Solar Turbines Incorporated
Solar Turbines Incorporated, headquartered in San Diego, California, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc. Solar manufactures the world’s most widely used family of mid-sized industrial gas turbines, ranging from 1 to 39 megawatts. More than 16,000 Solar units are installed in more than 100 countries with more than 3 billion operating hours. Solar is a leading provider of energy solutions, featuring an extensive line of gas turbine-powered compressor sets, mechanical drive packages, and generator sets.
Company details
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- Business Type:
- Manufacturer
- Industry Type:
- Conventional Energy
- Market Focus:
- Globally (various continents)
- Year Founded:
- 1927
- Employees:
- Over 1000
This company also provides solutions for other industrial applications.
Please, visit the following links for more info:
About Us
Powering the future through innovative, sustainable energy solutions.
Solar Turbines Incorporated, headquartered in San Diego, California, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc. Solar manufactures the world’s most widely used family of mid-sized industrial gas turbines, ranging from 1 to 39 megawatts. More than 16,000 Solar units are installed in more than 100 countries with more than 3 billion operating hours. Solar is a leading provider of energy solutions, featuring an extensive line of gas turbine-powered compressor sets, mechanical drive packages, and generator sets.
Solar’s customers put the company’s products to work in many areas, including production, processing and pipeline transmission of natural gas and crude oil, and generation of electricity and thermal energy for processing applications, such as manufacturing chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food products.
Solar’s foundation is people and Solar’s culture is one where individual contributions are valued, diversity in the workplace is encouraged, and safety is emphasized in all aspects of the business. Solar Turbines is comprised of a dedicated and multi-talented workforce of more than 8,000 employees with decades of experience working as a global team.
Solar Turbines Equipment Financing
Solar Turbines Equipment Financing
Our team offers several options for our customers to finance their equipment. Here are a few choices for your Solar projects:
- Non-recourse financing
- Term and construction financing
- Financing based on total project cost
- Flexible payment terms during construction
Our Mission
We make our customers successful.
We are relentless in meeting our commitments. We act with urgency to deliver innovative and high quality turbomachinery, energy and lifecycle solutions.
We grow profitably.
We ensure long-term success by investing in future technologies and maintaining a competitive, flexible cost structure while achieving strong returns on investments.
We do it the right way.
We act with integrity to deliver sustainable value to our people, customers and local communities throughout the world.
Corporate Values
As a part of the Caterpillar family, Solar Turbines upholds Caterpillar's Worldwide Code of Conduct. Our high ethical standards support the values of integrity, excellence, teamwork, commitment and sustainability
While we conduct our business within the framework of applicable laws and regulations, for us, compliance with the law is not enough. We strive for more than that. Through our Code of Conduct, we envision a work environment all can take pride in, a company others respect and admire and a world made better by our actions. Together, we are laying the foundation for the values-based culture that will carry us forward to even higher levels of success. Together, we are upholding the reputation of one of the world’s great companies – and strengthening it for tomorrow.
SAFETY
Overall safety is an enterprise-wide priority at Solar Turbines. Our team makes every effort to ensure safety is the first step in everything we do. Solar’s everyday operations, meetings and day-to-day tasks include safety moments and reflecting on how we can improve every day. Our culture of safety is fostered on the production floor, in the office and in the field. Learn more about Solar’s values and commitment regarding Field Service Safety.
CUSTOMER COMMITMENT
Solar meets our customer needs anytime, anywhere. As a global company, we respond quickly and effectively in your time and space. We design and deliver customized energy solutions that exceed your expectations. We take feedback, and listen and learn from our customers to drive value and responsiveness.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Solar Turbines is committed to powering the communities where we live and work across the globe. We partner with Caterpillar Foundation and United Way to alleviate poverty and help families achieve financial stability. Investing more than $1 million dollars annually, Solar supports initiatives in basic needs, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, manufacturing, workforce development and environmental causes.
Solar Turbines History
Solar Turbines started as an aircraft company in 1927. The company grew through several wars and the Great Depression. Solar’s growth led the company to develop a wide range of innovative products. Today Solar is a key player in the 1,000 to 30,000 horsepower (hp) segment of the global gas turbine market, making it a world-class energy solutions provider. Building on the accomplishments below, Solar Turbines continues to power the future as ONE team.
1927
A pioneering San Diego Company, Solar Aircraft, designed and manufactured aircraft at the dawn of air travel.
1937
Solar leased a plant in National City, CA housing an industrial products company that manufactured automotive air cleaners.
1946
With the end of the war came new efforts to diversify the company’s product line, including milk truck tanks, dairy pasteurizers, film processing machines, coffee brewers, kitchen sinks, popsicle trays, and mini race cars.
1956
Solar developed the Jupiter engine and the 50-hp Mars gas turbine.
