RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below together with all of the other information included in this prospectus before deciding to invest in our common stock. If any of the following risks actually occur, they may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations. In this event, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment in us. We may experience additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us; or, as a result of developments occurring in the future, conditions that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Business

Historically, we have incurred operating losses, and we may be unable to achieve or sustain profitability in the future.

We incurred operating losses of $4.5 million, $10.4 million and $13.7 million and net losses of $35.5 million, $90.2 million and $68.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2018, respectively. These historical operating losses were due to a number of factors, including increased expenses to fund our growth and related financing needs. We expect to incur significant expenses as we finance the expansion of our operations and implement additional internal systems and infrastructure to support our growth. In addition, as a public company, we will incur significant additional legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. We do not know whether our revenue will grow rapidly enough to absorb these costs. Our ability to achieve profitability depends on a number of factors, including:

Even if we do achieve profitability, we may be unable to sustain or increase our profitability in the future.

Certain of our key operational metrics, including estimated gross customer value and estimated net system value, are based on various assumptions and estimates that we make over an extended period of time. Actual experience may vary materially from these estimates and assumptions and therefore undue reliance should not be placed on these metrics.

Our key operational metrics include a number of assumptions and estimates that we make over an extended period of time (up to 35 years) and that may not prove accurate. In calculating estimated gross customer value, we estimate projected monthly customer payments over the remaining life of our solar service agreements, which are typically 25 years in length with an opportunity for customers to renew for up to an additional 10 years, and from the future sale of related SRECs. These estimated future cash flows depend on various factors including but not limited to solar service agreement type, contracted rates, customer loss rates, expected sun

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hours and the projected production capacity of the solar equipment installed. Additionally, in calculating estimated gross customer value we also estimate cash distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interests and operating, maintenance and administrative expenses associated with the solar service agreements, including expenses related to accounting, reporting, audit, insurance, maintenance and repairs over the remaining life of our solar service agreements.

In calculating estimated renewal gross customer value, which is a component of estimated gross customer value, we use all of the estimates listed above and follow established industry convention in assuming that 100% of our solar leases and PPAs are renewed for an additional five years at 90% of the contractual price in effect at expiration of the initial term of the solar leases or PPA and for an additional five years at 90% of the contractual price in effect at expiration of the first renewal term. Because all of our customers have many years remaining on their solar service agreements and many factors will affect a customer’s decision whether to renew as discussed in “ Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Operational Metrics , ” it is very uncertain what percentage of our customers will actually renew their solar service agreements as opposed to exercising a purchase option (in the case of the PPAs) or requesting removal of the system, whether such renewal would be for one or both five-year renewal periods, and what the rates of such renewals and purchases would be. We are therefore not projecting that all customers will renew or that they will renew at 90% of the contractual price at the expiration of the prior term. We are presenting this information solely for illustrative purposes and as a comparison to similar information published by our peers. To illustrate the way in which actual results may change, we present sensitivities around the rates paid by customers in the renewed contracts, although these sensitivities may not capture the actual rates paid upon renewal and we do not show sensitivities for fewer than 100% of customers renewing their agreements.

Furthermore, in calculating estimated gross customer value and estimated net system value, we discount our future net cash flows at 6% based on industry practice and the interest rate on certain recent securitizations. This discount rate might not be the most appropriate discount rate based on interest rates in effect from time to time and industry or company-specific risks associated with these cash flows, and the appropriate discount rate for these estimates may change in the future due to the level of inflation, rising interest rates, our cost of capital, customer default rates and consumer demand for solar energy systems, among other things. We also assume customer losses of 0% in calculating these metrics, even though we expect to have some minimal level of customer losses over the life of our contracts. To illustrate the way in which actual results may change, we present sensitivities around the discount rate and the rate of customer losses, although these sensitivities may not capture the most appropriate discount rate or the rate of customer losses that we will experience.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP has not audited, reviewed, examined, compiled nor applied agreed-upon procedures with respect to these operational metrics or their components. The estimates discussed above are based on a combination of assumptions that may prove to be inaccurate over time. Such inaccuracies could be material, particularly given that the estimates relate to cash flows up to 35 years in the future.

Our growth strategy depends on the continued origination of solar service agreements by us and our dealers.

Our growth strategy depends on the continued origination of solar service agreements by us and our dealers. We may be unable to originate additional solar service agreements and related solar energy systems and energy storage systems in the numbers or at the pace we currently expect for a variety of reasons, including, among other things, the following:

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If the challenges of originating solar service agreements and related solar energy systems and energy storage systems increase, our pool of available opportunities may be limited, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

If sufficient additional demand for residential solar energy systems does not develop or takes longer to develop than we anticipate, our ability to originate solar service agreements may decrease.

