# Solar collectors **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 19, 2001, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-collectors/69266 "2001-06-19T00:26:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-collectors/69266/41 "2001-06-28T04:45:17Z")
Quote sailor Some comments: As I said before, electricity is quite a bit more expensive than natural gas so, a solar system will be cost effective as an alternative to electricity before it is cost effective as an alternative to natural gas. Gee I wonder if this has anything to do with gas being cheap …this fact sheet give coal, oil, and natural gas over $5 billion per year. The industry has already received more than its fair share, collecting $150 billion in subsidies from the federal government between 1918 and 1978, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. From [http://www.taxpayer.net/TCS/fuelsubfact.htm](http://www.taxpayer.net/TCS/fuelsubfact.htm) Sailor lets put this discussion on an even playing field. ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-collectors/69266/42 "2001-06-28T05:32:13Z")
These people think low gas prices can’t last In order to lower emissions, electricity in California over the past few years has been increasingly produced from natural gas, a fuel source that is in decline. This is not to say that there is no more natural gas to be found. It means that there has been a shift from a buyer’s market to a seller’s market. from [http://www.energycrisis.com/us/ca/](http://www.energycrisis.com/us/ca/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-collectors/69266.md?page=2)