Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue, “Dynamic Modeling of Concentrating Solar Power Plants”, will address recent advances in analytical and numerical modelling of Concentrating Solar Power Plants. Concentrating Solar Power Plants can come in different types (e.g. solar tower or parabolic trough) and also ranging from power outputs of a few kW to hundreds of MW. So far, most investigations have focused on Proof Of Concept or demonstrators.  Recently, the interest in solar thermal energy conversion from concentrating plants and storage for practical applications and investments has been increasing due to the urgent requirement for carbon neutrality and, additionally to reduce the dependence on more financially volatile energy production sources. However, in order to better predict the performance of a CSP and -ultimately- further improve the efficiency of solar energy utilization, a deeper understanding of the dynamic processes and the development of tools and methods is required. This special issue will focus on the dynamic modelling methods and approaches and experimental validation of such methods of all the relevant processes in the operation of a Concentrating Solar Power Plant. The relevant processes can include -- but not limited to-- modelling of sun light rays, maximisation of solar energy yield, stochastic production prediction, heat transfer in storage medium materials, dimensioning for optimal storage management and overall performance of a system. All types of articles are welcomed for this Special Issue, including but not limited to original research papers, letters, reviews, and prospects.

Dr. Nikolaos Papadakis

Guest Editor