The project is to illuminate the entrance gallery to the Castle at the Gjirokastra UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Albania. The gallery is used by tourists as the main entrance to the neighboring armaments museum and to the castle ramparts, but at present it is dimly lit with artificial light which is supplemented by only limited natural light.
The present level of artificial light in the tunnel is neither adequate ? three 100 watt bulbs and two fluorescent spotlights - nor aesthetically appropriate. In addition due to serious power cuts, the lighting frequently doesn?t function.
The project will use renewable energy technology (solar photo-voltaic panels) to power a lighting supply connected to a battery bank. The PV array will generate enough power to light the corridor in the summer months, but in the winter, when there is insufficient solar energy, the system will switch to mains-power and use battery stored solar energy as a back-up during times of mains-power failure.