An inquiry into the electricity market by the consumer watchdog has confirmed what many solar customers already know—that Australians using solar panels pay less for power than their non-solar neighbours.

Solar power is already the cheapest form of electricity generation, and its cost will continue to fall as more improvements emerge in the technology and its global production. Now, new research is exploring what could be another major turning point in solar cell manufacturing.

A new survey of regional Queenslanders has found that 45.5 per cent of those polled support transitioning to a renewables-dominated grid at some point over the next 15 years. Nearly a third of people want the transition to happen faster, within the next 10 years.

Offshore wind farms are an increasingly common sight overseas. But Australia has neglected the technology, despite the ample wind gusts buffeting much of our coastline.