We started our day today with a lecture about wind power, and how wind turbines are designed. We learned the physics behind turbines, and how they are optimized to have the most energy collected while minimizing strain on the blades. This was a very interesting lecture, especially since right afterwards we went to a wind energy production site. Equipped with tons of battery’s supplied by Tesla, the plant collects energy from dozens of wind turbines in the area. We learned while we were there that they modulate how much energy they supply to the grid, as the price fluctuates throughout the day based on supply and demand. The batteries allow them to supply a set amount, rather than just how much the windmills produce. We talked about how the wind turbines can be “curtailed,” or limited to control how much the batteries are charged as well.

Later that day, we went to a medieval town that was built in 796. Our tour took us around the town where we saw medieval living conditions. Some of the houses were so small that I would almost be able to touch opposite walls at the same time. One of the most interesting spots we saw was building that Jewish leather workers used to live in. The story was that after they were taken by the Nazis, the animal skins from the butchers piled up outside the building so much and created so much stench that the Nazis actually brought the Jewish workers out of the concentration camps to clean it up. Luckily they were able to escape and were not captured again. This shows that even in a quaint little town, the rule of the Nazis was still extremely overbearing.