TESLA
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Digital ladder

Models M0–M4

Start with a napkin. Add physics only when a gate needs it. The number that eventually matters is dollars per megawatt-hour of heat delivered — not a pretty noon efficiency.

Open the yearRun the plant

  1. M0

    Live

    Sanity check

    0-D design-point energy balance. Sizes Ar from Cg. Kills illegal temperatures. No year, no wind map, no pipes.

    • Cg = Ac / Ar
    • Pin = DNI × Ac
    • Prad = εσA T⁴
    • Forbidden-T flag
    Open

  2. M1

    Live

    Optical model

    Turn facets into a flux map. Geometric concentration is not what the coating sees.

    • Mirror reflectivity
    • Cosine, blocking, shading
    • Tracking error
    • CPC intercept
    • q''(x,y) and C_flux
    Open

  3. M2

    Live

    Receiver model

    Film temperature from peak flux and HTF h. Peak flux drives dump, not mean flux.

    • Cavity geometry and aperture exchange
    • Wall temperatures
    • Conductive leak
    • Convection
    • HTF heat transfer
    Open

  4. M3

    Live

    Transient thermal

    Thermal mass, clouds, pump trip, dump, startup. Time is accelerated; the limits are not.

    • Thermal mass
    • Cloud transients
    • Dump-to-tank
    • Startup / shutdown
    Open

  5. M4

    Live

    Annual system

    Hourly typical-year DNI, IAM, soiling, storage oil. The number that matters is $/MWh_th delivered.

    • Hourly DNI
    • Sun angle
    • Parasitics
    • Useful heat delivered
    • $/MWh_th
    Open