The distributed residential solar energy market is at a relatively early stage of development in comparison to fossil fuel-based electricity generation. If additional demand for distributed residential solar energy systems fails to develop sufficiently or takes longer to develop than we anticipate, we may be unable to originate additional solar service agreements and related solar energy systems to grow our business. In addition, demand for solar energy systems in our targeted markets may not develop to the extent that we anticipate. As a result, we may be unsuccessful in broadening our customer base through origination of solar service agreements and related solar energy systems and energy storage systems within our current markets or in new markets we may enter.

Many factors may affect the demand for solar energy systems, including the following:

The residential solar energy industry is constantly evolving, which makes it difficult to evaluate our prospects. We cannot be certain if historical growth rates reflect future opportunities or whether growth

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anticipated by us will be realized. The failure of distributed residential solar energy to achieve, or its being significantly delayed in achieving, widespread adoption could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we fail to manage our operations and growth effectively, we may be unable to execute our business plan, maintain high levels of customer service or adequately address competitive challenges.

We have experienced significant growth in recent periods measured by our number of customers and we intend to continue our efforts to expand our business within existing and new markets. This growth has placed, and any future growth may place, a strain on our management, operational and financial infrastructure. Our growth requires our management to devote a significant amount of time and effort to maintain and expand our relationships with customers, dealers and other third parties, attract new customers and dealers, arrange financing for our growth and manage our expansion into additional markets.

In addition, our current and planned operations, personnel, information technology and other systems and procedures might be inadequate to support our future growth and may require us to make additional unanticipated investments in our infrastructure. Our success and ability to further scale our business will depend, in part, on our ability to manage these changes in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

If we cannot manage our operations and growth, we may be unable to meet our expectations regarding growth, opportunity and financial targets, take advantage of market opportunities, execute our business strategies, meet our tax equity financing commitments or respond to competitive pressures. This could also result in declines in quality or customer satisfaction, increased costs, difficulties in introducing new offerings or other operational difficulties. Any failure to effectively manage our operations and growth could adversely impact our reputation, business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

A material reduction in the retail price of electricity charged by electric utilities or other retail electricity providers would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Decreases in the retail price of electricity from electric utilities or from other retail electric providers, including other renewable energy sources such as larger-scale solar energy systems, could make our offerings less economically attractive. The price of electricity from utilities could decrease as a result of:

A reduction in electric utilities’ rates or changes to peak hour pricing policies or rate design (such as the adoption of a fixed or flat rate) could also make our offerings less competitive with the price of electricity from the electrical grid. If the cost of energy available from electric utilities or other providers were to decrease relative to solar energy generated from residential systems or if similar events impacting the economics of our offerings were to occur, we may have difficulty attracting new customers or existing customers may default or

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seek to terminate, cancel or otherwise avoid the obligations under their solar service agreements. For example, large utilities in California have started transitioning customers to time-of-use rates and also have adopted a shift in the peak period for time-of-use rates to later in the day. Unless grandfathered under a different rate, residential customers with solar energy systems are required to take service under time-of-use rates with the later peak period. Moving utility customers to time-of-use rates or the shift in the timing of peak rates for utility-generated electricity to include times of day when solar energy generation is less efficient or non-operable could also make our offerings less competitive. Time-of-use rates could also result in higher costs for our customers whose electricity requirements are not fully met by our offerings during peak periods.

Additionally, the price of electricity from utilities may grow less quickly than the escalator feature in certain of our solar service agreements, which could also make our systems less competitive with the price of electricity from the electrical grid and result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our growth is dependent on our dealer network, and our failure to retain or replace existing dealers or to grow our dealer network could adversely impact our business. In addition, one of our dealers currently accounts for approximately half of our recently added customers.

Our dealer network is an integral component of our business strategy and serves as the means by which we are able to originate solar service agreements and related solar energy systems and energy storage systems in existing and prospective markets. Poor performance by our dealers in originating solar service agreements could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We have in the past had disputes and litigation with certain of our dealers over their performance.

As we grow, particularly in new jurisdictions, we will need to expand our dealer network. We are subject to significant competition for the recruitment and retention of dealers from our competitors, and we may not be able to recruit new or replacement dealers in the future. We compete for our dealers with other solar service providers primarily based on the amount and timing of payments for originating solar service agreements, financial ability and our suite of technology tools.

Most of our dealers are not restricted in their ability to work with our competitors and are not obligated to continue working with us. In the past, some of our dealers have chosen to work with competitors of ours or terminated their relationships with us, and dealers may reduce or terminate their work with us in the future. The departure of a significant number of our dealers for any reason, or the failure to replace departing dealers in the event of such departures, could reduce our potential origination opportunities and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. As we develop and expand our Sunnova Protect services, dealers may view us as a competitor and choose to end their relationship with us.