1969
Solar went to the moon! The company’s research department crafted exotic metal beryllium cases for the GE 26 System for Nuclear Auxiliary Power 70W electric generators. Five of these cases were placed on the moon by Apollo 12.
1973
Solar developed Solimide high-temperature non-toxic foam. The company also changed its control system to employ integrated circuit and began development of the 10,000 hp Mars engine. This was also the year that Solar phased out the aerospace components and subcontracting business.
1978
The company developed a trailer mounted Saturn 1000 generator, which was capable of providing dual frequency and voltage for use anywhere. It was built for the U.S. Army.
1984
After being named an official subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., the first Turbotronic control console was introduced. Two years later Solar placed a Turbotronic control system on a Mars engine.
1987-94
Solar launches three new gas turbine models in the late 80s and early 90s: Taurus™ 60, Taurus™ 70, Mars® 100. All three models each have more than 1000 installations and today are part of Solar’s core product lineup.
1997
Solar introduced the 18,300-hp Titan 130 engine featuring new blade and combustion technology, improving part-load heat rate performance and achieving thermal efficiency above 35% on both the single and dual-shaft configurations.
2005
Solar launched Equipment Health Management through InSight™ Platform. It has evolved into an entire ecosystem of digital tools, capabilities and analytics for maximizing machinery uptime and lower lifecycle costs.
2008
Solar introduced the 30,000-hp Titan 250 gas turbine. This design features a compact engine footprint, delivering an impressive power density in a package.
2015
The company installed a 3D virtual immersion lab to assist in rapid development, design and prototype of packaged products.
2018
Solar adds Power Generation Module (PGM) to its product line-up. A simplified design to minimize maintenance and maximize productivity, these factory pre-assembled modules reduce installation and commissioning time on-site.
2019
Solar introduces Solar Mobile Turbomachinery (SMT), a complete mobile power plant for short-term power generation. SMT is ideal for oil field power, remote power, trailer power, and in emergencies, such as natural disasters.
Innovation
Innovative Gas Turbine Solutions
Long known as a pioneer in the design and manufacture of gas turbine systems, Solar is pushing advances throughout the energy industry.
People, Process and Technology
Equipment Health Management (EHM) is Solar’s premier machinery healthcare service program. Powered by our state-of-the-art Insight Platform technology, EHM is a managed, proactive service provided by our Global Technical Support Network.
ExploreSolar Mobile Turbomachinery
Park, plug and play with Solar Turbines’ newest product, Solar Mobile Turbomachinery (SMT). This single trailer design is a complete mobile power plant with wide fuel composition flexibility. The SMT is the best solution for oil field power, remote power and trailer power.
ExplorePower Generation Modules
Perfect for non-hazardous applications, Solar Turbines’ Power Generation Module (PGM) offers a modular concept for gas turbine generator sets, optimized for shorter installation and commissioning times. This solution is compact for easy transportation and reduces overall costs for customers.
ExploreEnvironmental Commitment
Sustainable Energy Solutions
Environmental compliance and sustainability are strong drivers of Solar’s product design and development programs. Solar gas turbines produce low exhaust emissions that meet or exceed emission standards around the world.
Solar Turbines and Caterpillar are committed to operating a sustainable business and contributing to a better world through:
- Reducing emissions for our products
- Giving new life to existing products
- Developing new technologies and processes
- Transforming our safety performance
- Operating environmentally-friendly facilities through reduction in greenhouse gases and hazardous waste, recycling, and conscientious water and electrical usage
- Responding when disaster strikes, and building better communities and a cleaner environment.
Caterpillar Sustainability Report
For more than 90 years, customers have used Caterpillar's equipment to develop infrastructure, energy and natural resource assets that improve living standards across the globe. Caterpillar's dedication to building better is stronger than ever.
Energy Storage
Energy Storage
Solar’s environmental commitment efforts include one of our newest products, Solar® Energy Storage, which utilizes a gas turbine microgrid for sustainable energy storage. This system not only produces reliable megawatts, but more importantly determines how and when to apply the power.
SoLoNOx Technology
SoLoNOx Technology
Solar’s gas turbine engines with pollution-prevention SoLoNOx™ dry lean-premixed combustion technology. This advanced combustion system provides the most cost effective and environmentally friendly approach to reduce NOx emissions. More than 3500 gas turbines with SoLoNOx technology have been installed worldwide, logging more than 350 million operating hours.
Gas Compressor Calculator
Solar offers reliable and versatile natural gas centrifugal compressors for all oil and gas applications. See what power rating and compression requirements work best for your company's operations
Cogneration Calculator
Use this cogeneration & Combined Heat and Power (CHP) calculator to quickly estimate your company's annual energy savings, along with the carbon emissions you will eliminate with our turbines.