In this paper, the design of a new continuous solid adsorption refrigeration and heating hybrid system driven by solar energy was proposed, and its performance simulation and analysis were made under the normal working conditions. Some performance parameters of the system were obtained, and the effects of water mass in water tank on the system's COPcooling, COPheating etc. were discussed. The simulation indicated: the system could refrigerate continuously with such a design, and at the conditions of that the daily sun-radiation is 21.6 MJ, the mean ambient temperature is 29.9degreesC, the evaporating temperature is 5degreesC, the heat-collecting coefficient of upper bed eta is 60%, and the heat-transfer coefficient between lower bed and ambient alpha is 2 W/m(2) K, by day a hybrid system of single combined bed could furnish 30 kg hot water of 47.8degreesC, and had a mean COPcooling of 0.18, a mean COPheating of 0.34, a continuous mean SCPa Of 17.6 W/kg, a continuous mean SCPc of 87.8 W/m(2), and a continuous mean SHPc of 165.9 W/m(2); and at night it had a cooling capacity of 0.26 MJ/kg of adsorbent, and a cooling capacity of 1.3 MJ/m(2) of heat-collecting area. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.