A compact concentrated solar thermal (CST) field directs solar heat straight into Novacab TESS. TESS stores it and discharges through an ORC turbine on demand — dispatchable, behind-the-meter power for a community microgrid, with no lithium-ion battery in the loop.
Compact linear Fresnel CST collectors heat a transfer fluid to roughly 350–400°C. That heat charges Novacab TESS through an internal Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) loop by day; at night, or whenever the community needs it, TESS discharges through the same ORC to deliver electricity. The whole system — CST field plus TESS — fits on roughly half an acre and is designed to serve essential community loads: data/telecom, clinics, schools, grocery and water utilities.
| Planning basis | Reference value | What it implies |
|---|---|---|
| Footprint | ~1/2 acre for CST field + TESS in high-DNI (direct normal irradiance) areas | A small, siteable land parcel can anchor a genuine community-scale power resource. |
| Daily output | 14–20 MWh over 24 hours in high-DNI regions | Enough dispatchable energy for a cluster of essential-service buildings, not just a single site. |
| Storage chemistry | No lithium-ion battery required — thermal storage via SPCM (solid phase change material) | Avoids battery fire risk, degradation curves and end-of-life battery disposal entirely. |
| Service life | 40–50+ years with nominal maintenance | A multi-decade asset life, not a 10–15 year battery replacement cycle. |
| Phase | What happens | Result |
|---|---|---|
| CST heat collection | Linear Fresnel mirrors concentrate solar energy onto a receiver, heating transfer fluid to ~350–400°C. | Free, fuel-free thermal input during daylight hours. |
| TESS charging (daytime) | Solar heat drives the TESS charging cycle through an internal ORC module, storing thermal energy in SPCM. | Energy banked for use whenever it's needed — not just when the sun is out. |
| TESS discharging (night & beyond) | Stored heat powers the ORC as needed, delivering electricity out to the community. | Dispatchable 24/7 power without a diesel genset or a battery bank. |
Best fit: communities, campuses or utility service areas where essential loads — data/telecom, clinic, school, grocery, water — need resilient, dispatchable power and a bypassable pilot can prove daily output, dispatch reliability and land/water use before scaling to a full microgrid buildout.
Small footprint. No critical-minerals dependency. Minimal land and water use. A CST + TESS microgrid is engineered to keep dispatchable, 24/7 power flowing to the services a community can't do without — more on the Novacab TESS platform that makes it possible.
We would rather send you a data request than a brochure. This is what turns a conversation into a bankable project.
Site DNI (direct normal irradiance) data; available land and orientation; essential-load list and peak/average demand for each building; existing grid interconnection or islanding requirements; water availability; backup/black-start requirements; permitting and land-use constraints.
All claims relating to site output, footprint, service life, dispatch reliability, payback, incentives and deployment economics are planning assumptions, analogues or manufacturer reference data — unless and until they are validated for your specific site through engineering, measurement, vendor quotation, financing documentation, legal review and final commercial agreements.