Solar industry leader and returning guest, Jim Spano, helped develop the solar market in the mid-Atlantic region — and now he's bringing a new innovative product to market. New York City-based Sol-REIT is a unique solar financing platform that aims to give developers a new option and keep more of the project for themselves while also providing much-needed scaleable financing to the middle market.It's the first investment product to bring the novel model of real estate investment trusts (REITs) to the solar energy market. By financing solar in the same way as real estate, Sol-REIT can offer long-term, fixed-rate, lower-cost debt that matches the operational life of assets. Jim, the co-founder and head of originations at Sol-REIT, wants to "break the solar industry free of the binds of niche financing."On today's podcast, Tim Montague, fellow podcaster and also a developer himself, joins the show as a stand-in host and chat w/Jim about his latest venture.The conversation was part of the RE+ PowerUp Media Zone, a live production of SunCast Media.If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to their contact info (linked, twitter, etc) in the show notes on the blog.SunCast is presented by Sungrow, the world’s most bankable inverter brand.You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you, here: www.mysuncast.com/sponsorsRemember you can always find the resources and learn more about today’s guest, recommendations, book links, and more than 500 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.