Additionally, dependence on any one dealer or small group of dealers further concentrates our exposure to risks related to termination of the dealer arrangement, poor service provided by such dealer, the deterioration in financial condition of the dealer and other risks inherent in such a relationship. For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, Trinity Solar, Inc. accounted for approximately 40%, 52% and 29% of our originations for such periods, respectively. Although we have recently entered into a four-year exclusivity agreement with Trinity Solar, pursuant to which Trinity Solar may only originate solar service agreements for us, there are various exceptions to this obligation. For a discussion of exclusivity arrangements with certain of our dealers, please see “ Business — Our Relationships with Our Dealers .”

If we or our dealers fail to hire and retain a sufficient number of employees and service providers in key functions, our growth and our ability to timely complete customer projects and successfully manage customer accounts would be constrained.

To support our growth, we and our dealers need to hire, train, deploy, manage and retain a substantial number of skilled employees, engineers, installers, electricians, and sales and project finance specialists.

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Competition for qualified personnel in our industry has increased substantially, particularly for skilled personnel involved in the installation of solar energy systems. We and our dealers also compete with the homebuilding and construction industries for skilled labor. These industries are cyclical and when participants in these industries seek to hire additional workers, it puts upward pressure on our and our dealers’ labor costs. Companies with whom our dealers compete to hire installers may offer compensation or incentive plans that certain installers may view as more favorable. As a result, our dealers may be unable to attract or retain qualified and skilled installation personnel. The further unionization of our industry’s labor force or the homebuilding and construction industries’ labor forces could also increase our dealers’ labor costs. Shortages of skilled labor could significantly delay a project or otherwise increase our dealers’ costs. Further, we need to continue to increase the training of our customer service team to provide high-end account management and service to homeowners before, during and following the point of installation of our solar energy systems. Identifying and recruiting qualified personnel and training them requires significant time, expense and attention. It can take several months before a new customer service team member is fully trained and productive at the standards that we have established. If we are unable to hire, develop and retain talented customer service or other personnel, we may not be able to grow our business.

We need to obtain substantial additional financing arrangements to provide working capital and growth capital, and if financing is not available to us on acceptable terms when needed, our ability to continue to grow our business would be materially adversely impacted.

Distributed residential solar power is a capital-intensive business that relies heavily on the availability of debt and equity financing sources to fund solar energy system purchase, design, engineering and other capital expenditures. From our inception to June 30, 2019, we have raised over $4.0 billion in indebtedness, tax equity and preferred equity.

Our future success depends on our ability to raise capital from third-party investors and commercial sources, such as banks and other lenders, on competitive terms to help finance the deployment of our solar energy systems. We seek to minimize our cost of capital in order to improve profitability and maintain the price competitiveness of the electricity produced by, the payments for and the cost of our solar energy systems. We rely on access to capital, including through tax equity financing and indebtedness in the form of debt facilities and asset-backed securities, to cover the costs related to bringing our solar energy and energy storage systems in service, although our customers ultimately bear responsibility for those costs pursuant to our solar service agreements.

To meet the capital needs of our growing business, we will need to obtain additional debt or equity financing from current and new investors. If any of our current debt or equity investors decide not to invest in us in the future for any reason, or decide to invest at levels that are inadequate to support our anticipated needs or materially change the terms under which they are willing to provide future financing, we will need to identify new investors and financial institutions to provide financing and negotiate new financing terms. In addition, our ability to obtain additional financing through the asset-backed securities market or other secured debt markets is subject to our having sufficient assets eligible for securitization as well as our ability to obtain appropriate credit ratings. If we are unable to raise additional capital in a timely manner, our ability to meet our capital needs and fund future growth may be limited.

Delays in obtaining financing could cause delays in expansion in existing markets or entering into new markets and hiring additional personnel. Any future delays in capital raising could similarly cause us to delay deployment of a substantial number of solar energy systems for which we have signed solar service agreements with customers. Our future ability to obtain additional financing depends on banks’ and other financing sources’ continued confidence in our business model and the renewable energy industry as a whole. It could also be impacted by the liquidity needs of such financing sources themselves. We face intense competition from a variety of other companies, technologies and financing structures for such limited investment capital. If we are unable to continue to offer a competitive investment profile, we may lose access to these funds or they may only

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be available to us on terms that are less favorable than those received by our competitors. For example, if we experience higher customer default rates than we currently experience, it could be more difficult or costly to attract future financing. Any inability to secure financing could lead us to cancel planned installations, impair our ability to accept new customers or increase our borrowing costs, any of which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to provide our solar service offerings to homeowners on an economically viable basis depends in part on our ability to finance these systems with tax equity investors that depend on particular tax and other benefits.

