With the urge for zero energy buildings, the increasing use of renewable energy sources like solar power is indispensable. Besides, the better utilization of renewable energy sources is also critical. Solar cooling has been a hot topic, in particular the solar desiccant cooling system for use in hot and humid regions. In response to a recent study, the role of the desiccant wheel in a solar cooling system under such climatic conditions was reviewed through year-round dynamic system simulation using TRNSYS. It was found that the use of thermally-driven desiccant cooling cycle in combination with absorption cooling was not a good choice for general application when zone humidity control was not mandatory. Rather, the proposed operation of the desiccant wheel at a higher speed for energy recovery only without heat regeneration offered 9.5% improvement in the solar fraction and 11.5% reduction in the total primary energy consumption, as compared to the former one when the seasonal effect was also taken into account. The merit of the proposed solar cooling system with energy recovery increased with the expected improvement in the grid thermal efficiency in long term, which further confirmed the appropriateness of the recommended design strategy.