Articles | Volume 11, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-11-2103-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-11-2103-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Review article
| 
18 Jun 2026
Review article |
| 18 Jun 2026
| 18 Jun 2026
Condition monitoring of wind turbine drivetrains: state-of-the-art technologies, recent trends, and future outlook
Department of Applied Mechanics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Offshore Wind Infrastructure Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Xavier Chesterman
Department of Applied Mechanics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Offshore Wind Infrastructure Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
FlandersMake@VUB, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Artificial Intelligence Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Donatella Zappalá
Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Kluyverweg 1, 2629 HS Delft, the Netherlands
Simon Watson
Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Kluyverweg 1, 2629 HS Delft, the Netherlands
Mingxin Li
Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Edward Hart
Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
James Carroll
Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Yolanda Vidal
Control, Data, and Artificial Intelligence, Department of Mathematics, Escola d'Enginyeria de Barcelona Est, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Campus Diagonal-Besós, Eduard Maristany, 16, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
Institute of Mathematics (IMTech) Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona 08028, Spain
Amir R. Nejad
Department of Marine Technology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491, Trondheim, Norway
Shawn Sheng
National Wind Technology Center, National Laboratory of the Rockies, Golden, Colorado, USA
DTU Wind and Energy Systems, Wind Energy Materials and Components Division, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Matthias Stammler
DTU Wind and Energy Systems, Wind Energy Materials and Components Division, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Fraunhofer IWES, Large Bearing Laboratory, Am Schleusengraben 22, 21029 Hamburg, Germany
Florian Wirsing
Senlytics GmbH, Jülicher Straße 209 q/s, 52070 Aachen, Germany
Ahmed Saleh
Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Schinkelstraße 10, 52062 Aachen, Germany
Nico Gregarek
Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Schinkelstraße 10, 52062 Aachen, Germany
Thao Baszenski
Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Schinkelstraße 10, 52062 Aachen, Germany
Thomas Decker
Center for Wind Power Drives, RWTH Aachen University, Campus-Boulevard 61, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Martin Knops
Center for Wind Power Drives, RWTH Aachen University, Campus-Boulevard 61, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Georg Jacobs
Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Schinkelstraße 10, 52062 Aachen, Germany
Center for Wind Power Drives, RWTH Aachen University, Campus-Boulevard 61, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Benjamin Lehmann
Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Schinkelstraße 10, 52062 Aachen, Germany
Florian König
Soete Laboratory, Ghent University, Technologiepark 46, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
Ines Pereira
Department of Applied Mechanics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Offshore Wind Infrastructure Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Pieter-Jan Daems
Department of Applied Mechanics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Offshore Wind Infrastructure Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Cédric Peeters
Department of Applied Mechanics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Offshore Wind Infrastructure Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
FlandersMake@VUB, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Jan Helsen
Department of Applied Mechanics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Offshore Wind Infrastructure Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
FlandersMake@VUB, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
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Total article views: 4,732 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
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Cited
2 citations as recorded by crossref.
- State-of-the-Art Review of Next-Generation Floating Photovoltaic Systems from a Materials Design and Advanced Fabrication Perspective with an Emphasis on Additive Manufacturing and Functionally Graded Materials K. Debnath et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19153587
- Sensor-error-robust normal-behavior modeling for wind turbine drive train failure prediction using a masked autoencoder X. Chesterman et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-11-1163-2026
1 citations as recorded by crossref.
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 02 Aug 2026
Short summary
Wind energy use has been rapidly expanding worldwide in recent years. Driven by global decarbonization goals and energy security concerns, this growth is expected to continue. To achieve these targets, production costs must decrease, with operation and maintenance being major contributors. This paper reviews current and emerging technologies for monitoring wind turbine drivetrains, and highlights key academic and industrial challenges that may hinder progress.
Wind energy use has been rapidly expanding worldwide in recent years. Driven by global...
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