Historically, there have been a limited number of investors that generate sufficient profits and possess the requisite financial sophistication to benefit from the tax benefits that our tax equity vehicles provide and a lack of depth in this market may limit our ability to complete such tax equity financing. Potential investors seeking tax-advantaged financing must remain satisfied that the structures we offer qualify for the tax benefits associated with solar energy systems available to these investors, which depends both on the investors’ assessment of tax law and the absence of any unfavorable interpretations of that law. Changes in existing law and interpretations by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) and the courts could reduce the willingness of tax equity investors to invest in tax equity vehicles associated with these solar energy system investments or cause these investors to require a larger allocation of customer payments. We are not certain that this type of financing will continue to be available to us, as the legal and regulatory landscape may shift in a manner that reduces or eliminates the attractiveness of such financing opportunities. For example, a step down of Section 48(a) ITC credits is scheduled to occur from 2020 to 2023. Additionally, we may be unable to identify investors that are interested in engaging in this type of financing with us. As of June 30, 2019, we had raised four tax equity vehicles to which investors such as banks and other large financial investors have committed to invest approximately $249.5 million. The undrawn committed capital for these tax equity vehicles as of June 30, 2019 is approximately $43.0 million. We plan to continue to form new tax equity vehicles as long as existing tax law and regulations make such financing attractive. See “ Risks Related to Regulations—Our business currently depends in part on the availability of rebates, tax credits and other financial incentives. The expiration, elimination or reduction of these rebates, credits or incentives or our ability to monetize them could adversely impact our business .”

The contractual terms in certain of our tax equity vehicle documents impose conditions on our ability to draw on financing commitments from the tax equity investors, including if an event occurs that could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the tax equity vehicle or on us. The terms and conditions of our tax equity vehicles can vary and may require us to alter our products, services or product mix. If we do not satisfy such conditions due to events related to our business or a specific tax equity vehicle or developments in our industry or otherwise, and as a result we are unable to draw on existing commitments, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. In addition to our inability to draw on the investors’ commitments, we may incur financial penalties for non-performance, including delays in the installation process and interconnection to the power grid of solar energy systems and other factors. Based on the terms of the tax equity vehicle agreements, we will either reimburse a portion of the tax equity investor’s capital or pay the tax equity investor a non-performance fee.

Under the terms of certain of our tax equity vehicles, we may be required to make payments to the tax equity investors if certain tax benefits that are allocated to such tax equity investors are not realized as expected. Our financial condition may be adversely impacted if a tax equity vehicle is required to make any tax-related payments.

Our tax equity vehicles require that, prior to a date which is at least five years after the last project was placed in service, the tax equity investor receives substantially all of the non-cash value attributable to the systems; however, we receive a majority of the cash distributions. In the event the tax equity investor has tax liability as a result of its investment and the cash distributions payable to the tax equity investor are not sufficient

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to pay such tax liability, the amount of distributions payable to us will be reduced. The amounts of potential tax liability (and the potential for a reduced distribution to us) depend on the tax benefits that accrue to such investors from the tax equity vehicles’ activities and may be impacted by changes in tax law.

Additionally, we may have payment obligations to our tax equity investors under indemnity obligations contained in those financings. See “ Risks Related to Taxation—If the IRS makes a determination that the fair market value of our solar energy systems is materially lower than what we have reported in our tax equity vehicles’ tax returns, we may have to pay significant amounts to our tax equity vehicles, our tax equity investors and/or the U.S. government. Such determinations could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition ” and “ Risks Related to Taxation—If our solar energy systems either cease to be qualifying property or undergo certain changes in ownership within five years of the applicable placed in service date, we may have to pay significant amounts to our tax equity vehicles, our tax equity investors and/or the U.S. government. Such recapture could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition .”

Due to uncertainties associated with estimating the timing and amounts of cash distributions and allocations of tax benefits to such investors, we cannot determine the potential impact on our cash flows under current or future arrangements. Any significant reductions in the cash we expect to receive from these structures could adversely affect our financial condition.

We enter into securitization structures and warehouse financings that may limit our ability to access the cash of our subsidiaries and that include acceleration events that, if triggered, could adversely impact our financial condition.

