A story that seems to have come from a science-fiction novel, the residents of Rjukan, a small town in southern Norway, inaugurated last Wednesday a series of giant mirrors with the purpose of reflecting sunlight, which is practically non-existent during winter in said town.
According to information published by AFP the mountains surrounding Rjukan (population: 3,500), leave the town in complete darkness, day and night, for six months during winter.
This is why the people of Rjukan have come up with an ingenius idea consisting of a structure with three giant mirrors placed in one of the surrounding mountains, which will then reflect sunlight towards the town during winter.
According to Antena 3, the mirrors, 17 meters high each, are controlled by a computer, so that the mirrors will follow the Sun's trajectory during the day to reflect light on the town.
"It's a crazy idea, but I think it's a good one, and I think people like it," said a resident of the town, the very same individual that proposed the unorthodox idea. "When I told them my idea, there were a lot of skeptics. I think young people liked it, but older people not so much," the man said, quoted by Antena 3.
The residents of Rjukan celebrated the placing of the interesting mechanism with a big party in which they were able to enjoy a few rays of sun which will illuminate the town during winter.
The construction of the three mirrors and the base upon which they sit, financed with public money, costed around five million Crowns (about 610,000 Euro), and although at first there were many detractors among the residents of Rjukan, in the end most of the town joined efforts to carry out this project.
The inauguration ceremony of the three giant mirrors was led by mayor Steinar Bergsland, who told the residents who were present that "A hundred-year-old idea becomes a reality today", quoted AFP.
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