Town in Norwegian valley enjoys winter sunlight for the first time in its history… using giant MIRRORS



Industrial town of Rjukan gets no sunshine between September and March

Three giant mirrors or 'heliostats' have been set up on the mountainside

They will track the path of the sun and beam light onto the town square



Idea was first suggested 100 years ago but a cable car was built instead



A similar scheme has been successfully implemented in an Italian village




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.

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People gather at a spot illuminated by reflected sunlight in front of the town hall of Rjukan in Norway

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.

Helicopters have hoisted three huge mirrors into position 450 metres above the town

Genius: The sun beams down onto the mirrors which reflect the light onto the town of Rjukan in the valley below

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.'

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.



In 2006, a similar project was set up in the village of Viganella in northern Italy which suffered from the same problem (left) and a (right) Rjukan on the map in Norway



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.