Episode 854

854: RE+ Day 3: Dean Solon, American-Made Inverters, Clean Tech for Native Americans, and More!

Published on: 12th September, 2025

Straight from Day 3 at RE+ 2025, this replay of the PowerUp Live Morning Show and Daily Round Up wraps up an incredible week of insights from the clean energy leaders driving the industry forward.

Nico Johnson, Lisa Ann Pinkerton, and Sylvia Leyva Martinez close out the final day with bold takeaways, surprising perspectives, and a few laughs. From the future of tribal energy to the flow of investment capital and the race to build a domestic supply chain, this finale captures the urgency and optimism powering clean tech.

Brendan Bell – Aligned Climate Capital

• Why clean tech keeps winning despite policy headwinds

• The global lesson: thriving without tax credits

• Where investor money is flowing in today’s market

Chéri Smith – Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy

• Pathways to Trust program

• Bringing renewable energy and equity to Native American tribes

Seira Kamei – Furukawa Electric Co

• Winner of the 2025 Swag Contest

Dean Solon – Create Energy (formerly Shoals)

• Manufacturing inverters in America today

• What it will take to complete the domestic supply chain

Daily Round Up

• Nico Johnson & Sylvia Leyva Martinez highlight the biggest takeaways of the week

• Derek Mast (derek the solarboi) recaps the show floor and closes with the final “Would You Rather” quiz

Thank you to everyone who joined us at this years RE+, and thank you to those of you who kept up to date with what was happening at the show through our episodes! See you next year! 

Get your Solar Fight Night tickets before they're gone: https://tinyurl.com/522wf8v3

Also check out Renewables UnWind Las Vegas: https://tinyurl.com/2ea2c6k3

And don't forget about the pickleball games: https://tinyurl.com/p9h5nv42

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.

Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is CPS America!

SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 730 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.

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You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

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About the Podcast

SunCast
Your resource for developing a clean energy or climate tech career
Nico Johnson takes you into conversations with those at the forefront of Renewable Energy.

SunCast gives an inside look into what is happening in renewable energy. From conversations with the biggest Solar Panel manufacturers in the world to the small startups creating the future of renewable energy, such as carbon capture and battery technology breakthroughs.

SunCast is dedicated to providing the knowledge, research, tools and expert guidance you need to understand, grow and be ahead of the curve in the fastest-growing markets in the world.

Featuring over 800 conversations, Nico has interviewed people from Tesla, SolarCity, Trina Solar, Meyer Burger, Conergy, SunEdison, Energy Vault and even the US Government... to name a few. Covering topics such as Solar Power, Wind Energy, Batteries, Electric Vehicles, Carbon Capture, Finance, Hydrogen, and more.

You can watch SunCast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SunCastMedia

...or view the full archive of SunCast episodes here: https://www.suncast.media/media/podcast