For countries with a high potential of solar energy, producing cold using solar energy is a promising way to sustainable development since the energy used is free and not harmful for the environment. This work proposes a solar adsorption refrigerator using the pair activated carbon-methanol, which has been totally built and is under experimental tests in the solar laboratory of the Faculty of Sciences of Rabat, the capital of Morocco with Mediterranean climate. The solar adsorption refrigerator is mainly composed of a collector containing the adsorbent, an evaporator and a condenser. The results show that the refrigerator gives good performance in Rabat. The unit produces cold even in rainy and cloudy days and the temperatures achieved by the unit can be less than -11 degrees C for days with a very high irradiation. The solar coefficient of performance (COP) (cooling energy/solar energy) ranges between 5% and 8% for an irradiation between 12,000 and 28,000 kJ m(-2) and a daily mean ambient temperature around 20 degrees C. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.