A Solar Boom — and a Scam Built to Ride It
As federal solar incentives expanded and energy costs climbed, thousands of homeowners began shopping for solar panel installations in 2022 and 2023. NovaBright Solar showed up exactly where they were looking: targeted Facebook ads, local home expos, and a sleek website with five-star reviews.
The pitch was compelling — panels, installation, permit handling, and a 25-year performance guarantee, all for a competitive price with a 30% deposit required upfront to “lock in” incentive pricing before deadlines.
What came after the deposit, for hundreds of customers, was months of excuses, then silence.
“We’re Just Waiting on Permits”
GripeNation spoke with 34 NovaBright customers across Texas, Arizona, and Nevada. Their accounts follow a nearly identical pattern.
After the deposit — typically between $4,000 and $9,000 — customers received a welcome email, a project number, and an estimated installation window of 8 to 14 weeks. When that window passed, follow-up calls were met with explanations: permit delays, supply chain issues, inspector backlogs.
“They had a reason for everything,” said one homeowner in Scottsdale who paid $7,200. “Every time I called, there was a different person, but the same script. ‘We’re just waiting on permits.’ After eight months, I stopped getting anyone on the phone at all.”
The Texas office number was disconnected in January 2026. The Arizona office followed in March. The company’s website went offline in April.
What Was Actually Going On
Texas Secretary of State records show NovaBright Solar LLC was registered in 2021 by a registered agent service with no disclosed owners. A GripeNation investigation traced the company’s actual operators to two individuals with prior contractor fraud complaints in Florida — complaints that resulted in license revocations.
Of the 34 customers we interviewed, zero received an installation. Of those who pursued refunds, three received partial amounts after threatening small claims action; the rest received nothing.
State attorneys general in Texas and Arizona have both opened investigations. The Better Business Bureau assigned NovaBright an F rating after receiving 112 complaints in 18 months.
What Victims Can Do
If you paid a deposit to NovaBright Solar and received no installation or refund:
- File a complaint with your state attorney general’s consumer protection division
- File a complaint with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov
- Contact your credit card company — if you paid by card within 18 months, a chargeback dispute may still be possible
- Document all communications and keep all contracts