Wind: More prominent in the southern states, like South Australia where wind has been pivotal in renewable energy accounting for almost half of its electricity needs. In NSW, wind farms already operate in areas such as Blayney and Crookwell with more planned elsewhere along the Great Dividing Range and also in the state's west, like at Silverton, near Broken Hill. Wind provided an estimated 4.2 per cent of all electricity generated in 2014, about double that of solar.

Batteries: Linking solar panel systems with energy storage systems such as batteries means the electricity generated during the day can be used at night when most households need power for cooking, lighting and heating. Advanced battery technology is expected to emerge over the next few years which could see more large power users unhooking from the electricity grid.

Hydrogen: Car makers have developed a range of hybrid cars which use batteries in conjunction with petrol engines to cut emissions. Now the focus is on fuel cells which use hydrogen resulting in zero emissions and low costs. Toyota expects to phase out all petrol-powered cars by 2050 in favour of hydrogen fuel cells. Others such as Tesla are developing electric cars which will use the grid or solar panels to "refuel".

Emerging technologies: Floating solar panels, solar towers, harnessing wave and tidal power from the sea, geothermal such as hot rocks deep beneath the earth's surface are all prospective alternatives to using coal and gas to generate electricity. Also being advanced are other energy sources such as biomass which uses crop, animal, food, sewage or garden waste to generate power. Biomass and geothermal are already common in some countries abroad.