Recent Advances in the Analysis of Functional and Structural Polymer Composites for Wind Turbines

Achieving the full potential of wind energy in the global renewable transition depends critically on enhancing the performance and reliability of polymer composite components. This review synthesizes recent advances from 2022 to 2025, including the development of next-generation hybrid composites and the application of high-fidelity computational methods-finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and fluid-structure interaction (FSI)-to optimize structural integrity and aerodynamic performance. It also explores the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in structural health monitoring (SHM) and the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) systems, which are becoming essential for predictive maintenance and lifecycle management. Special focus is given to harsh offshore environments, where polymer composites must withstand extreme wind and wave conditions. This review further addresses the growing importance of circular economy strategies for managing end-of-life composite blades. While innovations such as the geometric redesign of floating platforms and the aerodynamic refinement of blade components have yielded substantial gains-achieving up to a 30% mass reduction in PLA prototypes-more conservative optimizations of internal geometry configurations in GFRP blades provide only around 7% mass reduction. Nevertheless, persistent challenges related to polymer composite degradation and fatigue under severe weather conditions are driving the adoption of real-time hybrid predictive models. A bibliometric analysis of over 1000 publications confirms more than 25 percent annual growth in research across these interconnected areas. This review serves as a comprehensive reference for engineers and researchers, identifying three strategic frontiers that will shape the future of wind turbine blade technology: advanced composite materials, integrated computational modeling, and scalable recycling solutions.