This paper presents the description and operation of a solar-powered ice-maker with the solid adsorption pair of activated carbon and methanol. A domestic type of charcoal was chosen as the adsorbent, and a simple flat-plate collector with an exposed area of 0.92 m(2) was employed to produce ice of about 4-5 kg d(-1) at an evaporator temperature of about -6 degrees C. The above system could achieve solar refrigeration COP of about 0.1-0.12. With the description of the idealized refrigerating system, the influences of evaporating temperature, adsorbing temperature and condensing temperature on the COP were also analysed.