The PAINT database for operational concentrating solar power plant data following FAIR data principles
Published in Nature Energy, 2026
Limited access to real-world operational data has long hindered research on concentrating solar power (CSP) tower plants. We introduce PAINT, a FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) open-access database compiling 849 GB of multi-year operational data from the Jülich solar tower plant, including heliostat properties, calibration and deflectometry measurements, and fine-grained weather data. Organized using the SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog specification, PAINT is designed to support digital twins, AI-based calibration methods, predictive maintenance, and improved solar flux prediction across the CSP research community.
Recommended citation: Phipps, K., Kuhl, M., Weiel, M., Busch, M., Lewen, J., Blumenröhr, N., Maldonado Quinto, D., Debus, C., Göhring, F., Kaufhold, O., Streit, A., Pitz-Paal, R., Götz, M., & Pargmann, M. (2026). "The PAINT database for operational concentrating solar power plant data following FAIR data principles." Nature Energy.
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