Roof Options » Understanding Future Uses of Roofspace and Defining An Early Path to Profitable Roof Estate Investing

Some Rare, Real Talk From a Utility About Competition With Rooftop Solar
September 23rd, 2023

Via Inside Climate News, a report on how one Arizona utility’s expert witness finally said the quiet part out loud of why utilities fear rooftop solar: In a hearing last month in Arizona, an expert witness for the state’s largest utility said he agrees with the idea that utilities oppose rooftop solar because it is […]

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Google: Powering The Future With New Solar API
September 7th, 2023

Can Google Maps help save the planet? Back in 2014, Google helped a team launch Project Sunroof- an incredibly useful tool that uses Maps data to calculate how much sunlight a building receives and estimates how much solar energy it could generate. It does this, with the help of a lot of computers and clever […]

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Inside the Slow, Yet ‘Incredible’ Installation of a $78,000 Tesla Solar Roof
August 16th, 2023

Courtesy of the Wall Street Journal, a look at the slow, yet ‘incredible’ installation of a $78,000 Tesla solar roof I needed a new roof anyway,” says Winka Dubbeldam, standing outside her house in the Springs, a hamlet on the east end of Long Island. And as long as she was replacing her roof, Dubbeldam, […]

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Green Roofs: Why Don’t All Buildings Have Them?
August 16th, 2023

Via The Conversation, a report on how green roofs improve the urban environment – so why don’t all buildings have them? Rooftops covered with grass, vegetable gardens and lush foliage are now a common sight in many cities around the world. More and more private companies and city authorities are investing in green roofs, drawn to […]

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Well-irrigated Green Roofs Have Cooling Effect on PV systems
August 11th, 2023

Via GreenRoofs.com, a look at how well-irrigated green roofs can have a cooling effect on PV systems: Scientists in the Netherlands have assessed how the so-called blue-green roofs can help reduce the operating temperature of rooftop PV panels and have found they provide a significant cooling effect. The irrigation system used for the research project […]

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Largest Rooftop Solar Project in New York State Completed
July 21st, 2023

Via Environmental Leader, a report on the largest rooftop solar project in New York State: The largest rooftop solar project in New York State, located on the Medline Industries distribution center, reached completion and will now power over 1,600 homes annually. The center produces 7.2 megawatts of solar energy, generated from more than 17,000 panels. […]

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About This Blog And Its Author

As potential uses for building and parking lot roofspace continue to grow, unique opportunities to understand and profit from this trend will emerge. Roof Options is committed to tracking the evolving uses of roof estate – spanning solar power, rainwater harvesting, wind power, gardens & farms, “cooling” sites, advertising, apiculture, and telecom transmission platforms – to help unlock the nascent, complex, and expanding roofspace asset class.

Educated at Yale University (Bachelor of Arts - History) and Harvard (Master in Public Policy - International Development), Monty Simus has held a lifelong interest in environmental and conservation issues, primarily as they relate to freshwater scarcity, renewable energy, and national park policy. Working from a water-scarce base in Las Vegas with his wife and son, he is the founder of Water Politics, an organization dedicated to the identification and analysis of geopolitical water issues arising from the world’s growing and vast water deficits, and is also a co-founder of SmartMarkets, an eco-preneurial venture that applies web 2.0 technology and online social networking innovations to motivate energy & water conservation. He previously worked for an independent power producer in Central Asia; co-authored an article appearing in the Summer 2010 issue of the Tulane Environmental Law Journal, titled: “The Water Ethic: The Inexorable Birth Of A Certain Alienable Right”; and authored an article appearing in the inaugural issue of Johns Hopkins University's Global Water Magazine in July 2010 titled: “H2Own: The Water Ethic and an Equitable Market for the Exchange of Individual Water Efficiency Credits.”

The content contained in this blog represents the opinions of the author only (except when other individuals or sources are directly quoted, of course). The author’s opinions are not a recommendation to buy or sell any security or pursue a specific investment opportunity. This commentary is merely a personal analysis to foster discussion for informational purposes only. At any time, the author may hold either long or short positions in securities of various companies discussed in the blog. This commentary in no way constitutes a solicitation of business or investment advice. It is intended solely for the entertainment of the reader and the author, and should be taken in any way as representing the views of my employers or business associates, past, present, or future.