Unite! takes Aalto students on an energy excursion across Europe

A group of 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. This student-led Seed Fund initiative aimed to take energy education beyond the classroom, providing a first-hand, multi-perspective look at Europe's transition to net-zero. The Unite! E3 Energy Excursion has built an active digital community on LinkedIn. 

From Brussels to Berlin

Over five intensive days, the excursion took students from European energy policy and grid planning to the infrastructure and technologies shaping the energy transition, with stops in Brussels, Rotterdam and Berlin.

Brussels (Policy & Governance): The journey began at the European Commission Visitor Center, where students examined EU energy policy, grid resilience, and ten-year network development planning. The group also attended the European Sustainable Energy Week, connecting with youth-led energy networks like European Youth Energy Network (EYEN).

Rotterdam (Offshore Grid Infrastructure): From policy, the excursion moved to physical infrastructure, with a visit to 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 of the excursion focused on visits to clean technology leaders including Siemens Energy, 1KOMMA5° TechLab and the Tesla Gigafactory. 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.

A key part of the experience was bringing together students from different universities and countries. For Elias Punkka, an Aalto University student enrolled in the M.Sc. Advanced Energy Solutions programme, seeing this infrastructure first-hand was one of the highlights.

“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.”

The organisers also saw the student community develop throughout the week. Florian Vetter, who studies at TU Darmstadt and Aalto University and was one of the organisers, describes the experience of making the excursion happen as highly rewarding.

“Organising the energy excursion was an amazing experience. It certainly wasn’t easy, but with the other organisers we managed to make this excursion happen successfully. We received a lot of positive feedback from the participating students as well as the companies we visited. To sum up my experience and answer a question I asked myself afterwards: was it worth it? The answer is YES, and I would gladly do it again.”

Interested in organising something of your own?

If you are an Aalto student with an idea for a student-led activity, the Unite! Seed Fund for students can support you in developing it. More information about the 2027 application period will be advertised on our Unite! pages and via the Aalto Unite! Monthly Newsletter.