A survey on wind power forecasting with machine learning approaches

Abstract Wind power forecasting techniques have been well developed over the last half-century. There has been a large number of research literature as well as review analyses. Over the past 5 decades, considerable advancements have been achieved in wind power forecasting. A large body of research literature has been produced, including review articles that have addressed various aspects of the subject. However, these reviews have predominantly utilized horizontal comparisons and have not conducted a comprehensive analysis of the research that has been undertaken. This survey aims to provide a systematic and analytical review of the technical progress made in wind power forecasting. To accomplish this goal, we conducted a knowledge map analysis of the wind power forecasting literature published in the Web of Science database over the last 2 decades. We examined the collaboration network and development context, analyzed publication volume, citation frequency, journal of publication, author, and institutional influence, and studied co-occurring and bursting keywords to reveal changing research hotspots. These hotspots aim to indicate the progress and challenges of current forecasting technologies, which is of great significance for promoting the development of forecasting technology. Based on our findings, we analyzed commonly used traditional machine learning and advanced deep learning methods in this field, such as classical neural networks, and recent Transformers, and discussed emerging technologies like large language models. We also provide quantitative analysis of the advantages, disadvantages, forecasting accuracy, and computational costs of these methods. Finally, some open research questions and trends related to this topic were discussed, which can help improve the understanding of various power forecasting methods. This survey paper provides valuable insights for wind power engineers.