Mirrors erected on a Norwegian mountainside
reflect sunlight onto the town below, which is cut off from direct
sunlight for about six months a year.
The small town of Rjukan has long had to make do without sunlight during the cold Norwegian winters.
But
that changed Wednesday, when the town debuted a system of high-tech
mirrors to reflect sunlight from neighboring peaks into the valley
below.
Rjukan, originally founded 100 years ago as an industrial outpost
for the energy company Norsk Hydro, is nestled between several mountains
and does not receive direct sunlight from late September to mid-March —
nearly six months out of the year.
"Of course, we notice it
when the sun is shining," says Karin Ro, who works for the town's
tourism office. "We see the sky is blue, and then we see that down in
the valley it's darker — it's like on a cloudy day."
People gather in the central square of
Rjukan, Norway, on Wednesday to bask in the sun reflected by mirrors on a
nearby mountainside.
Wednesday, residents of Rjukan received their first dose of winter
sun down in the valley: A series of reflective panels on a nearby
mountainside were put to use for the very first time.
The
mirrors are controlled by a computer that directs them to shift along
with the sun throughout the day (and to pivot closed during windy
weather). They reflect a concentrated beam of light onto the town's
central square, creating an elliptical patch of sunlight roughly 600
square meters. When the light appeared, Rjukan residents flocked
together.
"People have been sitting there and standing there
and taking pictures of each other," Ro tells NPR's Arun Rath. "The town
square was totally full. We are not that big of a town, so I think
almost all the people in the town were on the town square."
The
3,500 residents cannot all bask in the sun at the same time.
Nevertheless, Ro says, the new light supplied by these mirrors feels
like more than enough for the town's sun-starved residents.
"It's not very big," she says, "but it is enough when we are sharing."
SOURCE: NPRG
