The ACT Government's announcement that it will go to the market seeking interest in the construction of a solar power station significantly elevates our community's stake in tackling climate change.
If re-elected, Labor will test market interest in a facility capable of powering at least 10,000 homes.
The Government has no preconceived notions as to the most appropriate technology, or even whether such a power generator ought to use proven, cutting-edge or emerging science.
Certainly, Parsons Brinckerhoff, which was commissioned earlier this year by the ACT Government and ActewAGL to conduct a pre-feasibility study, identified solar thermal parabolic trough technology as the technology likely to prove most feasible.
This view was based on cost and the use of the technology in recent commercial applications in the United States and Europe.
But the Government's proposal to test the market is designed to draw out as many technologies as there are serious consortia prepared to back them.
By testing the market now without being wedded to a single technology or a single funding model the ACT has the opportunity to help drive and support the kind of industries that will see us collectively conquer climate change.
The ACT Government's exploration of the feasibility of a major solar facility began six months ago, with the commissioning of the Parsons Brinckerhoff report.
That report has concluded that the idea is worthy of further investigation.
That's why the Government has decided to seek proposals for the construction of a solar facility with a capacity of at least 80GWh/a. It could be that proposals will emerge for a much larger facility.
Needless to say, such a facility will require an extensive parcel of land, though the size would depend vary much on the technology used.
While a number of possible sites were considered by Parsons Brinckerhoff, this was purely to demonstrate that there were sites of suitable scale and solar aspect.
The selection of potential sites will depend very much on the specific proposals put forward, and the technologies proposed.
Climate change is perhaps the most urgent challenge confronting humanity globally. Investment in renewable energy cannot be delayed. But it must be the right investment, in the right technology, and in the right place.
The idea of a significant solar facility complements other ACT Government actions to encourage and foster the generation of renewal energy, in particular the recent passage of legislation for a feed-in tariff equal to the most generous in the world.
Successfully combating climate change will require both individual and collective actions.
The feed-in tariff encourages the former, providing encouragement and reward for householders who take action to generate green power at a domestic level.
In practical terms, this energy is almost always solar energy, generated by photovoltaic cells, but the scheme has the capacity to be applied to any kind of green generation and to accommodate emerging technologies.
Other individual actions that can be pursued include signing up to Greenpower 2000 more Canberrans have done just that over the past year leaving the car at home, choosing energy-efficient appliances, fitting energy-saving lightbulbs, insulating your home and installing a solar hot water system.
But governmental leadership and big actions are needed too. A national carbon-trading scheme is the most obvious example of a collective action that will deliver significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and help us meet the ambitious greenhouse targets we have set for ourselves.
Supporting commercialisation of green energy production is another collective action governments can take on behalf of communities.
The ACT Government already leads by example, sourcing 23 per cent of the electricity it uses from renewable sources.
Exploring the potential for a solar power plant for the territory is another method of encouraging commercialisation of the technologies without which we will not be able to make the kinds of inroads that will halt climate change.
The Government's decision to take the next step on a solar facility is another way of showing leadership and of ensuring that our community, which has been a part of the problem, is part of the solution.
The Parsons Brinckerhoff report is available at www.cmd.act.gov.au Jon Stanhope is Chief Minister of the ACT.