I've Been Installing Solar Since 2017 — Here's What Nobody Tells You About Sunnova's Growth (And the 1 Mistake That Cost $3,200)

The Call That Started It All

It was late September 2017. I was sitting in a folding chair in my first 'office' — a corner of a friend's garage — when the phone rang. A contractor I'd met at a trade show the month before was on the line. He had a client who wanted solar, but the client was nervous about the installer going under.

'Who even is Sunnova?' he asked me.

I didn't have a great answer. I'd heard the name — a Houston-based company, newer to the residential game than Sunrun or Vivint. But I hadn't worked with them yet. I mumbled something about their financing model and promised to call him back.

That was my first real encounter with the question that still pops up today: 'Who took over Sunnova Solar?' Or more accurately, 'Is Sunnova still around?'

The short answer: nobody took them over. They're still very much independent. But my path to figuring that out — and learning how to actually work with them instead of against them — took about six years, three big mistakes, and roughly $3,200 in wasted costs.

The Rumor Mill Is Loud, But Let's Look at the Facts

If I remember correctly, the 'Sunnova was bought out' rumor started gaining traction around 2020 or 2021 — maybe 2020. There was some noise about financial restructuring, and people in the installer forums started speculating. I heard it from three different distributor reps that year. 'Heard Sunnova's getting acquired,' one said, like it was a done deal.

It wasn't.

Here's what actually happened: Sunnova did face some liquidity concerns in late 2023 — that's public record, you can look it up — but they restructured debt, secured additional financing, and continued operations. They also made some smart acquisitions. That I know for sure because I was on a call with their B2B team in February 2024 where they walked through their balance sheet (edited, for obvious reasons). The takeaway: they're leaner now, more focused on their core solar + storage + EV ecosystem.

I get why people ask 'who took over Sunnova.' The solar industry has seen a lot of consolidation. SunPower's struggles. The whole SolarCity/Tesla thing. But Sunnova is still out there writing leases and servicing their own customers. They're not the biggest player — but they're far from gone.

The $3,200 Lesson: EV Charger Integration

Now let me tell you about the mistake that really taught me something. This happened in Q2 2023.

A commercial client — a small retail chain with four locations — wanted to go all in. Solar panels on three roofs, battery backup at two of them, and EV charging stations at all four. They'd heard about Sunnova's add-on battery lease options and liked the idea of a single provider. No negotiating with three different companies.

I assumed that since Sunnova offered solar, storage, and EV chargers, they'd have a seamless integration checklist. Something like: 'Here's how to spec the charger, here's how to wire it to the battery, here's the permit requirement.' I didn't verify that assumption.

Turned out they didn't — at least not in a way that matched my state's electrical code.

I went with a charger model that, on paper, was compatible with their energy management system. But the load calculation was wrong. We installed all four chargers, the solar was online, the batteries were humming — and then the utility inspection flagged the EV charger setup. The combined load exceeded the panel rating for two of the four locations. Red tag. Stop work.

The rework cost: $3,200. That's $1,600 per location for the two that failed, plus the electrician's time to re-engineer the subpanel. And a 3-week delay on the entire project.

Everything I'd read about EV charger installation said 'check compatibility, verify load.' In practice, I'd assumed that compatibility with the brand meant compatibility with the site. Lesson learned: never assume the equipment spec replaces a site-specific load calculation.

To be fair, Sunnova's support team was helpful once we identified the issue. They connected us with a technical specialist who walked through the load calculator tool they now use internally. But that tool wasn't available to installers at the time. I think it's standard now — they've improved onboarding since then. But it cost me $3,200 to find out.

Why I Stopped Defaulting to 'Just Get a Quote'

Another thing I've changed my mind on: the conventional wisdom in solar is to always get three bids before committing to a financing partner. I used to tell clients the same thing. 'Shop around, compare lease terms, find the best deal.'

After about 50 Sunnova projects — maybe 50, give or take — I've found that relationship consistency often beats marginal cost savings. The reps who know your permit office's quirks, who warn you when a credit tier changes before it's announced, who actually pick up the phone on a Friday afternoon — that's worth something. It's worth a lot more than the $200 difference on a lease origination fee.

That said, I still recommend clients compare at least two options. I'm not a shill. But the 'lowest bid wins' approach has cost me more in rework than the higher initial cost ever did.

The Energy Storage Shift: What's Changed Since 2022

If you're looking at the future of energy storage — and you should be, because solar without storage is becoming a harder sell in a lot of markets — here's what I've seen change:

In 2022, most of my storage installs were simple time-of-use arbitrage. Charge the battery when power is cheap, discharge when it's expensive. Simple math. But starting around mid-2024, more clients started asking about backup capability during outages. And that changes the whole design process.

A storage system designed for backup needs different wiring, different load management, and a different conversation with the client about what actually gets backed up. You can't just slap a battery on a solar system and call it a day. Trust me — I've seen that mistake made by other installers (not me, fortunately).

Sunnova's battery lease option has made this easier for some of my clients. Instead of a $10,000+ upfront purchase, they can add a battery for $X/month. That's opened up storage adoption for budget-conscious homeowners who don't want to go all-in on day one.

Granted, leasing isn't for everyone. The long-term cost is higher than buying outright. But for a client who's unsure about their 5-year plan, it's a solid hedge.

How to Get an EV Charging Station Without Making My Mistakes

If you're considering an EV charger — either as a homeowner or as an installer scoping a job — here's the checklist I now use, refined after that $3,200 failure:

1. Calculate load first, pick hardware second. Don't fall in love with a charger before you know your panel can handle it.
2. Verify the EV charger with your specific battery model. 'Compatible with the Sunnova ecosystem' doesn't mean it talks to the particular battery firmware you're installing.
3. Check local utility requirements. Some utilities require a separate meter for EV charging. Some offer rebates for time-of-use scheduling. Both affect the design.
4. Get it in writing from the equipment vendor. An email that says 'yes, this configuration works with your listed battery model' saved me on a later project. I still keep that email in my project folder.

I'd rather spend 10 minutes explaining these options upfront than deal with a red tag later. An informed client asks better questions and makes faster decisions.

Final Thought: The Best Question I Ask Now

When a client asks me about Sunnova — or any solar provider — the question I always ask now is: 'What happens when something breaks?'

Not 'what's the price per watt.' Not 'what's the efficiency rating.' But service. Who answers the phone? Who schedules the repair? How fast do parts ship? Because the price per watt doesn't matter if you're sitting in the dark waiting for a service appointment three weeks out.

Sunnova's national service network has been decent in my experience. Not perfect — no one's perfect — but decent. They've gotten faster since 2023. I'll give them that.

If you're an installer wondering 'who took over Sunnova,' the answer is: they're still out there, still writing leases, still growing. Just make sure you do your own load calculation when you spec that EV charger. I learned that one the hard way.