Press Release: SUN-DT Project Kicks Off to Advance the Digital Future of CSP Tower Plants

Smart Use of Novel Digital Tools for advanced performance and reduced costs in CSP tower plants Disclaimer: Funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement no 101234781. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. - 1 - 12 November 2025 Press Release SUN-DT Project Kicks Off to Advance the Digital Future of CSP Tower Plants The Horizon Europe project SUN-DT (“Smart Use of Novel Digital Tools for advanced performance and reduced costs in CSP tower plants”) kicked off with a successful consortium meeting on 7-8 October 2025, hosted by the project coordinator CENER at its headquarters in Sarriguren, Spain. The SUN-DT consortium brings together nine organisations from Spain, Germany, Turkey, and Belgium, leveraging their complementary expertise in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), digitalisation, and communications, to advance the digital transformation of the CSP tower plants sector and thus increase its competitiveness in Europe. The two-day kick-off meeting marked the official launch of project activities, gathering all consortium partners to align on objectives, methodologies, workplan and upcoming milestones. Coordinated by CENER, project partners exchanged views on technical aspects, coordination procedures and dissemination strategies to ensure an effective start to this ambitious project. SUN-DT specifically aims to boost the competitiveness of the European CSP tower plants sector through digital innovation. Project partners will jointly advance and integrate four interoperable innovative digital tools: • HELIOSTATACC: a heliostat automatic calibration and characterisation tool • SUN-DTWIN: a Digital Twin of the solar field and receiver for automated decision-making • D-OPT: an energy management system for dispatch optimisation system based on weather, and market and auxiliary services forecasts • PREDOM: a predictive operation and maintenance (O&M) tool These tools will be integrated into a unified SUN-DT Platform, which will be tested and validated at two experimental facilities and two commercial plants: the Khi Solar One plant in South Africa and the Cerro Dominador plant in Chile. These commercial CSP plants are operated by two consortium partners and global solar energy leaders, COX and ACCIONA respectively, representing different CSP tower configurations. Smart Use of Novel Digital Tools for advanced performance and reduced costs in CSP tower plants Disclaimer: Funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement no 101234781. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. - 2 - Project Information Grant Agreement no. 101234781 Project name Smart Use of Novel Digital Tools for advanced performance and reduced costs in CSP tower plants Project acronym SUN-DT Type of action HORIZON Innovation Actions Topic identifier HORIZON-CL5-2024-D3-02-01 Starting date 01 October 2025 Duration 36 months EU contribution € 2.995.445,97 SUN-DT Coordinator CENER FUNDACION CENER SUN-DT Partners DLR DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FUR LUFT - UND RAUMFAHRT EV CIEMAT CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES ENERGETICAS MEDIOAMBIENTALES Y TECNOLOGICAS IME FUNDACION IMDEA ENERGIA INAVITAS INAVITAS ENERJI ANONIM SIRKETI ACCIONA ACCIONA CONSTRUCCION SA COX COX ENERGY EPC S.L. ESTELA EUROPEAN SOLAR THERMAL ELECTRICITY ASSOCIATION IMN FUNDACION IMDEA NETWORKS To stay up-to-date on SUN-DT’s activities and news, follow the project on: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sun-dt/ • X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/SUN_DT_Project Project Coordinator contacts: • Marcelino Sánchez (CENER) – [email protected] • Amaia Mutuberria (CENER) – [email protected]