Recent advances in wind turbine technologies: a review of innovations and challenges in the last years (2015–2025)

There have been substantial advancements in wind turbine technologies in the last years (2015–2025). The wind turbines harness the wind energy to provide an alternate source of energy to fossil fuels. It helps mitigate the environmental challenges posed by the use of fossil fuels and achieve the climate target, and fulfil the Paris Agreement. There has been new research work carried out in the past decade on wind turbines in terms of blade design, deployment of offshore and floating technologies, smart grid integration and battery storage, control systems and hydrogen generation. This review article provides an exhaustive examination of these advancements and presents a thorough literature review. The issues of decommissioning old turbine blades to recover materials within the framework of the circular economy of reuse and recycling have also been examined. A comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the last years has been conducted to understand the research trends in the wind turbine field related to publication and institute and country-wise contribution. This paper is a comprehensive assessment that integrates several aspects of wind turbine technology and associated difficulties, including the repowering of ageing turbines, end-of-life management, and environmental and climatic impacts for future research and development.