A major European initiative to modernise concentrated solar power (CSP) plants has officially begun, with the SUN-DT project launching its work in October 2025.
Backed by Horizon Europe and uniting nine international organisations under the coordination of Spain’s National Renewable Energy Centre (CENER), the project aims to accelerate the digital transition of tower CSP systems and strengthen Europe’s leadership in next-generation renewable energy.
Joerg Widmer, principal investigator of the project and Research Director at IMDEA Networks, explained: “SUN-DT pushes tower CSP technology into a fully digital era.
“By combining AI-based calibration, predictive maintenance and real-time optimisation, we enable plants to operate more efficiently and reliably than ever before. This project strengthens Europe’s technological leadership in renewable energy.”
Modernising tower CSP technology
Tower CSP plants rely on vast fields of heliostats – mirrors that track the Sun and concentrate its rays onto a receiver positioned at the top of a tall central tower.
The heat captured there generates the high temperatures needed to produce electricity.
As the technology expands worldwide, CSP plants have become increasingly intricate, requiring perfect synchronisation among thousands of heliostats, high-temperature receivers and thermal storage systems.
Their complexity has made digitalisation essential for improving operational efficiency, reducing optical losses and cutting overall costs.
Europe faces growing international competition as more regions build new tower facilities.
SUN-DT was created to close this digital gap and ensure that European-built CSP systems remain cutting-edge, cost-competitive and aligned with the goals of the EU’s Strategic Energy Technology Plan.
IMDEA Networks to deliver 5G-enabled solar field intelligence
One of the central partners in the consortium, IMDEA Networks, leads the development of the 5G communication layer that will support precise heliostat characterisation and calibration.
This wireless infrastructure is critical for scaling the technology, as it enables high-capacity data links across large solar fields, real-time monitoring of mirror behaviour and rapid feedback loops that allow operators to correct misalignment instantly.
IMDEA’s long-standing expertise in wireless sensing, network architecture and experimental testbeds, supported by facilities such as the NEXTONIC laboratory, will allow the team to design and validate communication systems under realistic operating scenarios.
Their contribution ensures that advanced control strategies can be deployed reliably in operating CSP plants.
A digital toolkit designed for smarter CSP plants
At the core of SUN-DT is a suite of interoperable digital tools created to modernise every layer of tower CSP operations.
The system includes automated heliostat calibration software, a digital twin for real-time decision-making, an energy-dispatch optimisation engine and predictive maintenance capabilities.
Working together, these tools aim to improve solar-field performance, minimise downtime, lower operational and maintenance costs and help CSP participate more actively in grid-support services.
The combined toolkit will be delivered through the unified SUN-DT platform, which integrates data, analytics and optimisation methods into a single operational environment.
The approach is designed not only to increase the efficiency of existing plants but also to reduce deployment costs for future CSP projects.
Global testing at commercial tower plants
To validate its results, SUN-DT will undergo rigorous testing at two experimental facilities and two major commercial tower CSP plants: Khi Solar One in South Africa and Cerro Dominador in Chile.
These sites, operated by consortium partners COX and ACCIONA, represent different design configurations and provide ideal conditions for demonstrating performance gains in real-world environments.
One of the project’s most promising outcomes is an automated calibration system capable of detecting heliostat misalignment as it happens.
Instead of performing blanket maintenance rounds, operators will intervene only where needed, improving optical efficiency while significantly reducing time spent in the field.
SUN-DT ultimately aims to usher tower CSP plants into a fully digital era, enhancing their reliability, cutting operating costs and making renewable solar thermal energy more competitive on a global scale.
