Republicans question Biden admin over $3 billion loan to Sunnova, which has been accused of scamming elderly dementia patients into signing expensive solar panel leases

01/25/2024 / By Ava Grace

Republican lawmakers have begun questioning the administration of President Joe Biden for a $3 billion taxpayer-funded loan to solar energy company Sunnova, which has been accused of “scamming” and taking advantage of elderly dementia patients by tricking them into buying long-term solar panel leases.

Terry Blythe, a Texas resident, informed the Washington Free Beacon that a door-to-door Sunnover salesman convinced her 86-year-old father diagnosed with dementia to sign a 25-year solar panel lease back in 2020. When her father passed away earlier in 2023, Bylthe said she was left saddled with the $34,000 contract.

“It was truly ripping off old people,” said Blythe. “It was the biggest ripoff I’ve ever seen.

Another Texas resident, Mary Loller, said that her father was senile and had been given months to live when a door-to-door Sunnova salesman sold him a $60,000 solar system for his mobile home last year. (Related: Relying solely on wind and solar power requires the TAKEOVER of so much land compared to fossil fuels.)

“My dad told [the salesman] at that time he was in hospice and dying. And basically, he wasn’t in his right mind,” said Loller. Her father passed away soon after. Loller said Sunnova placed a line on the mobile home, which prevented the family from selling the property.

It has been reported that the Sunnova salespeople have been approaching vulnerable elderly patients for multi-decade solar panel leases that cost up to $60,000. There have been over 50 complaints filed against the company since last year. Some of the issues included delays to maintenance as well as “predatory sales tactics.” At least 1,000 more complaints have been filed against Sunnova in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico alone.

“We are alarmed about recent, credible reports that Sunnova has racked up numerous consumer complaints, including those alleging troubling sales practices,” wrote Chair of the Senate Republican Conference John Barrasso (R-WY) and Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) in a letter to the director of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) loan programs office, Jigar Shah.

As a result, both Barroso and Rodgers have demanded that all documents related to the loan – the largest ever made to a solar power company – and communication between the DOE and the company be turned over to them for oversight.

“These allegations are particularly troubling, as LPO has stated this program focuses on disadvantaged communities,” they added.

Green energy agenda for low-income families

In September last year, the DOE loan programs office announced that it had closed on a $3 billion partial loan guarantee to Sunnova’s Project Hestia, which is to provide solar and battery storage to low-income individuals, as part of Biden’s green energy agenda. The agreement marked the federal government’s largest commitment ever made to solar power/

The Sunnova deal specifies that the project will provide loans for green energy systems for approximately 75,000 to 115,000 homeowners throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

But, while the reports cited in the letter by Rodgers and Barroso focus on specific incidents, the Republican leaders wrote in their letter that those reports “are not isolated incidents.”

“Whether it’s a lease, a loan or a power purchase agreement, we are ensuring that customer’s power flows for 25 years,” said Kelsey Hultberg, Sunnova’s executive vice president for corporate communications and sustainability.

Sunnova, however, has received numerous customer complaints. “Customer disputes alleged deceptive sales practices, poor customer service, and they further report installation and repair technicians do not arrive as scheduled,” the Better Business Bureau (BBB) said.

Sunnova’s BBB accreditation has not been renewed since 2019 due to the pattern of complaints – including over 500 in the past 12 months – and a government action against the company in Puerto Rico that has since been resolved.

“Consumer’s complaints stated Sunnova assigned resolution specialists who are unreachable through phone or email causing delays in diagnosing and repairing under-producing panels or panels that are not operational at all,” the BBB alert reads. “While Sunnova Energy Corporation has responded to complaints and many of which were closed as resolved, [customers] felt their concerns were addressed only after filing a complaint with the BBB.”

Visit SolarPanels.news for more information on solar panel use in the United States.

Watch this video of Fox News reporting on the “nationwide solar scam” that is Sunnova Energy.

This video is from Son of the Republic on Brighteon.com.