Hamburg: a Warm Welcome to the Northern Germany

As we said our goodbyes to Freiburg and boarded a 7 hour train ride to the next destination, it was certain that the game was about to change. While the southern regions of Germany are known for the vast and expansive solar arrays that add a futuristic appearance to the city scapes, the north is more renowned for its capacity to generate wind energy. As such, it was no surprise to see a drastic increase in the number massive wind turbines as we travelled up the country. Exiting our train, which truly didn’t seem like a 7 hour trip (perhaps because I fell slightly unwell due to a violent outburst of allergies that kept me asleep for most of it), we were met with events that are atypical for Hamburg: warm weather and clear skies! In my opinion, this rare phenomenon was one that sparked optimism for our experience.

Having had an evening to get acquainted with the city and enjoying some delicious risotto at Rudolph’s, we set off the following morning to Nordex, one of the world’s leading providers of wind turbines. This was an extremely unique opportunity as tours are not frequently provided in Nordex facilities, which provided a distinct sense of exclusivity that made the visit all the more special. There, we met with one of Professor Wong’s dear friends, Jane Neugebauer, and received some insights into Nordex’s operations and sustainability goals. More uniquely, however, Jane extended to us the unique opportunity to actually climb into the main chamber of a wind turbine to see the internal operations and systems that generate energy from air (seriously, how many people can say they’ve done that in their lifetime?). Here she told us just how powerful wind energy could be, with a 6 Megawatt turbine having the ability to power over 1,000 homes! Another interesting fact I learned was that the blades you see on wind turbines are actually made out of wood and a plastic-like material rather than metal. That said, this blend actually makes the blades the least sustainable portion of the turbine as they cannot be recycled. All in all, I left Nordex with the thoughts of a positive future for wind energy and a curiosity for how to tackle the sustainability issues that still persist today.

After this tour, we traversed the city, moving to Stade, which is essentially on the opposite end of the region, to visit an Airbus facility. After about 2 hours of navigating various public transport networks, we gained some incredible insight into the aviation industry. From Airbus, we learned about the development of carbon fiber reinforced polymers that have allowed planes to become lighter in weight and extend their airtime. Moreover, we got to learn about the complex efforts that coalesce to create a single aircraft across multiple factories. Something that I found particularly interesting was the expansive range of carriers for which Airbus provided aircrafts as well as the different levels of quality from which these airlines could select (which might explain some of the stigma surrounding a few infamous airlines). As we left that facility, I was filled with rich insights into one of the industries that connects the world on a broad scale at a foundational level.

As our time in Hamburg rounds out, I am left with a few burning questions unrelated to the opportunities to learn about Nordex and Airbus. While energy and aviation stand strong, last year in urban economics, we learned a large amount about Hamburg’s port, and I am wondering how the area will continue to adapt with rising sea levels. On a wider scale, I wonder how the city plans address this issue in terms of residences and businesses, as climate change seems to continue its course of damage and affordable living space also becomes more scarce. All in all, I look to the city’s future with promise and excitement, but I do believe that these decisive matters need decisive solutions.

#Hamburg