“The Sunnova case has become a cautionary tale in the solar industry, underscoring the importance of keeping all documentation … researching a company’s financial health before signing contracts. understanding all terms, especially service and maintenance obligations … avoiding tying financing solely to the installer.” (below)
MasterResource has chronicled the rise and fall of Enron-ex John Berger’s rooftop solar company, Sunnova Energy International Inc. [1] The whole rooftop solar proposition was dicey, even with taxpayer and ratepayer subsidies. “Subsidies like the DOE’s guarantees can incentivize firms to prioritize short-term gains over long-term compliance,” observed Issac Lane. “Sunnova’s aggressive sales tactics, which targeted vulnerable consumers, were enabled by its belief that federal backing insulated it from accountability.”
… Continue ReadingWhat is the latest, where Berger exited with millions of dollars and almost everyone else footed his bill (including taxpayers)?
“[Radiant Solar] was able to [rip off homeowners] in part because home solar energy systems are complicated, expensive things — they often cost around $50,000 — typically involving layers of financing and tax incentives that leave many consumers confused.”
The rooftop solar industry might be in freefall and on the way out, but the damage of bad performance and long-term contracts endures. The New York Times article, “New York Sues Solar Panel Firm, Saying It Bilked Hundreds of Customers” (January 29, 2026), explains how the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection is seeking almost $20 million in restitution and penalties from ‘home improvement contractor’ Radiant Solar.
In all, “300 victims of the same company, Radiant Solar, which left a trail of damaged homes, large debts and broken promises across the city,” the article reported.…
Continue Reading“But messaging isn’t the problem. The economics, the numbers, are. If solar is truly affordable, reliable, and resilient, the suppliers should say so plainly: in cents per kWh, free of explicit subsidies and mandates.” – David Bergeron, SunDanzer (below)
I just returned from the Intersolar & Energy Storage North America conference in San Diego where the keynote address focused on how the long-duration storage industry can move forward under the headwinds of the current administration. Their strategy? Better messaging, shifting from climate-change arguments to affordability, reliability, and resilience.
But messaging isn’t the problem. The economics, the numbers, are. If solar is truly affordable, reliable, and resilient, the suppliers should say so plainly: in cents per kWh, free of explicit subsidies and mandates.
Cost and reliability have always been the problem with solar.…
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