On building-up a yearly characterization of a heliostat field: A new methodology and an application example

•Theoretical expansion of an existing method for heliostat field characterization.•Method to build a yearly predictor of the projected flux map of any heliostat.•Analytical models adjusted from real or simulation data with adjustable scope.•Successfully applied to a replica of CESA-I at Plataforma Solar de Almería.•Detailed description of the application example including the resulting model.