Some things are good and will always be good!
Summer in particular offers a whole range of such good things: eating ice cream, swimming in the lake and the long holidays are undoubtedly among them. In the vgbe year, the vgbe Summer School for students also belongs in this category – a format that has long since become a firm tradition, one that we are proud of and look forward to every year.
This year´s 52nd vgbe Summer School took place from August 25 to 28, 2025. Thanks to the financial support of the vgbe RESEARCH FOUNDATION, we were able to welcome 12 students from Germany and abroad to Essen.
In keeping with the tradition of ‘The same procedure …’, the first day began with the arrival at the vgbe office on the Energy Campus in Essen-Kupferdreh. The programme included organisational matters, an introduction to the tasks and objectives of vgbe and the first thematic insights. These were provided by vgbe Executive Managing Director Dr Oliver Then, experts from KWS, also based at the Energy Campus, and an online lecture by Professor Nikolaus Elze and Dr Jörg Egbers on the status of offshore wind technology at EnBW.
The following days were marked by a varied programme, in which expert presentations and impressive tours went hand in hand. The topics ranged from artificial intelligence in energy conversion (Dr Peter Deeskow) to health and safety (Dr Gregor Lipinski), storage (Eva Schischke), repurposing coal sites (Dr Thomas Eck) and hydrogen as the energy source of the future (Sebastian Zimmerling).
The tour programme once again struck a chord with the participants: it kicked off with a guided tour of the Herdecke pumped storage plant, which was followed directly by a lecture on hydropower (Lee Estrellado). The programme concluded, as is tradition, with an excursion to the MAN turbine works in Oberhausen, which is a highlight for many students.
As always, the Summer School placed particular emphasis on dialogue on site. The topics were discussed intensively at the respective locations. This creates opportunities that are appreciated by both students and experts alike. It is precisely this exchange that makes the vgbe Summer School a lively format that not only imparts knowledge but also creates lasting impressions.
Dr Oliver Then, vgbe Managing Director and host of the Summer School, draws a very similar conclusion: “After 51 years of vgbe Summer School, we have naturally developed a certain routine in organising this format. We can always count on our reliable partners to give us insights into their work and locations. The tour programme in particular brings the Summer School to life and leaves a lasting impression on participants.
For me personally, however, the Summer School is anything but a routine event. Meeting the students is always a new and inspiring experience and very enriching for me. Our members face enormous challenges, as does vgbe as a professional association that actively supports them in tackling these tasks.
This is not just about the generation, storage and provision of energy and heat, but about complex interrelationships between economic, ecological and social aspects, all in a global context. It is precisely here that students often bring new perspectives to the discussion, think about issues differently and provide us with valuable ideas that we can incorporate into our work and activities.”
With this in mind, vgbe looks forward to the 53rd edition of the vgbe Summer School and would like to thank all speakers and hosts for their willingness to share their knowledge with future decision-makers in the energy industry, promote open exchange and provide insights into their locations. We would also like to thank the participating students for their keen interest, fresh perspectives and valuable contributions to the discussions.
