By Robert Bradley Jr.
“Our Founder and CEO John Berger reminds us why this event is so pivotal: Sunnova and our dealer partners are uniting to tackle the U.S. power demand shortage with American-made solar solutions.”
Previous posts (here, here, and here) have detailed how a second-hander company, trying to be all things to all people, and living off of special government subsidies, was a liability parading as an asset. Sunnova was never profitable, and the only winners among the countless thousands involved with the company were founder and CEO John Berger (inflated salary and cashouts) and some other executives paid for misallocating resources.
Having been at Enron from the beginning to the end, and seeing the similarities of Enron and Sunnova (both went down with the lights on), and knowing Berger was a Ken Lay-alike, I gathered (below) some pictures of the company’s hyperbole in action.
“At the 2025 hashtag#SunnovaSummit, Sunnova leaders Meghan Nutting, Paul Mathews, and Michael Grasso spoke to a common theme: despite headwinds, the industry’s outlook remains bright.”
“Solar is powering America in both red and blue districts, and is the fastest, most efficient solution to growing energy demand. Sunnova is a passionate advocate for meeting energy demand and remains dedicated to providing consumer choice through unparalleled service and technology offerings.”
“”We are fighting for what we’ve built together – and what we have built matters. This is about the customers, the industry. We have to keep fighting together.” – John Berger, Sunnova Founder and CEO, during his State-of-the-Union address.
“John highlighted the state of Sunnova, the evolving energy landscape, and the road ahead—emphasizing the critical role dealers play in driving the future of energy.”
“Our Founder and CEO John Berger reminds us why this event is so pivotal: Sunnova and our dealer partners are uniting to tackle the U.S. power demand shortage with American-made solar solutions.”
2024 Christmas Party
“As we wrap up another incredible year, we’re filled with gratitude for our amazing customers, partners, and dedicated team. Your trust, hard work, and commitment to a cleaner, brighter future inspire us every day. hashtag#WeAreSunnova“
“We want to extend our deepest gratitude to our amazing team this hashtag#ThankfulThursday.”
“Every day, you bring your energy, passion, and commitment to making Sunnova a leader in clean energy solutions. From innovative thinking to going the extra mile for our customers, you make Sunnova stronger and better.”
“#TeamSunnova gathered for our Q3 Town Hall to reflect on a quarter driven by dedication and hard work. As we strive to deliver clean, affordable, and accessible energy to our customers, we’re heading into the year’s final stretch more motivated than ever to raise the bar. Here’s to finishing the year strong and bringing our shared vision of a cleaner energy future to life.”
Notice “by the numbers” above. Unprofitable companies try to chalk up moral victories, while hiding the bottom lines and the analysis behind them. Enron was great at that–so was Berger’s Sunnova.
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Prominent in the subsidy mining industry!
Never has the position of “Snake Oil Salesman” been so highly regarded, nor so remunerative!
The article didn’t say what happened, …here’s what I found on Google:
“Sunnova Energy International Inc., a major US residential solar company, is facing a potential bankruptcy filing due to significant debt and liquidity issues, as reported by Bloomberg.com, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes.com. The company has been in discussions with creditors and is considering a restructuring, potentially including a bankruptcy filing, to address its $8.5 billion debt burden.”
Losing $20k/customer. Need more customers to make it up on volume.
As now-retired investment icon Warren Buffett said about renewables –
“without the taxpayer subsidies and tax breaks, they make no sense”
He would have been more succinct if he had said.
“If they make no profits they make no sense” sorry Warren, who am I to advise you?
Bernie Madoff would be proud of the grifts we see today in Green Energy… Did Pelosi sell short?
She didn’t have to sell . . . most likely already paid off under the table.
What he actually said wasn’t related to solar, just wind:
“For example, on wind energy, we get a tax credit if we build a lot of wind farms. That’s the only reason to build them. They don’t make sense without the tax credit.” -Warren Buffet cited by U.S. News/Nancy Pfotenhauer
Cheerleading isn’t worth spit. The company pep rallies I was forced to attend made me sick. I got in trouble more than once for not grabbing the Pom Poms and joining in. Wind and solar don’t work stop building them. They are the reason we have energy issues.
Where I worked, you really got into trouble from grabbing the pom poms.
In certain situations, I don’t mind being grabbed by the pom poms
“And another one bites the dust.”
If it looks like fraud, sounds like fraud, and smells like fraud, it’s probably fraud.
Sunnova’s stock price, reaching nearly $54 per share during the Biden heyday, is now quoted at $0.20 per share. Founder and until recently CEO John Berger has resigned but has made millions from his efforts there.
Indeed. His salary and his “golden parachute” paid for at the expense of the taxpayer. Despite this revelation, as well as, other outfits that went bust during the Obama era; the subsidies continue. When will are political leadership wake-up to this scam and the utter waste? Despise this renewable energy “investment scheme.”
I suspect Pam Bondi is already looking into this, as is the FTC.
I have never understood why there is so much support for solar generation, yet it is widespread and has an almost religous following.
It starts to generate when the sun rise, reaches a peak around mid day then declines as the day goes to sunset. In the U.k. it produces very little for four months of the year. We are a 24 hr a day 365 day a year civilisation so need another source as well for the darker hours.
Objectively it makes no sense even before considering the technical deficiencies of solar.
In America, Saving The Earth™ is the platform of the democrat party. You can use it to sell any idea to anyone. No one is opposed to Saving The Earth™. It’s the new motherhood and Apple Pie.
Solar generated electricity is the cure for global warming. Ask any democrat.
Wind generated power is the cure for global warming. Ask any democrat.
Driving electric vehicles is the cure for global warming. Ask any democrat.
Batteries charging batteries is the cure for global warming. Ask any democrat.
Outlawing internal combustion engines is the cure for global warming. Ask any democrat.
Outlawing coal power is the cure for global warming. Ask any democrat.
Banning 100 watt light bulbs is the cure for global warming. Ask any democrat.
Of course, everything tried for forty years has had no effect whatsoever on global warming.
So, “We” need to do more to cure global warming. Ask any democrat.
Nick will be along to tell us all this is an isolated problem and tell us all about the free energy these guys have made accessible to the world 🙂
Weird that she mentioned “consumer choice”- which is what they want to take from us.
“Consumer choice” offering consumers yet another way to lose all their money.
Snakes mis-use terms, climate freaks are leftist (check their economics beliefs).
Interesting what is implied, but not stated, anywhere in the above article other than the term “pre-bankruptcy”.
I had to go to a Web search to find the following:
“No, Sunnova has not declared bankruptcy, but it is facing significant financial challenges and is actively exploring options, including a potential bankruptcy filing, to address its debt and restructure its business. According to Bloomberg, Sunnova is struggling to secure a lifeline from creditors to avoid bankruptcy. The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg report that Sunnova is in discussions with creditors to explore options like a potential bankruptcy filing or other restructuring measures.”
[my bold emphasis added]
However, this is not meant to discount the author pointing out the absurd hyperbole, documented above, leading to Sunnova’s current situation.
No corporate ethics to be found at that company. . . . pity its employees for buying into the Kool-Aid that was being handed out.