Since April 2017, we have pooled and transferred eligible solar energy systems and the related asset receivables into four special purpose entities, which sold solar asset-backed and solar loan-backed notes to institutional investors, the net proceeds of which were distributed to us. We intend to monetize additional solar energy systems in the future through contributions to new special purposes entities for cash. There is a risk that the institutional investors that have purchased the notes issued by these special purpose entities will be unwilling to make further investments in our solar energy systems at attractive prices. Although the creditors of these special purpose entities have no recourse to our other assets except as expressly set forth in the terms of the notes, the special purpose entities are typically required to maintain a liquidity reserve account, a reserve account for inverter replacements as well as, in certain cases, reserve accounts to finance purchase option/withdrawal right exercises or storage system replacement for the benefit of the lenders under the applicable series of notes, each of which are funded from initial deposits or cash flows to the levels specified therein.

The securitization structures and warehouse financings include certain other features designed to protect investors. The primary feature relates to the availability and adequacy of cash flows in the pool of assets to meet contractual requirements, the insufficiency of which triggers an early repayment of the indebtedness. We refer to this as “early amortization”, which may be based on, among other things, a debt service coverage ratio falling or remaining below certain levels. In the event of an early amortization, the notes issuer would be required to repay the affected indebtedness using available collections received from the asset pool. An early amortization event would impair our liquidity and may require us to utilize other available contingent liquidity or rely on alternative funding sources, which may not be available at the time. Certain of the securitizations and warehouse financings also contain a “cash trap” feature, which requires excess cash flow to be held in an account based on, among other things, a debt service coverage ratio falling or remaining below certain levels. If the cash trap conditions are not cured within a specified period, then the cash in the cash trap account must be applied to repay the indebtedness. If the cash trap conditions are timely cured, the cash is either released back to the borrower or used to repay the indebtedness at the borrower’s option. The indentures of our securitizations also typically contain customary events of default for solar securitizations that may entitle the noteholders to take various actions, including the acceleration of amounts due and foreclosure on the issuer’s assets. Any significant payments that we may be required to make as a result of these arrangements could adversely affect our financial condition. See “ Management’s Discussion And Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations— Liquidity and Capital Resources—Financing Arrangements .”

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Servicing our existing debt requires a significant amount of cash. We may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to timely pay our interest and principal obligations and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our payment obligations.

As of March 31, 2019, our total indebtedness, including through debt facilities and asset-backed securities issued by our subsidiaries and special purpose vehicles, after giving effect to the offering and the Recapitalization Transactions, was approximately $1.0 billion and the unused borrowing capacity under our credit facilities was approximately $257.3 million. Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on or to refinance our indebtedness depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. Our business may not generate cash flow from operations sufficient to service our debt and make necessary capital expenditures to operate our business. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as slowing or ceasing the origination of new solar service agreements, selling assets, restructuring debt or obtaining additional debt and equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to timely repay or otherwise refinance our indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on our debt obligations.

Furthermore, we and our subsidiaries expect to incur additional debt in the future, subject to the restrictions contained in our debt instruments. Increases in our existing debt obligations would further heighten the debt related risk discussed above. In addition, we may not be able to enter into new debt instruments on acceptable terms or at all. If we were unable to satisfy financial covenants and other terms under existing or new instruments, or obtain waivers or forbearance from our lenders, or if we were unable to obtain refinancing or new financings for our working capital, equipment and other needs on acceptable terms if and when needed, our business would be adversely affected.

We are exposed to the credit risk of our customers.

Our customers purchase solar energy or lease solar energy systems from us pursuant to one of two types of long-term contracts: a power purchase agreement or a solar lease. The power purchase agreement and solar lease terms are typically for 25 years. In addition, under our loan agreements the customer finances the purchase of a solar energy system, and we agree to operate and maintain the solar energy system throughout the 25-year term of the agreement. Our solar service agreements require the customer to make monthly payments to us throughout the term of the contract, unless prepaid. Because we have long-term, contractual relationships with our customers, we are subject to the credit risk of our customers and screen our customers based upon their credit rating in an attempt to mitigate the risk of customer default. As of March 31, 2019, the average FICO score of our customers was 737 at the time of signing the solar service agreement. The accuracy of independent third-party information provided to the credit reporting agency cannot be verified. A FICO score purports only to be a measurement of the relative degree of risk a borrower represents to a lender, i.e., that a borrower with a higher score may be less likely to default in payment than a borrower with a lower score.

As of March 31, 2019, approximately 1.0% of our customers were in default under their solar service agreements. However, as we grow our business, the risk of customer defaults may increase as credit scores are dynamic and may deteriorate over a 25-year period. During an economic downturn, the risk of customer defaults may increase. In addition, our customers may assign their solar service agreements to other customers who have lower credit scores or we may enter into new solar service agreements in the future with customers who have lower credit scores than our current customers. In addition, future developments, including competition from other renewables, could decrease the attractiveness of our current contracts. Although our solar service agreements grant us the ability to terminate the agreement with the customer and repossess the defaulting customers’ solar energy system in certain circumstances, enforcement of these rights under the solar service agreement may be difficult, expensive and time-consuming.

