Considering all of the economic troubles taking place in Greece at the moment it would be difficult to imagine that the country has time to be forward-thinking about its own future investments and energy independence. But that is precisely what is happening at the moment. With admirable foresight Greece is plotting a long-term strategy for getting the nation back on its feet using the one thing it has in abundance – sunlight. The country’s environmentalists received a boost this week with the announcement that the Greek government will be quickly implementing two or three large scale solar photovoltaic projects with a total investment of in excess of a billion Euros. It is their belief that projects of this scale will not only set Greece up for the long term future but also help to revive their industries in the short term too.

For many this would appear to be a strange turn of events considering the troubling state of the country’s finances. But many economists and clean tech experts see the move as a smart one and a clever investment. With investment in solar continuing apace across Europe and nations around the world Greece has the perfect opportunity (and weather) to get ahead of the game and to invest in the sun as a way to revive their fortunes. Reports this week suggest that Greece are planning to add more than 450MW capacity to their national grid network and that there will be a further 600MW added and fed into that grid by the beginning of 2012. That would represent a staggering investment and put them at the forefront of European solar power.

Alex is a writer and blogger about all things green. He writes for a number of eco blogs about everything from recycling to peak oil to solar panels .