Solar turbines explained 2026: CSP, Solar Turbines Inc., and where turbines actually fit in solar
Solar turbines is a confusing search term. There's Solar Turbines Inc. — a Caterpillar subsidiary that makes industrial gas turbines, not solar. And there are steam turbines inside concentrated solar power (CSP) plants — the only place real solar turbines exist. This guide disambiguates, walks through US CSP operating plants and their economics, and explains why CSP remains a marginal slice of the US solar mix in 2026.
In 50 words: Solar turbines is a confusing search term. There's Solar Turbines Inc. — a Caterpillar subsidiary that makes industrial gas turbines, not solar. And there are steam turbines inside concentrated solar power (CSP) plants — the only place real solar turbines exist. This guide disambiguates, walks through US CSP operating plants and their economics, and explains why CSP remains a marginal slice of the US solar mix in 2026.
The phrase "solar turbines" gets searched a lot in the US, and almost everyone searching it means one of three completely different things. This guide unpacks the disambiguation, then walks through the only meaningful technical context where solar turbines actually exist — concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. We cover the operating US CSP fleet, why CSP almost died in the 2010s, and why a small revival is possible in 2026.
Table of contents
- The three things people mean by "solar turbines"
- Solar Turbines Incorporated: the gas turbine company
- CSP: where solar turbines actually exist
- Operating US CSP plants in 2026
- Why CSP almost died (and why it might come back)
- Solar turbines vs. PV: when (if ever) CSP makes sense
- Frequently asked questions
1. The three things people mean by "solar turbines"
| Search intent | What it actually is | |---|---| | Solar Turbines Inc. | A Caterpillar subsidiary making industrial gas turbines for oil & gas, pipelines, and distributed power. NOT solar power. | | Steam turbines in CSP plants | Real solar turbines — concentrated solar power plants use mirrors to heat fluid that drives steam turbines | | Wind turbines on solar farms | Hybrid wind+solar co-located projects (the turbines are wind, not solar) |
For 99% of practical solar power decisions in 2026 — residential, commercial, utility-scale PV — there are no turbines involved. Photovoltaic conversion is silicon and inverters all the way down.
For the broader solar power context, see what is solar power US guide.
2. Solar Turbines Incorporated: the gas turbine company
Solar Turbines Inc., headquartered in San Diego, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caterpillar that manufactures industrial gas turbines from 1 MW to 30+ MW. The company:
- Was founded in 1927 as Solar Aircraft Company (the "Solar" name predates the modern solar industry by decades)
- Became Solar Turbines after focusing on industrial gas turbine engines
- Acquired by Caterpillar in 1981
- Employs ~7,000 people in 2026
- Produces ~50% of the world's mid-range industrial gas turbines
Solar Turbines Inc. makes products like the Centaur 50 (4.5 MW), Mars 100 (10.7 MW), and Titan 250 (23 MW) gas turbines. These are used for:
- Oil & gas pipeline compression
- Offshore platform power generation
- Distributed power generation for industrial users
- Combined heat and power (CHP) installations
None of this is solar power. The company name is historical, predating the modern solar power industry. This causes regular confusion in search and procurement.
3. CSP: where solar turbines actually exist
Concentrated solar power (CSP) is the only solar technology family that uses turbines. The basic CSP setup:
- Heliostats or trough mirrors focus sunlight onto a central receiver
- Receiver fluid (molten salt, oil, or direct steam) is heated to 400–1,000°C
- Thermal energy is either stored (in molten salt tanks) or used directly
- Heat exchanger transfers thermal energy to a Rankine-cycle steam turbine
- Steam turbine spins a generator producing electricity
The "solar turbine" in a CSP plant is a conventional steam turbine — typically a Siemens, GE, or MHI unit — adapted to handle the temperature ramp profile of a solar thermal cycle. It's the same kind of turbine you'd find in a coal or nuclear plant, just smaller and with a solar-specific control system.
