At present, building energy consumption is growing rapidly in China and it accounts for about 30% of the total energy consumption. Solar energy, as a type of renewable energy, will greatly alleviate the pressure of the building energy consumption if it is widely used in residential buildings. Firstly, this paper briefly introduced the characteristics and distribution of solar energy resources in China. Secondly, this paper summarized the three types of solar energy utilization: light-gathering utilization, solar energy photo-thermal utilization and photovoltaic utilization. Among them, photo-thermal technology is suitable for solar-powered residential buildings (SPRBs) in terms of current technology and economy. Thirdly, authors analyzed the passive SPRBs and active SPRBs, where the active SPRBs are more intelligent due to its flexibility and controllability. Based on the above analysis, to realize the harmony between solar technologies and building appearance, authors put forward building integrated solar energy (BISE) design in the consideration of technology and aesthetics. The development and application of solar technologies in residential buildings embodies the concepts of energy conservation, environmental protection and sustainable development, and it will promote the development of building energy efficiency.