Artificial sun being built to help town get through dark winter months

Starting every September and ending every March, the small Norwegian town of Rjukan sits in the shadows of tall mountains surrounding it.

It’s been like this since the town was first founded. Fortunately for its residents, it looks like this depressing tradition will come to an end this year with the official launch of the Mirror Project, an installation that will act as an artificial sun that sheds light on the valley town below during its long, dark winter months. 

Helicopters recently brought in the three gigantic rectangular mirrors and engineers are now installing them on the face of the mountains surrounding the 3,500-person town. They are being positioned in such a way as to reflect sunlight down into the Rjukan’s town square and become a sunny meeting place for its residents.

A nice story about repurposing natural resources, but where this story turns technological is in the 328-square foot mirrors themselves. You see, they’re no ordinary panes of glass. They’re actually heliostatic mirrors — the same type normally used on solar farms. Powered by solar and wind energy, these mirrors include within them sensors that track the sun and allow the devices to tilt in the right direction so that the most optimal amount of light is reflected. In terms of control, everything is monitored by and can be adjusted via a central computer located in the town’s main hall. 

Amazingly, the city is spending just $835,000 on this project. When complete, it is estimated that the mirrors will be able to provide residents with a 2,000-square foot circle of much-needed sunlight to enjoy.

Story via: inhabitat.com