Regards from German Industry

It was today, when I was having breakfast in all peace in the kitchen of what I call my German base camp, with Radio Bremen providing some background music, when there were suddenly some interesting news: at Cuxhaven, where the Elbe river is joining the North Sea, they were just today starting to prepare a large industrial area (for a beginnig by ramming cement pillars into the ground, as a basis for the planned buildings); the idea is to build a large industrial complex for the production of wind power units which are fit to be used on the high seas – altogether an investment of something like 200 mio €.

The matter came in a number of ways as a shock to me. After all, I had already years ago (in an article in Ny Tid) suggested that Finland should develop floating wind power units for use on the Baltic – of course without anybody reacting … . After this German decision, there would STILL be the possibility to develop systems which would be especially fitting for the Baltic (i.e. for use on rather SHALLOW waters rather CLOSE to the next shore which can, in winter, even FREEZE OVER). But well, we are in Finland … . Should we assume that, when such an idea does not get a favourable reception in the Keskiviikkokerho, nobody in, say, TEKES will dare to support such a matter (already because, well, ”one simply does not do such …”)? Anyway I should not like the assumption that such ideas could only occur to German brains (or to Northern Germanic brains – the first project for floating wind power fit for the hieh seas came, as far as I remember, from Norway); to me it would smell too much of racism.