In this paper, a new solar-based renewable energy system integrated with PTSCs (parabolic trough solar collectors) is proposed, designed and analyzed for an ice-cream factory located in Isparta, Turkey. The present system includes a PTSC system to meet the heat energy demand for both heating the ice-cream mixture and cooling it down by means of an absorption refrigeration system. Comprehensive energy and exergy analyses of the system are carried out for determining the performance characteristics of the actual and the proposed processes. Instead of conventional energy resources, establishment of this kind of energy systems provides better operating conditions energetically, exergetically, economically, environmentally and hence sustainably. The results show that the energy consumption of the actual system is 85.81 kWh per day, while the energy consumption of the proposed system is calculated to be 1.235 kWh which leads to an energy saving of 98.56%. (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.