This morning we attended a lecture on wind energy organized by Twente University faculty. We learned about the aerodynamics of windmills and how they generally function. Some calculations and equations were also provided for further reference.
We were then taken on a sustainability tour of the campus. One of the main features of the campus were the cooling lakes. The university collects run off water and uses it to cool their buildings instead of using A/C units. This cuts back on the usage of non-renewable energy.
Afterwards we traveled to a windmill farm and got to experience functioning windmills close up. The workers at the farm explained the process of harvesting wind energy, and how cost and demand can affect this process. Energy will travel to the main grid to be distributed to neighboring towns and buildings. When there are surpluses, they will save the energy by storing it in a battery for later use.
In the evening we traveled to a small city called Elburg. We took a historic tour of the city and got to see the churches, cemetery, and even the home where Anne Frank’s good friend hid during the Holocaust.
We ended the night by getting dinner and gelato in Elburg before returning to Enschede.
