A Reflection on Hamburg
Before coming to Hamburg, I was expecting that the city’s revenue stream would come from something other than the shipping and exporting industry. This is because I thought that Hamburg is located inland, and not along the coast. Therefore, shipping must not be vital to the Hamburg economy. However, when we went on the boat tour, I realized that Hamburg is connected to the sea through the river Elbe, which means that it has a bustling shipping industry.
From our visits to H&R Ölwerke Schindler, an oil and natural gas company in Hamburg, I learned that the production process of hydrogen fuel involves using electricity produced by renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines for electrolysis. Electrolysis is a process where electric current is passed through H₂O to effect a chemical change that turns it into H₂, which is then used as a fuel source.
My favorite moment during this portion of the trip was having the rare opportunity to engage with industry leaders at H&R Ölwerke Schindler GmbH and Airbus because I’m passionate about both the energy sector and the aviation industry. During our visit to H&R Ölwerke Schindler, I asked about local policies that encourage energy investments and how they compare to the Inflation Reduction Act in the United States. The industry expert said that, right now, Germany only focuses on enforcing laws for companies that are not sustainable, but does not have major incentives for sustainable development like the Inflation Reduction Act. Our visit to H&R Ölwerke Schindler directly relates to my work with a renewable energy investment firm through Babson’s Management Field Consulting Experience (MCFE) Program, where a group of students and I are working to reduce the underwriting cost of renewable energy investments by using AI and Machine Learning tools.
Besides H&R Ölwerke Schindler GmbH, I also enjoyed our visit to Airbus. I loved learning about the various aircraft that Airbus produces and the the processes of making them through our tours at the hangers. Having been a passenger on multiple Airbuses and having piloted a Cessna 172, the tour allowed me to learn more about aviation.
I want to give a shout-out to Professor Wong because he dedicated a lot of effort to make this trip possible. If I were to visit Hamburg on my own, I would have never imagined that I could talk to so many industry experts, especially in such exclusive and highly-regulated industries such as energy and aviation. I also appreciate that Professor Wong allowed us to not only experience Germany through political, economic, and sustainability lenses, but also through their culture from activities like the food tour. Professor Wong also let me borrow his portable charger when my phone was about to die and he saved me from walking around the city without navigation.
I also want to give a shout-out to Andrew for waking me up when I over-slept my alarm. I met Andrew while working at Babson’s makerspace; we became good friends, and throughout this trip, I’ve gotten to know Andrew more on the personal level.
Next time I come back to Hamburg, I would love to explore the city more and maybe do some shopping. This is because Calder and I got dinner a block away from the Rathaus, yet we didn’t even realize how close we were to the various tourist attractions because we weren’t able to walk around much given the time constraints. However, I wouldn’t change anything about our trip in Hamburg.
