(1) The scope and level of basic theory and experimental research are relatively wide. The remarkable feature of the development of China’s solar refrigeration and air-conditioning technology is that at the beginning of its development in the 1980s, a large number of high-level domestic research institutes and key universities participated. There are many units conducting basic theoretical and experimental research in related fields, covering a complete range of technologies, including solar absorption, adsorption refrigeration, passive cooling, underground cold source cooling, and solar dehumidification air-conditioning, and the research depth and research level are relatively high. Especially in the product development of absorption and adsorption chillers, which are suitable for the cold source of solar refrigeration and air-conditioning systems.

(2) There is a good industry support capability. In China’s HVAC industry, unlike centrifugal and screw-type electric refrigerators, which are mostly imported from other countries and manufactured by Sino-foreign joint ventures, the production and manufacturing of absorption refrigerators that can be combined with solar energy are mainly Chinese companies. It has self-developed technology, and it was industrialized in the 1980s. This will provide a better industrial support capability for the development of solar refrigeration and air-conditioning in China in the future. The new products developed through the combination of production, learning, and research can smoothly enter mass production through prototypes, pilot trials and other procedures and provide them to the market. For example, the adsorption chiller developed by Shanghai Jiaotong University will soon be put into production in Shuangliang Group, a large Chinese enterprise, and used in demonstration projects.

(3) Demonstration projects promote popularization and application. Like solar heating and heating, the promotion and application of solar refrigeration and air-conditioning in China also need to be driven by demonstration projects. Among the solar energy building heat utilization technologies, solar refrigeration and air-conditioning is the technology with the highest cost and the largest investment. Because under normal circumstances, compared with winter heating, the air conditioning load in summer will be greater, which requires higher thermal performance of solar collector products, the engineering application of solar refrigeration and air-conditioning in China is basically a pilot and demonstration project invested by the government, and demonstration projects will still be the mainstay for a period of time in the future.

(4) There are few practical applications of solar dehumidification air-conditioning, passive cooling and underground cooling source cooling, but the development prospects are promising. In the past, passive cooling and underground cold source cooling carried out in China were mainly based on theoretical and experimental research, while solar dehumidification air-conditioning has just begun to be applied. However, because these technologies have relatively low investment costs, they are more suitable for China’s national conditions. As the country pays more and more attention to the application of renewable energy, more and more attention will be paid to the practical application of these technologies, and the development prospects will become better and better.