Chasing the Sun: How Rjukan and Viganella battled eternal darkness

There exist places worldwide where the days are predominantly sunny. However, there are also places where inhabitants experience prolonged periods of darkness to varying degrees. This is a problem that both Norwegians and Italians have had to confront due to their lack of sunlight exposure. Nestled deep within valleys, Rjukan and Viganella had limited access to light despite the geographical latitude of both towns facilitating sunlight exposure. The cause of this was the towering mountains enveloping these cities, thereby restricting lighting.

Both cities opted to tackle the problem similarly. Viganella in Italy completed the construction of a significant computer-controlled mirror as far back as 2006, while Rjukan located in Norway built a like figure a few years later in 2013.

The Atlantic portal recollects that in Viganella, residents had to endure a lack of direct sunlight from November to February. This dilemma was addressed for many years by placing steel sheets on the mountain to reflect sunlight towards the houses during the winter months. The 26 ft x 20 ft construction is computer-controlled to ensure a consistent supply of reflected light when natural light is scarce.

On the other hand, in Norway, the local authorities invested in three mirrors with a total area of about 549 sq ft. The structure stationed above Rjukan is also computer-controlled and is located on the mountainside, approximately 1476 ft high. Residents of this town, around 93 miles west of Oslo, had no access to sunlight for approximately five to six months yearly before the mirrors' installation.