Austrian town uses mirrors to tackle lack of daylight

A series of giant mirrors will be set up on an Austrian mountain to reflect sunlight into a valley in a bid to stop locals developing seasonal affective disorder.

The feeling of depression that comes with the arrival of shorter days is especially bad in the small town of Rattenberg in Tyrol, because local mountains completely block the sun for three months every winter.

Now the Bartenback Light Laboratory in Aldrans near Innsbruck has developed plans to place giant mirrors (heliostats) measuring 2.5 m by 2.5 m on the opposite side of the valley to reflect the sun's rays back towards the town.

The mirrors, which will start to be erected next year, will be computer programmed to adjust their direction according to the sun's position and move automatically to maximise full absorption of the light.