Research from Germany has published an open-access dataset covering the Jülich Solar Tower in western Germany. The research team say they hope data from different facilities will be added in the future to promote widespread adoption of the technology.
Researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and German Aerospace Center (DLR) are releasing freely-accessible operational data from the Jülich Solar Tower test power plant, located in western Germany.
Rather than converting sunlight into electricity, solar tower power plants generate heat that can be stored, used directly for electricity generation or utilized in industrial processes. They feature an array of movable mirrors, called heliostats, that direct light onto a receiver located at the top of a central tower.
Dr. Kaleb Phipps, from KIT’s Scientific Computing Center, said that operating solar power tower plants safely and efficiently is a complex and expensive task.
“To develop and reliably test new processes, researchers need real-world operational data,” Phipps said, “Our PAINT database provides this information in an open and structured format.”
