Three giant sun-tracking mirrors, which will act like an artificial sun, have been erected on a hillside in a Norwegian town to brighten up an otherwise bleak winter. The mirrors will beam light on to the town of Rjukan, which is plunged into darkness for five months each year during winter.
Due to its location in a valley surrounded by mountains there is little hope of sunlight reaching the town’s 3,500 residents during winter months from September to March. The three 300 sq ft heliostatic mirrors are located on a mountainside and programmed to reflect the sunlight in a constant direction toward a 2,000 sq ft area in the town square, which it is hoped will become a popular year-round gathering place for locals.
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The mirrors will reflect sunlight into the town square
The German-manufactured mirrors are controlled by a computer in the town hall office and run primarily on solar and wind power. They monitor the sun’s movement and automatically adjust their position to reflect light down into the town square. The project cost 5 million kroner (£548,935) to realise, 80% of which came from private investment.
After tree clearance and the pouring of concrete foundations, helicopters delivered the mirrored panels in mid-July and the first live test of the system will take place in September when the angle of the sun begins to cloak the town in shadows.
The first live test will take place in September
Rjukan’s sun mirror was originally devised almost a century ago when Sam Eyde, co-founder of the Norwegian industrial giant that bears his name, came up with an idea to place mirrors on the mountains. But lacking the technology, in 1928 he instead built a cable car to provide locals with an escape route from the dark town.
A similar mirror system was installed in a tiny village in the Italian Alps several years ago, which inspired the film documentary Lo Speccio (The Mirror).
