WindEnergy Hamburg 2026: Lots of energy and dynamism
Energieküste a success with panel discussions and networking
The wind energy sector refuses to be discouraged – this was clearly evident at WindEnergy Hamburg 2026. Hamburg Messe und Congress summarised that, despite political and economic obstacles, the sector remains on a growth trajectory worldwide. Collaboration across countries and continents is key to sustainable success. From the 22nd to the 25th of September 2026, 40,000 visitors from all over the world attended more than 1,600 exhibiting companies from around 40 countries. The Energieküste was right at the heart of it all.
The wind industry gathered on Monday evening for the festive opening at the International Maritime Museum in Hamburg’s Speicherstadt. A wonderful event in an impressive setting, which already provided the first networking opportunities. The official Opening Conference immediately addressed the issues that matter most. In his keynote speech, Dr Peter Tschentscher, First Mayor and President of the Senate of Hamburg, praised what has already been achieved in Germany and stated: ‘Hamburg is the capital of renewable energy’. As an example, he highlighted the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub (HGHH) – a significant contribution to decarbonisation.
We still have a long way to go.
Regional Bishop in dialogue with Energieküste and EE.SH
Surprise guest at the Schleswig-Holstein stand: Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt, Regional Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany, used the trade fair to hold discussions with representatives of the federal states and renewable energy companies. The aim is to implement renewable energy projects on land owned by the church. Kirsten Voss, from Energieküste, and Katja Rosenburg, from EE.SH, were pleased to take the opportunity to discuss the possibilities and advantages of Schleswig-Holstein as a location for renewable energy.
Energieküste panel discussion: Net Zero Valley meets hydrogen
Schleswig-Holstein’s application for Net Zero Valley status is entering a decisive phase. Consequently, the topic of the Energieküste and EE.SH panel discussion, ‘The Net Zero Valley as a turbocharger for the west coast hydrogen region’, attracted considerable interest. Katja Rosenburg (EE.SH) and Kirsten Voss (Energieküste) were joined in the discussion by Steffen Volk (Clean Energy Valley Schleswig-Holstein), Julius Basler-Meier (H2Perform GmbH) and Reinhard Christiansen (Bürgerenergie).
When asked, ‘What do you expect from Ms Reiche and Ms von der Leyen?’, Reinhard Christiansen replied: ‘At some point, the federal government will say: 430,000 jobs in renewables – that can’t be allowed to be ruined. It needs to be expanded. Things are really going wrong at the moment. Von der Leyen has some very good ideas; she needs much more support, especially from Germany.’
We survived Altmaier; we’ll survive Reiche too.
Julius Basler-Meier spoke up for small and medium-sized enterprises, which have made a major contribution to advancing the energy transition. ‘The right framework conditions should be created to ensure that SMEs can continue to play a role.’
Steffen Volk’s wishes summed up the discussion: ‘I hope for a clear commitment from the federal government to the expansion of renewable energy, planning certainty and a faster pace to enable investment. As far as the EU level is concerned, I hope that the Green Deal, the Clean Deal and all the regulations that will now follow will also support industrial policy in this sense in the long-term.’
After all these crises, what else is needed to take the decision to strengthen resilience in Europe, produce key technologies here locally and generate added value?
Matching, networking & enjoying
Events, meetings and, above all, networking at Energieküste and throughout the trade fair: the WindEnergy Match – supported, amongst others, by the Energieküste – got off to a successful start, arranging targeted one-to-one meetings for players in the renewables sector to generate new business and build partnerships. At the Schleswig-Holstein joint stand, there were numerous stimulating discussions, including with Dr Daniel Gerner of Eternat Power GmbH and Dr Jesko Dahlmann of egw. The Energy Working Group of the West Coast Regional Cooperation also met there.
And before the major networking evening for the North German wind industry – hosted by BIS Wirtschaftsförderung Bremerhaven, BWO – Bundesverband Windenergie Offshore e.V., Erneuerbare Energien Hamburg, EE.SH Cluster Erneuerbare Energien Schleswig-Holstein, Energieküste, THE BLUE BEACH, WAB e.V. and WindEnergy Network e.V. – the ‘Invitation to Wine’ event began, people gathered at the SH stand for the WTSH get-together with beer and finger food.
‘Careers in the Storm’ at the Recruiting Days
The challenge of recruiting skilled workers for the renewables sector: As part of the Energieküste’s skilled workers campaign, Ready.Charged.Career!, we explored the current situation, prospects and initiatives during the panel discussion ‘Careers in the Storm’ at the Recruiting Days. Joining Kirsten Voss in the discussion were Laura Empen, Recruiting Specialist at Deutsche Windtechnik AG, and Oliver Münch from the Welcome Centre Schleswig-Holstein.
Oliver Münch takes a relatively positive view of recruiting skilled workers for the renewables sector. 'The renewable energy sector is exciting because we have a wide range of opportunities.' 'There are so many paths into the wind industry. You don’t need to have everything already. We have training centres where we’re happy to pass on specialist knowledge,” agreed Laura Empen.
Our sector stands a good chance in the battle for skilled workers!
The general consensus was that there is still scope to present the renewables sector even more effectively and to create long-term prospects. The Welcome Center Schleswig-Holstein is seeking to promote recruitment from non-EU countries as an option and opportunity across all industries. According to Münch, policymakers need to create framework conditions that are straightforward to implement.
Young people, in particular, want to do something that is meaningful and has a future. They believe in the wind industry.
Inspiring right up to the final day
On the last day of the trade fair, the Schleswig-Holstein joint stand was delighted to welcome Joschka Knuth, State Secretary for the Energy Transition. Among many other topics, the discussion centred on the Energieküste Infrastructure Forum in November, which Knuth will be co-hosting with Kirsten Voss.
Four eventful, successful days with familiar and new contacts, insights into innovations, a wealth of information and a fantastic team!