..and are becoming happier and have more energy in an area with less than one hour of sunlight in the winter.
Students at a high school in the northern Swedish city of Umeå are testing new solar powered therapy lights. Using the energy collected between June and August, when the city had 915 hours of sunlight, it is hoped students’ focus, energy, moods and maybe even grades will improve during the dark winter months. Umeå, which isn’t far from the Arctic Circle, is nearly pitch dark by 2 p.m.; there is less than an hour of sunlight on an average day in December. One hundred and forty light therapy lamps were installed in seven classrooms and the school’s canteen to mimic the sun's full spectrum of light wavelengths. They also release vitamin D, which helps fight depression. “So far it seems to be a success, the pupils are happier and have more energy,” said head teacher Stefan Andersson.