CSP architectures:
- Power tower (solar tower with central receiver): Ivanpah, Crescent Dunes
- Parabolic trough: SEGS plants in California, Solana in Arizona
- Linear Fresnel reflector: less common in operating US plants
- Dish-Stirling: pilot scale only; not used commercially in 2026
4. Operating US CSP plants in 2026
The operating US CSP fleet — where solar turbines actually exist — is small:
| Plant | Location | Capacity | Architecture | Year COD | |---|---|---|---|---| | Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System | California | 392 MW | Power tower | 2014 | | Crescent Dunes Solar Energy | Nevada | 110 MW | Power tower w/ 10-hr molten salt storage | 2015 | | Solana Generating Station | Arizona | 280 MW | Parabolic trough w/ storage | 2013 | | Mojave Solar Project | California | 280 MW | Parabolic trough | 2014 | | Genesis Solar Energy Project | California | 250 MW | Parabolic trough | 2014 | | SEGS III-IX (legacy) | California | ~340 MW | Parabolic trough | 1985–1991 (some retired) | | Various pilot / hybrid | Multiple | <200 MW combined | Various | 1990s–2010s |
Total US operating CSP capacity in 2026: ~1.7 GW, compared to ~225 GW of PV solar. CSP is roughly 0.7% of US solar power capacity.
5. Why CSP almost died (and why it might come back)
Through the 2000s, CSP looked competitive with PV. By the mid-2010s, PV prices fell so fast that CSP lost the cost war comprehensively. Key reasons CSP almost died:
- PV cost collapse: silicon module prices dropped 80%+ from 2010 to 2020, leaving CSP at $0.10/kWh while PV reached $0.03/kWh
- CSP plant complexity: high-temperature receivers, thermal storage, steam turbines, and water consumption all add cost and operational risk
- Crescent Dunes bankruptcy (2019): the highest-profile CSP project went bankrupt after operational problems
- Tax policy timing: ITC support became uniform across technologies, removing CSP's prior bonus structure
Why CSP might come back in 2026–2030:
- Long-duration storage demand is growing. Molten-salt CSP integrates 10–15 hours of thermal storage natively
- Industrial heat demand for hard-to-decarbonize sectors (cement, chemicals, steel pre-heat) is rising
- PV+BESS at >8 hours becomes expensive; CSP with native storage becomes cost-competitive in that duration band
- Heliostat costs have dropped 60%+ since 2014 from automation and learning curves
CSP in 2026 is not where solar power competes — but for niche long-duration storage applications, hybrid PV+CSP+thermal storage projects are being evaluated by NREL and a handful of developers.
6. Solar turbines vs. PV: when (if ever) CSP makes sense
| Application | Better: PV or CSP+solar turbines? | |---|---| | Utility-scale daytime power | PV (much cheaper) | | 4–6 hour evening dispatchable power | PV + BESS | | 8–15 hour dispatchable power | CSP with thermal storage potentially competitive | | Industrial process heat (500°C+) | CSP (PV cannot supply heat directly) | | Distributed residential / commercial | PV (CSP requires utility-scale footprint) | | High-irradiance desert utility | Both viable; PV usually cheaper |
For 95%+ of US solar power applications in 2026, PV beats CSP with solar turbines. The narrow exception: very long duration dispatch + high-temperature industrial heat.
7. Frequently asked questions
What is Solar Turbines Incorporated?
A Caterpillar subsidiary based in San Diego that makes industrial gas turbines. Despite the name, Solar Turbines Inc. does not make solar power equipment. The "Solar" name comes from the company's 1927 founding as Solar Aircraft Company.
Do solar power plants use turbines?
Only concentrated solar power (CSP) plants do. Standard photovoltaic (PV) solar power systems convert sunlight directly to electricity using silicon cells and have no turbines. CSP plants are roughly 0.7% of US solar power capacity in 2026.
What is a CSP plant?
Concentrated solar power. Mirrors focus sunlight on a receiver, heating fluid that drives a conventional steam turbine. The largest operating US CSP plant is Ivanpah in California (392 MW).
Why are CSP plants so rare in the US?
Photovoltaic solar power got dramatically cheaper than CSP through the 2010s and won the cost competition for daytime electricity. CSP is now a niche technology for long-duration storage and industrial heat.
Are there any new CSP plants being built in the US?
A handful of small projects (under 100 MW) are in late development as of 2026, mostly hybrid PV+CSP+storage configurations being evaluated by industrial customers and NREL. No large-scale new CSP commitments yet.
Is CSP cheaper or more expensive than PV?
More expensive. CSP LCOE in 2026 is roughly $90–$150/MWh; utility PV is $25–$40/MWh. CSP only becomes competitive when very long duration storage (8+ hours) is required.
Did Solar Turbines Inc. ever make solar power equipment?
No. Solar Turbines has been an industrial gas turbine company throughout its history. The name is historical (from "Solar Aircraft Company") and predates the modern solar power industry.
Researched and drafted with AI assistance; reviewed and edited by Rohan Desai. Companion reading: what is solar power US guide, solar power statistics US 2026, solar power vs wind power 2026. Browse more solar coverage. Standards: editorial, AI disclosure.