Hamburg top location for companies, survey on energy transition finds

The manufacturing sector is particularly affected by the energy transition and energy-intense sectors such as the chemical and metal industries, as well as mechanical and plant engineering. All these sectors face major challenges in the switch to renewables, but which holds huge economic potential. Four factors are key to the energy transition: Availability of renewable energies and suitable skilled workers, connections to high-speed broadband and links to transport infrastructure. Hamburg came first followed by North Rhine-Westphalia, Berlin and Bavaria.

Hamburg is ahead especially in terms of digitization. Links to a future-proof broadband infrastructure form the basis of the energy transition. A comparison of the proportion of companies with fiber-optic connections and in terms of transport infrastructure put Hamburg first. The proximity to a national motorway and the number of charging points for e-cars were decisive as well as the high number of skilled workers in the city. Both the number of employees in manufacturing, construction and finishing occupations relevant to the energy transition and the number of research institutions were measured. While the overall results were positive, Hamburg still has room for expansion in terms of gross energy output from renewable sources such as solar and wind power, the survey found.
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