5. Solar air conditioning

Solar air conditioning refers to all systems that use solar energy as a primary energy resource to cool a building.

In theory, there are several ways to produce cold from the sun's energy resources:

• convert solar thermal energy into mechanical energy, coupled with a compression air conditioner;

• use solar thermal energy to power a "sorption" cooling machine (absorption or adsorption);

• use solar thermal energy to power an evaporative air-conditioning system.

Currently, the most widespread solar air-conditioning systems are "absorption" systems, but let's not forget that we're still in the early days of this technology.