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Restrictive covenants in certain of our debt agreements could limit our growth and our ability to finance our operations, fund our capital needs, respond to changing conditions and engage in other business activities that may be in our best interests.

Our debt agreements impose operating and financial restrictions on us. These restrictions limit our ability and that of our subsidiaries to, among other things:

We may be prevented from taking advantage of business opportunities that arise because of the limitations imposed on us by the restrictive covenants under certain of our debt agreements. The restrictions contained in the covenants could:

A breach of any of these covenants or our inability to comply with the required financial ratios or financial condition tests could result in a default under our debt agreements that, if not cured or waived, could result in acceleration of all indebtedness outstanding thereunder and cross-default rights under our other debt. In addition, in the event of an event of default under one of the credit facilities, the affected lenders could foreclose on the collateral securing such credit facility and require repayment of all borrowings outstanding thereunder. If the amounts outstanding under the credit facilities or any of our other indebtedness were to be accelerated, our assets may not be sufficient to repay in full the amounts owed to the lenders or to our other debt holders.

Rising interest rates may adversely impact our business.

Rising interest rates will increase our cost of capital. Our future success depends on our ability to raise capital from investors and obtain secured lending to help finance the deployment of our solar service agreements. As a result, rising interest rates may have an adverse impact on our ability to offer attractive pricing on our solar service agreements to our customers.

The majority of our cash flows to date have been from solar service agreements that have been monetized under various tax equity fund structures and secured lending arrangements. One of the components of this monetization is the present value of the payment streams from customers who enter into these long-term solar service agreements. If the rate of return required by capital providers, including debt providers, rises as a

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result of a rise in interest rates, it will reduce the present value of the customer payment stream and consequently reduce the total value derived from this type of monetization. Any measures that we could take to mitigate the impact of rising interest rates on our ability to secure third-party financing could ultimately have an adverse impact on the value proposition that we offer our customers or our profitability.

Our business has benefited from the declining cost of solar energy system components, and our business may be harmed to the extent that declines in the cost of such components stabilize or that such costs increase in the future.

Our business has benefited from the declining cost of solar energy system components and to the extent such costs stabilize or decline at a slower rate, or, in fact, increase, our future growth rate may be negatively impacted. The declining cost of solar energy system components and the raw materials necessary to manufacture them has been a key driver in the price of solar energy systems we own, the prices charged for electricity and customer adoption of solar energy. Solar energy system component and raw material prices may not continue to decline at the same rate as they have over the past several years or at all. In addition, growth in the solar industry and the resulting increase in demand for solar energy system components and the raw materials necessary to manufacture them may also put upward pressure on prices. An increase of solar energy system components and raw materials prices could slow our growth and cause our business and results of operations to suffer. Further, the cost of solar energy system components and raw materials has increased and could increase in the future due to tariff penalties, duties, the loss of or changes in economic governmental incentives or other factors. See “— Risks Related to Regulations—Increases in the cost of imported solar energy systems due to tariffs imposed by the U.S. government could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations .”

We do not directly control certain costs related to our business, which could put us at a disadvantage relative to companies who have a vertically integrated business model.

We do not have direct control over the costs our suppliers charge for the components of our solar energy systems and energy storage systems, or the costs to our dealers of installing and marketing such products. This may lead us to charge higher prices for our solar energy systems and energy storage systems than our competitors with a vertically integrated business model, causing us to be unable to maintain or increase market share.

We may be unsuccessful in introducing new service and product offerings, including our distributed energy storage services and energy storage management systems.

We intend to introduce new offerings of services and products to both new and existing customers in the future, including battery-based distributed energy storage services and energy storage management systems, home automation products and additional home technology solutions. We may be unsuccessful in significantly broadening our customer base through the addition of these services and products within our current markets or in new markets we may enter. Additionally, we may not be successful in generating substantial revenue from any additional services and products we may introduce in the future and may decline to initiate new product and service offerings.

We face competition from centralized electric utilities, retail electric providers, independent power producers and renewable energy companies.

The solar energy and renewable energy industries are both highly competitive and continually evolving as participants strive to distinguish themselves within their markets and compete with large centralized electric utilities. We believe that our primary competitors are the centralized electric utilities that supply electricity to our potential customers. We compete with these centralized electric utilities primarily based on price (cents per kWh), predictability of future prices (by providing pre-determined annual price escalations), and the ease by which customers can switch to electricity generated by our solar energy systems. If we cannot offer compelling value to our customers based on these factors, then our business may not grow.

