Technology for renewable energy has grown considerably in the 21st century, mostly due to the urgent need to fight climate change and decrease dependence on fossil fuels. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the progress made in solar, wind, and hydropower energy systems, highlighting key technological breakthroughs and emerging trends. In the solar energy sector, innovations in photovoltaic materials, efficiency enhancements, and integration with smart grid technologies have played a crucial role in accelerating adoption. Wind energy has seen notable developments in turbine design, offshore deployment, and energy storage solutions aimed at addressing variability and grid compatibility. Hydropower, while a mature technology, continues to evolve through innovations in small-scale systems, pumped-storage techniques, and environmentally sustainable practices. The review also examines how various technologies function together, highlighting the growing significance of integrated renewable energy frameworks and hybrid systems. Future prospects for sustainable and resilient energy systems are examined, along with issues including intermittency, environmental effect, and governmental impediments. Overall, the paper emphasizes how important technology development is in influencing the world’s shift to a cleaner and safer energy future.
Cite this paper
Ahmadi, A. Z. , Afghan, R. , Sadat, Q. U. and Khaliqyar, R. U. (2025). Progress in Solar, Wind, and Hydropower Energy in the 21st Century: A Review of Technological Advancement. Open Access Library Journal, 12, e14131. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1114131.
Lelieveld, J., Klingmüller, K., Pozzer, A., Burnett, R.T., Haines, A. and Ramanathan, V. (2019) Effects of Fossil Fuel and Total Anthropogenic Emission Removal on Public Health and Climate. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116, 7192-7197. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1819989116
United Nations Environment Programme (2018) SDG 7 Issue Brief: Ensuring Access to Affordable, Reliable, Sustainable and Modern Energy for All. United Nations Environment Programme. https://wedocs.unep.org/20.500.11822/25762
International Energy Agency (2019) Renewa-bles—Global Energy Review 2019: Renewables. IEA. https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-2019/renewables
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) (2023) Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2022. IRENA. https://www.irena.org/Publications/2023/Jun/Renewable-Power-Generation-Costs-in-2022
Romanello, M., Di Napoli, C., Drummond, P., Green, C., Kennard, H., Lampard, P., et al. (2022) The 2022 Report of the Lancet Count-down on Health and Climate Change: Health at the Mercy of Fossil Fuels. The Lancet, 400, 1619-1654. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(22)01540-9
Liu, X., Zhang, C., Song, X. and Chen, Y. (2021) Technological Advancements in Large-Scale Wind Turbines. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 138, Article 110513.
Hansen, K., Afshari, A. and Molin, A. (2022) Solar Energy for Societal Decarbonisation: A Perspective on Emerging Opportunities in Utility‑Scale Solar Electricity and Solar in the Built Environment. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 4, Article 1344771.
Gagnon, P., Pham, A., Cole, W., Hamilton, A., et al. (2024) 2024 Standard Scenarios Report: A U.S. Electricity Sector Outlook (NREL/TP-6A40-92256). National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Yang, Z., Hou, Y., Chen, B., et al. (2023) Recent Advances in Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells: Effi-ciency, Stability, and Upscaling. Nature Reviews Materials, 8, 743-759.
Gümrükçüoğlu Yiğit, M. and Akçadağ, B. (2024) Empowering Sustainability: Floating Solar Photovoltaic Systems in Agriculture for Reduced Costs Carbon Emissions and Evaporation. Global Challenges, 8, Article 2300321. https://doi.org/10.1002/gch2.202300321
Lim, J., Park, N., Il Seok, S. and Saliba, M. (2024) All-Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells: from Fundamentals to Technological Progress. Energy & Environmental Science, 17, 4390-4425. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ee03638c
Johnson, S.R., Chen, M. and Smith, L.P. (2023) The Evolving Role of Wind Energy in the Global Energy Transition: Technological Progress and Future Outlook. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 179, Article 113487.
Zhang, J., Wang, L. and Liu, M. (2023) Offshore Wind Energy: Global Trends and Technological Advancements. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 179, Article 113487.
Ibrahim, M., Rassõlkin, A., Vaimann, T., Kallaste, A., Zakis, J., Hyunh, V.K., et al. (2023) Digital Twin as a Virtual Sensor for Wind Turbine Applications. Energies, 16, Article 6246. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16176246
Bolinger, M., Gorman, W., Rand, J., Jeong, S., et al. (2022) Hybrid Power Plants: Status of Operating and Proposed Plants, 2022 Edition. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Jain, A.K., Kumar, R. and Sharma, P. (2022) The Complementary Role of Wind and Solar Power in Renewable Energy Systems: A Re-view. Renewable Energy, 184, 1034-1049.
Todorović, I. (2024) IRENA: Global Solar Power Capacity Surpasses Hy-dropower in 2023. Balkan Green Energy News. https://balkangreenenergynews.com/irena-global-solar-power-capacity-surpasses-hydropower-in-2023/
Sovacool, B.K., Ryan, S.E., Stern, P.C., Janda, K., et al. (2015) The Clean Energy Revolution: Case Studies in Leadership from the Re-newable Energy Sector. Energy Policy, 82, 1-8.
Hernandez, R.R., Jordaan, S.M., Kaldunski, B. and Kumar, N. (2020) Aligning Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals with an Innovation Systems Roadmap for Renewable Power. Frontiers in Sus-tainability, 1, Article 583090. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsus.2020.583090
Hassan, Q., Algburi, S., Sameen, A.Z., Salman, H.M. and Jaszczur, M. (2023) A Review of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems: Solar and Wind-Powered Solutions: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Implications. Results in Engineering, 20, Article 101621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2023.101621
International Hydropower Association (2025) World Hydropower Outlook 2025. International Hydropower Association. https://www.hydropower.org/publications/2025-world-hydropower-outlook
International Renewable Energy Agen-cy (IRENA) (2025) Renewable Capacity Statistics 2025: China Accounts for 64% of Global Renewable Capacity Additions in 2024. https://balkangreenenergynews.com/irena-china-has-64-share-in-2024-renewables-growth-half-of-worlds-solar-power-capacity/
Enerdata (2025) Over 24 GW of Hydropower Capacity Added Worldwide in 2024. https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/over-24-gw-hydropower-capacity-added-worldwide-2024.html
Reuters (2025) World Solar Generation Set to Eclipse Nuclear for the First Time. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/world-solar-generation-set-eclipse-nuclear-first-time-maguire-2025-05-21/
Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) (2025) Global Wind Report 2025: Record 117 GW of New Wind Capacity Installed in 2024. https://26973329.fs1.hubspotusercontenteu1.net/hubfs/26973329/2.%20Reports/Global%20Wind%20
Report/ GWEC%20Global%20Wind%20Report%202025.pdf?__hsfp=737915754&__hssc=45859835.2.1745426990439 &__hstc=45859835.097739f84d7d5527
f6771afbfde39935.1745426990438.1745426990438. 1745426990438.1&utm_source=chatgpt.com