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Topic · Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems

Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems is a research topic within Aerospace Engineering. Science Explorer counts 12k research works in it since 1950. 40.6% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers focuses on the development, modeling, control, and optimization of airborne wind energy systems, high-altitude wind power generation, and related high-altitude platforms such as tethered kites, stratospheric airships, and parafoil systems. The research also covers aspects of renewable energy generation, control systems for trajectory tracking, and the use of solar power in high-altitude environments.

  • Airborne Wind Energy
  • High Altitude Wind Power
  • Tethered Kites
  • Stratospheric Airships
  • Parafoil Systems
  • Renewable Energy Generation
  • Control Systems
  • Trajectory Tracking
  • Solar Power Generation
  • Aerostats
Research works
12k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
4.7k
per year above
Top-10% rate
40.6%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+16%
the tick is no change

Which countries lead Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems research?

By volume, China and the United States publish the most (773 and 356 works in 2022–2025).

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China 773 works
  2. 2 United States 356 works
  3. 3 India 187 works
  4. 4 Japan 76 works
  5. 5 United Kingdom 66 works
  6. 6 Italy 65 works
  7. 7 Germany 63 works
  8. 8 France 48 works
  9. 9 Russia 43 works
  10. 10 Canada 37 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 45.1%United States: 20.8%India: 10.9%Japan: 4.5%6 others listed: 18.7%45%largest
China773 · 45.1%United States356 · 20.8%India187 · 10.9%Japan76 · 4.5%6 others listed320 · 18.7%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems research?

By volume in 2022–2025, Beihang University publishes the most Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems research, followed by Northwestern Polytechnical University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beihang UniversityChina 66 works
  2. 2 Northwestern Polytechnical UniversityChina 36 works
  3. 3 Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina 30 works
  4. 4 Nanjing University of Aeronautics and AstronauticsChina 30 works
  5. 5 Harbin Institute of TechnologyChina 29 works
  6. 6 National University of Defense TechnologyChina 23 works
  7. 7 Delft University of TechnologyNetherlands 19 works
  8. 8 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 18 works
  9. 9 Beijing Institute of TechnologyChina 17 works
  10. 10 Harbin Engineering UniversityChina 14 works

Where is Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems research done?

The largest centres of Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Xi'an (China), Shanghai (China) and Nanjing (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Harbin.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 205 works
  2. 2 Xi'an China 67 works
  3. 3 Shanghai China 66 works
  4. 4 Nanjing China 56 works
  5. 5 Harbin China 46 works
  6. 6 Changsha China 33 works
  7. 7 Tianjin China 32 works
  8. 8 Tokyo Japan 30 works
  9. 9 Wuhan China 27 works
  10. 10 Chennai India 22 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. HarbinCN · 45.6 works5.2×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems than the world average.

See Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems on the map

Where is the best place to study Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems?

Among universities, judged by research, Beihang University, Delft University of Technology and Northwestern Polytechnical University score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%25%50%75%mean 49.95%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →Beihang University: 66, 62.3%Delft University of Technology: 19, 62.6%Northwestern Polytechnical University: 36, 47.8%Nankai University: 14, 39.0%Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics: 30, 44.5%Politecnico di Milano: 12, 55.0%Ocean University of China: 10, 42.4%University of Pisa: 9, 43.2%Harbin Institute of Technology: 29, 50.0%Shanghai Jiao Tong University: 30, 52.7%Delft University of …Beihang UniversityNorthwestern Polytec…Nankai University
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1 Beihang UniversityChina 82.562.3%27.3×66 +31.1%
2 Delft University of TechnologyNetherlands 81.462.6%12.9×19 +72.7%
3 Northwestern Polytechnical UniversityChina 62.947.8%14.4×36 -33.3%
4 Nankai UniversityChina 61.439.0%9.4×14 +154.5%
5 Nanjing University of Aeronautics and AstronauticsChina 59.444.5%15.1×30 -16.0%
6 Politecnico di MilanoItaly 59.155.0%7.8×12 —
7 Ocean University of ChinaChina 57.542.4%8.7×10 +150.0%
8 University of PisaItaly 55.643.2%8.8×9 +92.2%
9 Harbin Institute of TechnologyChina 55.550.0%8.0×29 -26.1%
10 Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina 55.252.7%6.4×30 -7.0%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 16% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2024. The fastest-growing topics are Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.