Austrian Town Sees the Light

pin_gween writes "The Austrian town of Rattenberg (a 10 minute walk from sunlight during the winter) plans to install a mirror on a mountain to redirect sunlight towards the town. The town was built in the winter shadow of Rat Mountain. The plan is to place heliostat mirrors to shine light in several locations around town, where villagers could 'congregate and get sunned up.' The EU is ponying up half the $2.4 million costs. The company installing the mirrors, Bartenbach Lichtlabor GmbH, is contributing $600,000, and hopes other communities will use their technology."

Comments

Re:If you can't stand the heat...

[manojar]

"Rattenberg was built between the hill to the south and the Inn River to the north starting in the 1300s for protection against marauders. Back then, lack of sunshine was a small price to pay for relative security.
But as such dangers diminished, dozens more settlements sprang up. Some, like Kramsach, are just half a mile away and all enjoy a few hours of sun on a clear winter's day."

Just another case of Europeans hanging on to mediaeval lifestyle. There were some towns in Italy evacuated due to mudslides in the 50s and 70s, why can't do that instead of spending 6000 per person? It could atleast be used for unemployment benefits!

Re:Not the brightest idea

[NardofDoom]

Don't waste your breath (bits? electrons?) on explaining projects that enhance the common good to these people. They're Randists that have been beaten with the myth of 'the invisble hand of the market place.' In their mind, people shouldn't expect the government to build roads, let alone create jobs through direct economic stimulus.