http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051121/ap_on_sc/starved_for_sunlight;_ylt=ApA2gLciql7Up57zCZKceGKs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MzV0MTdmBHNlYwM3NTM-
"RATTENBERG, Austria - The sun has stopped shining in Rattenberg. But with the aid of a few mirrors, the winter darkness that grips this small town could soon be brightened up with pockets of sunshine.
That's because sun is plentiful less than 10 minutes' walk from the town and from Rat Mountain, the 3,000-foot hill that blocks its sunlight between November and February each year.
The solution: 30 heliostats, essentially rotating mirrors, mounted on a hillside to grab sunshine off reflectors from the neighboring village of Kramsach."
"It's costly, however. The European Union is footing half the $2.4 million bill, and the company says it will pay the $600,000 cost of planning the project, gambling that success will attract more business."
"The town 25 miles east of Innsbruck is Austria's smallest_ and getting smaller. Its population has dropped by about 20 percent to 440 in the last two decades, and both Peskoller and Mayor Franz Wurzenrainer attribute that at least in part to lack of sunshine."
I just finished reading this Article about 20 minutes ago... I find it an interesting solution, and I had never heard of towns with such an issue... aside from towns up in the Artic Circle which all winter have light 24/7, and during the summer have very little to none. Man, I wouldnt mind living in this town... I prefer the darkness.
The initial costs aren't that interesting, how much does it cost to maintain this?
>aside from towns up in the Artic Circle which all winter have light 24/7, and during the summer have very little to none.
The other
Other way around, although you probably know that.