Techno-economic review of solar cooling technologies based on location-specific data

•PV solar electric cooling has become very competitive in Europe.•CSP cooling with parabolic dish Stirling engine is similarly competitive.•Double-effect absorption based on CPTC is best solar thermal cooling system.•Desiccant solar thermal cooling driven by FPC is quite competitive.•Adsorption systems show poor economic performance.

Solar energy can potentially contribute to 10% of the energy demand in OECD countries if all cooling and heating systems would be driven by solar energy. This paper considers cooling systems for residential and utility buildings in both South and North Europe and investigates the most promising alternatives when solar energy is to be used to supply the cooling demand of these buildings while the heat rejection temperatures are high. Both the solar electric and solar thermal routes are considered. The discussion considers both concentrating and non-concentrating thermal technologies. It is concluded that presently vapor compression cycles in combination with PV collectors lead to the economically most attractive solutions. The second best option are vapor compression cycles driven by electricity delivered by parabolic dish collectors and Stirling engines. The best thermally driven solution is the double-effect absorption cycle equipped with concentrating trough collectors closely followed by desiccant systems equipped with flat-plate solar collectors. Adsorption systems options are significantly more expensive.