In this study, a two-stage solar driven rotary desiccant cooling (TSRDC) system with novel configuration and newly developed silica gel-haloid composite desiccant is proposed aiming to reduce regeneration temperature and to achieve high energy performance. Simulated results show that there also exists an optimal rotation speed for TSRDC system. Compared with one-stage system, it is found that for the similar supply air state, the required regeneration temperature of TSRDC system is lower and for the same regeneration temperature, the cooling capacity of TSRDC is bigger. Crown Copyright (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.