Modeling and co-simulation of a parabolic trough solar plant for industrial process heat

► A tri-dimensional dynamic complex model of a parabolic-trough collector is proposed. ► The collector model was validated with experimental data and agrees very well. ► An innovative co-simulation integration environment for PTC plants is developed. ► Co-simulations with complex dynamic and simplified stationary models were compared. ► Co-simulations for a reference solar industrial process heat scenario are presented.