As Safe As Houses

March 26th, 2009 by Susan Kraemer

Remember when we had the idea that investing in real estate was a safe bet? It was such a commonplace idea that this would generate a return on the investment, that it became a cliche: “As safe as houses”.

Now, despite our real estate values dropping like a stone, there is still part of your building that you can use to generate a certain return yearly.

That is that abundant farmland that you have on your roof.

You didn’t know you have farmland on the roof? Northern California’s PG&E thinks so. If you have solar potential (a flat roof or 20 degree slope to the South, Southwest or Southeast with no shade) you could actually generate a decent return on investment, regardless of your declining property value, from your sunshine harvest.

You could earn 8% a year on an investment in a solar roof. How?

Read the rest of this at Green Building Elements

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Tags: Interfaith Power and Light, solar financing

About the Author

Susan Kraemer writes at CleanTechnica, CSP-Today, PV-Insider , SmartGridUpdate, and GreenProphet. She has also been published at Ecoseed, NRDC OnEarth, MatterNetwork, Celsius, EnergyNow, and Scientific American. As a former serial entrepreneur in product design, Susan brings an innovator's perspective on inventing a carbon-constrained civilization: If necessity is the mother of invention, solving climate change is the mother of all necessities! As a lover of history and sci-fi, she enjoys chronicling the strange future we are creating in these interesting times. Follow Susan on Twitter @dotcommodity.

Susan Kraemer

I guess they kind of epitomise the glee I feel about harnessing solar power. It comes from the sky. It’s just beaming down on us.

Lets catch us some!
Susan Kraemer

I guess they kind of epitomise the glee I feel about harnessing solar power. It comes from the sky. It’s just beaming down on us.

Lets catch us some!
Adam

Actually, housing isn’t doing that bad these days. Sure, foreclosures have been through the roof the last 12 months, but housing prices are up. But that’s besides the point.

This is a cool idea, and although 8% seems low at first (12 year payback), it’s certainly better than most other investments out there.

One question… what’s with the people in the desert jumping into the sky?
Adam

Actually, housing isn’t doing that bad these days. Sure, foreclosures have been through the roof the last 12 months, but housing prices are up. But that’s besides the point.

This is a cool idea, and although 8% seems low at first (12 year payback), it’s certainly better than most other investments out there.

One question… what’s with the people in the desert jumping into the sky?