Abstract Solar thermal utilization is an important part of renewable energy applications, and its development and application have received extensive attention. Based on the development status of medium and low temperature solar thermal utilization systems, this paper first introduces the application and performance research on subsystems of the solar system including heat collection, heat storage and heat utilization units. It then introduces the theoretical and experimental development of matching relationships and dynamic performance of the medium and low temperature thermal utilization systems. Lastly, a case study analysis of a solar thermal system performance was carried out under different thermal boundary conditions. The influence of the boundary conditions of the heat storage system and the actual weather conditions on its performance is explored. The results showed that the boundary conditions of constant temperature and the boundary conditions of constant heat flow density have their own advantages. The heat source conditions provided by heat transfer medium are similar to the constant heat flux boundary condition. The work of this paper provided a theoretical basis for the subsequent application and performance study of solar medium and low temperature thermal utilization systems.