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Centralized electric utilities generally have substantially greater financial, technical, operational and other resources than we do. As a result, these competitors may be able to devote more resources to the research, development, promotion and sale of their products or services or respond more quickly to evolving industry standards and changes in market conditions than we can. Centralized electric utilities could also offer other value-added products or services that could help them to compete with us even if the cost of electricity they offer is higher than ours. In addition, a majority of utilities’ sources of electricity is non-solar, which may allow utilities to sell electricity more cheaply than electricity generated by our solar energy systems. Centralized electric utilities could also offer customers the option of purchasing electricity obtained from renewable energy resources, including solar, which would compete with our offerings.

We also compete with retail electric providers and independent power producers that are not regulated like centralized electric utilities but that have access to the centralized utilities’ electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure pursuant to state, territorial and local pro-competition and consumer choice policies. These retail electric providers and independent power producers are able to offer customers electricity supply-only solutions that are competitive with our solar energy system options on both price and usage of renewable energy technology while avoiding the long-term agreements and physical installations that our current business model requires. This may limit our ability to acquire new customers, particularly those who wish to avoid long-term agreements or have an aesthetic or other objection to putting solar panels on their roofs.

We also compete with solar companies with vertically integrated business models, including sales, financing, engineering, manufacturing, installation, maintenance and monitoring services. If the integrated approach of our competitors is successful, it may limit our ability to originate solar energy systems. Many of our vertically integrated competitors are larger than we are. As a result, these competitors may be able to devote more resources to the research, development, promotion and sale of their products or services or respond more quickly to evolving industry standards and changes in market conditions than we can. Solar companies with vertically integrated business models could also offer other value-added products or services that could help them to compete with us.

In addition, we compete with other solar companies who sell or finance products directly to consumers, inclusive of programs like Property-Assessed Clean Energy financing programs established by local governments. For example, we face competition from solar installation businesses that seek financing from external parties or utilize competitive loan products or state and local programs.

We also compete with solar companies with business models that are similar to our own, some of which are marketed to potential customers by our dealers. Some of these competitors specialize in the distributed residential solar energy market, and some may provide energy at lower costs than we do. Some of our competitors offer or may offer similar services and products as we do, such as solar leases, power purchase agreements and direct outright sales of and consumer loan products for solar energy systems. Many of our competitors also have significant brand name recognition and have extensive knowledge of our target markets.

We also compete with solar companies that offer community solar products and utility companies that provide renewable power purchase programs. Some customers might choose to subscribe to a community solar project or renewable subscriber programs instead of installing a solar energy system on their home, which could affect our sales. Additionally, some utility companies (and some utility-like entities, such as community choice aggregators in California) have generation portfolios that are increasingly renewable in nature. In California, for example, due to recent legislation, utility companies and community choice aggregators in that state are required to have generation portfolios comprised of 60% renewable energy by 2030, and state regulators are planning for utility companies and community choice aggregators to sell 100% greenhouse gas free electricity to retail customers by 2045. As utility companies offer increasingly renewable portfolios to retail customers, those customers might be less inclined to install a solar energy system at their home, which could adversely affect our growth.

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We have historically provided our services only to residential customers and do not currently intend to expand to commercial, industrial or governmental customers. We compete with companies who sell solar energy systems and services in the commercial, industrial and government markets, in addition to the residential market, in the United States and foreign markets. There is intense competition in the residential solar energy sector in the markets in which we operate. As new entrants continue to enter into these markets, we may be unable to grow or maintain our operations and we may be unable to compete with companies that earn revenue in both the residential market and non-residential markets. Further, because we provide our services exclusively to residential customers, we have a less diverse market presence and are more exposed to potential adverse changes in the residential market than our competitors that sell solar energy systems and services in the commercial, industrial, government and utility markets.

As the solar industry grows and evolves, we will also face new competitors and technologies who are not currently in the market. Our industry is characterized by low technological barriers to entry and well-capitalized companies, including utilities and integrated energy companies, could choose to enter the market and compete with us. Our failure to adapt to changing market conditions and to compete successfully with existing or new competitors will limit our growth and will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Developments in technology or improvements in distributed solar energy generation and related technologies or components may materially adversely affect demand for our offerings.

Significant developments in technology, such as advances in distributed solar power generation, energy storage solutions such as batteries, energy storage management systems, the widespread use or adoption of fuel cells for residential or commercial properties or improvements in other forms of distributed or centralized power production may materially and adversely affect demand for our offerings and otherwise affect our business. Future technological advancements may result in reduced prices to consumers or more efficient solar energy systems than those available today, either of which may result in current customer dissatisfaction. We may not be able to adopt these new technologies as quickly as our competitors or on a cost-effective basis.

