Open Access

Philipp Volkmer

• The upscaling of wind turbines has been increasing in recent years and will continue to play a significant role in the future, as it allows for the reduction of electricity generation costs. Various challenges arise when it comes to upscaling. This article summarizes the technical challenges associated with upscaling wind turbines and presenting their problem-solving approaches and research trends based on other reviews. It was found that the most frequently cited challenges are related to individual components, such as rotor blades, drive train, generator, tower, and noise impact. For rotor blades, the challenges are increased flexibility, more aeroelastic vibrations, increased wear, interferences with radar and transportation difficulties. Proposed solutions include the use of carbon-fiber blades, prebending, novel paints, and for transportation, segmented rotor blades and on-site manufacturing. In the gearbox, torque increases, leading to higher weight and susceptibility to errors. As a result, the trend is moving towards gearless systems with permanent magnet synchronous generators. Transportation is the major issue with towers, which can be resolved with on-site manufacturing. In terms of noise emission, reducing aerodynamic noise plays the most significant role.