And There was Light...Town in Norwegian valley enjoys winter sunlight for the first time in its history… using giant MIRRORS

Giant mirrors will bring a Norwegian town its first rays of sunshine this winter. The industrial town of Rjukan is nestled deep in a valley floor in rugged Telemark county.

With the sun moving low across the sky during winter, it gets no direct sunlight between September and March.
See more images after this cut...


For years the sun-starved locals have had to take a purpose-built cable car to the top of the mountainside to catch a few winter rays.

But that is set to change. Helicopters have hoisted three huge mirrors into position some 450 metres above the town at the top of the valley.

Known as heliostats, they have been designed to trace the movement of the sun and reflect the light directly onto Rjukan's main square.

The idea is not new. It was first suggested in Rjukan 100 years ago by a worker at the nearby hydroelectric plant.

Martin Andersen drew up the plans and won funding of about 5million kroner (£522,700) for the project.

Steinar Bergsland, the town's mayor, told The Telegraph: 'It is really special to stand in the light down on the square and feel the heat.

'This is for the pale little children of Rjukan.'

Norwegian engineer and industrialist Sam Eyde was concerned his workers weren't getting enough sunshine during the winter months.

He considered the mirror idea but felt they lacked the technology to make it work so opted instead for the construction of a cable car.

Rjukan is situated in Norway's rugged Telemark county

In 2006, a similar project was successfully set up in the village of Viganella in northern Italy which had suffered from exactly the same problem.

A delegation from visited Viganella to see how their mirror had transformed people's lives, and was suitably impressed.

After five years of debate, Rjukan town council finally agreed to to build the mirrors.

They are controlled by a computer to follow the path of then sun, adjusting to the best angle to ensure the town square is bathed in light.

Solar panels will power equipment to automatically wash the mirrors and move them into position.

Designers hope the sunshine will revitalise the town during the winter months.

A message on the Rjukan tourist website states: 'The square will become a sunny meeting place in a town otherwise in shadow.'