climatology values read from our solar map at each state capital — your town may differ, so check your exact location. The RM0.45/kWh grid rate is a blended effective figure; heavy users on higher tiers save faster than shown, light users slower. Export is valued at an assumed RM0.22/kWh SMP, which floats with the market under ATAP. Installed cost of RM4.20/W reflects a competitive 2026 quote for a straightforward terrace install; complex roofs cost more. We deliberately use a conservative 0.77 performance ratio, so real-world results often land slightly better than this table.
Bottom line
Solar payback in Malaysia is a flat ~8.2 years nationwide, with Penang enjoying a small head start at ~7.7. Your state won't save you — and won't stop you. Your roof decides. Point the calculator at it and find out.