Context: The use of solar energy, rather than an alternative, is the viable solution to the energy demands of our planet for sustainable development. Given the population increase and the quality of life at a global scale, it is very reasonable to forecast an increase in global energy demand. In this context, solar cooling systems are a viable and timely strategy to follow. Methods: This work offers a state of the art on the different methods of obtaining solar cold. The review is generated by using the tools offered by the Scopus directory and using the VOSviewer bibliometric analysis software. Results: Solar thermal cooling in buildings is shown as a trend within these energy practices, followed by photovoltaic solar cooling. Today, the United States of America, Italy, and China are the nations that lead this field. The most fertile research areas in this subject matter are engineering, energy and materials science. Conclusions: The next few years will be decisive for the development of solar cooling technologies since they depend on the incentives and promotion plans offered by those responsible for formulating environmental and energy efficiency policies for buildings.

The aim of this paper is to present a general bibliographic review about recent scientific papers focused on the design and operation of air conditioning systems in green and smart buildings.The suggested review is developed using tools offered by the Scopus academic research directory, with a defined search criteria. Furthermore, the VOSviewer science bibliometric analysis software has been used. This paper has several reviews of cooling and heating systems existing or under development available for residential buildings (green and smart buildings) and some initiatives and research projects from recent years. The present paper is an academic research guide for engineers, architects, and students interested in designing, constructing and efficiently managing the cooling processes of green and smart buildings. Economic powers characterized by large megacities of countries such as the United States of America, China, Italy, Malaysia, Germany and Australia; Nowadays, increasing energy efficiency and decreasing carbon footprint of current and future buildings, both green and smart is considered more important. The most frequent fields of research in scientific contributions related to the cooling of green buildings are: sustainable development, energy efficiency and the construction industry; while in smart buildings they are: energy efficiency, smart grids, energy management.

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