Solar gas turbines drive more pipelines, platforms and industrial plants than any other mid-sized engine family, and many of them have been running for decades. This post covers the model range, where new demand is coming from, and what it takes to keep these machines supplied with parts.
One of the largest gas turbine fleets in service
Solar Turbines is based in San Diego, California, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar. It began as an aircraft company in 1927 and entered the industrial gas turbine business in 1960 with the Saturn engine.
Solar's own figures put the installed base at more than 17,000 units in more than 100 countries, with over 3 billion operating hours. The range runs from 1 to 39 megawatts (MW).
These are industrial engines built for long, continuous running. Most of them sit on gas pipelines, oil and gas production sites, offshore platforms and industrial plants that generate their own power and steam.
The model range
Solar builds five main engine families. Each is sold as a compressor set, a mechanical drive package or a generator set. The ratings below are Solar's published figures for new equipment; older configurations of the same models carry lower ratings.
| Model | Mechanical drive, horsepower (hp) | Generator set, kilowatts electric (kWe) |
|---|---|---|
| Saturn 20 | 1,590 | 1,210 |
| Centaur 40 | 4,700 | 3,515 |
| Centaur 50 | 6,130 | 4,600 |
| Taurus 60 | 7,700 | 5,670 |
| Taurus 70 | 11,110 | 8,180 |
| Mars 90 | 13,220 | 9,450 |
| Mars 100 | 15,900 | 11,350 |
| Titan 130 | 23,470 | 16,530 |
| Titan 250 | 31,900 | 23,100 |
| Titan 350 | 47,000 to 52,500 | 34,000 to 38,000 |
The Titan 350 is the newest and largest. Solar introduced it in 2022 and lists it at 39.3% shaft efficiency, with a fuel range that includes hydrogen blends.
Most current models are available with SoLoNOx, Solar's Dry Low Emissions (DLE) combustion system, which limits nitrogen oxides (NOx) without water injection.
Where new demand is coming from
Pipelines and oil and gas production remain the core of the fleet. The newer source of orders is on-site power for data centers, where developers cannot wait for a grid connection.
Gas Turbine World reported in 2026 that gas turbine capacity ordered by data center developers was about 20 times the 2024 level. It named Solar and Siemens Energy as the leaders below 20 MW, with steady orders for the Taurus, Mars and Titan models.
Two recent announcements show the direction:
- Caterpillar and Vertiv: in November 2025 the two companies signed an agreement to combine Solar and Caterpillar power generation with Vertiv's power distribution and cooling for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
- Stella Power Company: in August 2026 this independent power producer ordered a fleet of PGM130 packages, each built around a Titan 130, for on-site generation across North America.
More units running on continuous duty means more fired hours, and more parts consumed.
What a large, long-lived fleet means for parts
A Solar package can stay in service for decades, so parts supply becomes a different problem as it ages. Three issues come up again and again.
- Hot section wear: combustor liners, fuel injectors, turbine blades and nozzle segments wear with temperature and fired hours. On a pipeline or power unit that runs around the clock, those hours add up quickly.
- Changing part standards: components are revised over an engine's production life. A part number on an old parts list may have been replaced by a later design, so each order has to be checked against the engine's actual build.
- Package obsolescence: the engine often outlasts the equipment around it. Control power supplies, transmitters, signal modules and valves on older packages go out of production and need a sourced or engineered replacement.
For an operator, the practical answer is to settle the parts list, the sources and the lead times before the next inspection, not during it.
How TrustTechs supports Solar operators
TrustTechs supplies capital and spare parts for the Saturn, Centaur, Taurus, Mars and Titan families, backed by engineering on every component. See our gas turbine parts and auxiliary systems and control equipment pages for the wider range.
- Compressor: blades, vanes and variable guide vane hardware.
- Combustion: combustor liners and fuel injectors.
- Turbine: turbine blades, nozzle segments and power turbine components.
- Package and auxiliaries: fuel and control valves, pressure regulators, flexible hoses, lube oil coolers and starter motors.
- Controls and instrumentation: control power supplies, sensors, thermocouple transmitters and signal conditioning modules.
- Spare and consumable parts: seals, gaskets, filters, fasteners and small hardware for scheduled maintenance.
Each order is engineered against a defined specification, manufactured or sourced under controlled procedures, and delivered with a full dossier: drawings, material certificates, inspection and test reports, and traceability records.
If you operate Solar gas turbines, send your parts list or enquiry to sales@trusttechs.ca or use our contact page.
TrustTechs is an independent engineering and service company. Manufacturer and model names are used for reference only.
Sources
- About Solar Turbines, Solar Turbines
- Gas turbine ratings, Solar Turbines
- Titan 350 generator set, Solar Turbines
- Solar Turbines history, Solar Turbines
- Vertiv and Caterpillar announce energy optimization collaboration, Caterpillar, 18 November 2025
- Stella Power Company secures major turbine order from Solar Turbines, Business Wire, August 2026
- Gas turbine market forecast, Gas Turbine World, 2026
