Imagine living in deep shadows for months at a time. A village that experiences this has found a novel way to use solar power.
The remote village of Rjukan in Norway, population 3,500, is completely surrounded by mountains. Between September and March, it receives no direct sunlight.
If villagers wanted a dose of sunlight during this time, they would either leave the town or take a quick cable car trip to the top of a nearby mountain.
The town’s founder, Sam Eyde, had other ideas on how to brighten up the villager’s lives during these dark times; but it has only been recently the technology and money has been available to implement his vision.
In 1913, Mr Eyde floated the idea of a ‘Solspeil’, or sun mirror – and 100 years later it has become reality thanks in part to the efforts of local artist Martin Andersen.
Heliostats placed atop a steep mountain wall towering 400 metres over the town are reflecting the sun´s rays into Rjukan’s town square. The three heliostats are computer controlled and follow the sun’s movement throughout the day.
Each mirror is 17 metres in area and combined, light up an area of around 600 m2. According to VisitRjukan, the reflected light is converted at between 80 and 100% efficiency.
The power needed to drive the mirrors and equipment is also provided by the sun via solar panels – and wind energy plays a role too.
The cost for bringing sunshine into the town? Around 5 million Norwegian kroner (around AUD $890,000). It may seem pricey, but aside from the direct benefits to the villagers, the town now has another major tourist drawcard.
A major sponsor of the installation is Norsk Hydro – the company started by Eyde.
“It is a historically strong point that Hydro is now entering this project as its main sponsor, 100 years after Hydro founder Eyde first seized on the idea: Rjukan was built on new technology, and it is new technology that is now the basis for the sun mirror,” said Steinar Bergsland, mayor of the Tinn municipality.
