A model is presented to simulate the operation of a solid-sorption chiller using the methanol-activated carbon pair and a CPC (compound parabolic concentrator) solar collection system. The model is based on assigning constant thermal exchange parameters to all the main elements (generator/reactor, condenser, evaporator and cold box) of a previously tested unit. In particular, the generator is assigned a collector heat-removal factor and an overall heat-loss coefficient. The way in which experimental records have been used to obtain these and the other parameters is explained in detail, and can be adapted to many other configurations of solar cooling units. A validation of the model is carried out for various cycles of operation, showing good agreement between calculated and experimental records. Finally, the model has been used to estimate the chiller performance under conditions that differ from those encountered experimentally. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.