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The initiative's
success was boosted with an announcement in
January 2007 by Prime Minister Jose Socrates, an
environmental activist in his youth, of his government's
intention to provide nearly half of the country's
electricity from bio fuels within a three year period,
ahead of targets set by the Kyoto Protocol in 2010.
"This new goal will
place Portugal in the frontline of renewable energy and
make it," said Socrates. "Along with Austria and Sweden,
Portugal is one of the nations in the world with the
most hydro-electric potential still left to explore."
Socrates upped the
target of energy provided in Portugal by bio fuels in
three years by 39 per cent to 45 per cent. It is
the intention of the Portuguese government to ensure
nearly half of the electricity consumed in Portugal is
collected from either wind, solar or wave energy plants.
To this end the government is investing £5 Billion in
renewable energy over the next five years developing
wind, solar and wave power projects.
In
2006 36 new wind farms started construction and in 2007 Portugal
opened the
world's largest solar energy plant. Add to this the innovative wave
farm in North Portugal, which was also opened in 2007.
By implementing such innovative and far reaching
strategies means Portugal, within thirteen years,
could have 60 per cent of it's power provided by
renewable energy sources, far in advance of it's other
European Union counterparts.
Although the
Portuguese government is committed to helping change
attitudes and more widely, the environment, it realises
it is down to the individual to comply. Therefore in the
spring of 2007 by law all new build properties in
Portugal must have solar panels fitted to assist with
water heating in each property.
While governmental
strategies are all well and good, it is difficult to
ascertain the impact on the individual of these new
policies. However this won't affect existing properties
it goes some way to reducing reliance on existing fossil
fuels.
To combat the change
the European Union provides grants to help convert your
property to a energy efficient one. However due to lack
of funding and under estimations of the level of
interest these grants have been given, they were
exhausted at the beginning of the tax year. |
