Unite! E3 European Energy Excursion: a recap
28 students from four Unite! universities explored European energy policy, grid infrastructure and industrial innovations in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany thanks to Unite! E3 European Energy Excursion.
This past term, 28 energy engineering students from four Unite! partner universities – TU Darmstadt, Aalto University, UPC Barcelona, and TU Graz – embarked on the first edition of the Unite! E3 European Energy Excursion. Supported by the Unite! Seed Fund for Student Activities, this student-led initiative aimed to take energy education beyond the classroom, providing a first-hand, multi-perspective look at Europe's transition to net-zero.
Over five intensive days, the cohort traveled across Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, exploring how high-level regulatory frameworks directly shape physical infrastructure and industrial manufacturing:
Brussels (Policy & Governance): The journey began at the European Commission Visitor Center and ENTSO-E, where students examined EU energy policy, grid resilience, and ten-year network development planning. The group also attended the European Sustainable Energy Week (#EUSEW), connecting with youth-led energy networks like EYEN and VOYCE.
Rotterdam (Offshore Grid Infrastructure): Shifting from policy to physical deployment, the cohort visited TenneT at the Port of Rotterdam. Participants toured the Amaliahaven high-voltage substation construction site, gaining insights into integrating massive 2 GW offshore wind connections from the North Sea into the mainland grid.
Berlin (Manufacturing, Innovation & National Policy): The final leg featured a packed schedule across clean technology leaders.
In Berlin, the group first visited Siemens Energy, where factory tours provided insights into the manufacturing of SF6-free Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) and the newly opened Siemens Energy x Air Liquide electrolyzer gigafactory. At the 1KOMMA5° TechLab, CPO Jannik Schall introduced the students to Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and decentralized energy management. A behind-the-scenes tour of the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg in Grünheide offered further insights into industrial production. The programme concluded with strategic policy discussions at Agora Energiewende and the German Bundestag on Germany’s roadmap towards climate neutrality by 2045, followed by a Q&A session with an energy policy expert.
Beyond the technical site visits, the true highlight was the collaboration between the students. Seeing how strangers turn into colleagues and friends throughout the week was really rewarding for the organisers.
Student voices
"It was amazing to see all the different sectors, especially because the program took us from policy-making to TSOs and finally to industry. The overall flow was very well thought out. My highlight was learning how energy policy is made in Europe and hearing from graduates about how they started their careers in the industry and where they are now a few years after graduation".
“The Energy Excursion was a unique experience with possibilities to learn about the European energy transition. It was interesting to learn and see the construction site for 2 GW offshore wind connections at the site visit to TenneT. However the best part was to connect with like-minded energy people.”
“Organising the energy excursion was an amazing experience. It certainly wasn’t easy but with the other organisers we managed to successfully make this excursion happen and received a lot of positive feedback from the participating students as well as the companies we visited".
The initiative generated great interest, drawing close to 100 formal course applications via the Unite! Metacampus and established an active digital community with over 18,000 impressions on LinkedIn and more than 225 followers for the excursion page.
A huge thank you to the Unite! Alliance, our host institutions, and all participating students for making this first edition a resounding success!