Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates wants to make Portugal a shining example of what a well-planned, solar-powered transportation model can be. The nation has announced plans to construct a border-to-border network of recharging stations that will support the electric car, and enable environmentally conscious commuters to extend their radius beyond the precious few facilities found only in urban centers.

Socrates’ socialist government has budgeted for the construction of 1300 stations across the country where drivers can rely on convenient and available recharging support for their electric cars in a collective push to “liberate Portugal from its dependency on foreign oil.” A hundred of these stations have already been completed, and another 200 are due for completion by the end of 2010.

As impressive as this endeavour sounds, it is only one component of an even larger initiative to switch Portugal over to sustainable energy resources that include large-scale wind farms, solar farms, and even ‘wave farms’ designed to convert the force of Portugal’s endless tides into clean, renewable hydroelectricity!

Portugal’s natural gas and oil reserves are nearly nonexistent: The country has had to buy fossil fuels at a premium and import it from other countries that are rich in these resources. Needless to say, the Portuguese have become accustomed to paying a pretty penny. But all of that may soon change.

By investing in Portugal’s largely untapped resources of solar, wind, and water power, the comparatively poor Western European nation want to be among the leading members of the international community to not only implement cheaper and cleaner energy alternatives for itself, but also to lay the groundwork for an exportable, green industry that seems bound to explode… and represents Portugal’s best shot at making itself an imminent player in the global economy as an exporter of sustainable energy technologies and know-how.

“Portugal is a global leader in renewable energy. The next step is to make Portugal a pioneer in zero emission mobility,” Socrates announced. Portugal already produces over one-third of its electricity from renewable sources, double the average of the 27 European Union nations, and economists say this number could grow to 50% by 2015! The government is confident that their investment in this infrastructure will encourage vehicle manufacturers to locate new production facilities in Portugal which is still reeling from the recent global economic downturn.