Due to the length of our solar service agreements, the solar energy system deployed on a customer’s residence may be outdated prior to the expiration of the term of the related solar service agreement, reducing the likelihood of renewal of our solar service agreement at the end of the applicable term and possibly increasing the occurrence of customers seeking to terminate or cancel their solar service agreements or defaults. If current customers become dissatisfied with the price they pay for their solar energy system under our solar service agreements relative to prices that may be available in the future or if customers become dissatisfied by the output generated by their solar energy systems relative to future system production capabilities, or both, this may lead to customers seeking to terminate or cancel their solar service agreements or higher rates of customer default and have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, recent technological advancements may impact our business in ways we do not currently anticipate. Any failure by us to adopt or have access to new or enhanced technologies or processes, or to react to changes in existing technologies, could result in product obsolescence or the loss of competitiveness of and decreased consumer interest in our solar energy services, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The value of our solar energy systems at the end of the associated term of the lease or power purchase agreement may be lower than projected, which may adversely affect our financial performance and valuation.

We depreciate the costs of our solar energy systems over their estimated useful life of 35 years. At the end of the initial term (typically 25 years) of the solar lease or power purchase agreement, customers may choose to purchase their solar energy systems, ask us to remove the system at our cost or renew their solar lease or power purchase agreement. Homeowners may choose to not renew or purchase for any reason, such as pricing, decreased energy consumption, relocation of residence, switching to a competitor product or technological

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obsolescence of the system. We are also contractually obligated to remove, store and reinstall the solar energy systems, typically for a nominal fee, if customers need to replace or repair their roofs. Furthermore, it is difficult to predict how future environmental regulations may affect the costs associated with the removal, disposal or recycling of our solar energy systems. If the residual value of the systems is less than we expect at the end of the customer contract, after giving effect to any associated removal and redeployment costs, we may be required to accelerate the recognition of all or some of the remaining unamortized costs. This could materially impair our future results of operations.

We and our dealers depend on a limited number of suppliers of solar energy system components and technologies to adequately meet demand for our solar energy systems. Due to the limited number of suppliers in our industry, the acquisition of any of these suppliers by a competitor or any shortage, delay, price change, imposition of tariffs or duties or other limitation in our or our dealers’ ability to obtain components or technologies we use could result in sales and installation delays, cancellations and loss of customers.

We rely on our dealers to install solar energy systems and energy storage systems, each of whom has direct supplier arrangements. Our dealers purchase solar panels, inverters, energy storage systems and other system components and instruments from a limited number of suppliers, approved by us, making us susceptible to quality issues, shortages and price changes. For the three months ended March 31, 2019, Hanwha Q-Cells supplied approximately 72% of our solar photovoltaic panels installed and no other supplier represented more than 10% of our solar photovoltaic panels installed. In 2018, the solar photovoltaic panel suppliers representing over 10% of our solar photovoltaic panels installed were Hanwha Q-Cells and Trina Solar Limited, who represented 52% and 22% of our solar photovoltaic panels installed, respectively. For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and for the year ended December 31, 2018, Enphase Energy, Inc. and SolarEdge accounted for more than 80% of our inverter purchases, and LG Chem Ltd. and Tesla, Inc. accounted for substantially all our battery purchases. If one or more of the suppliers that we and our dealers rely upon to meet anticipated demand ceases or reduces production due to its financial condition, acquisition by a competitor or otherwise, is unable to increase production as industry demand increases or is otherwise unable to allocate sufficient production to us and our dealers, it may be difficult to quickly identify alternative suppliers or to qualify alternative products on commercially reasonable terms and our ability and the ability of our dealers to satisfy this demand may be adversely affected. There are a limited number of suppliers of solar energy system components, instruments and technologies. While we believe there are other sources of supply for these products available, a dealer’s need to transition to a new supplier may result in additional costs and delays in originating solar service agreements and deploying our related solar energy systems or energy storage systems, which in turn may result in additional costs and delays in our acquisition of such solar service agreements and related solar energy systems or energy storage systems. These issues could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

There have also been periods of industry-wide shortages of key components and instruments, including batteries and converters, in times of rapid industry growth. The manufacturing infrastructure for some of these components has a long lead-time, requires significant capital investment and relies on the continued availability of key commodity materials, potentially resulting in an inability to meet demand for these components. The solar industry is currently experiencing rapid growth and, as a result, shortages of key components or instruments, including solar panels, may be more likely to occur, which in turn may result in price increases for such components. Even if industry-wide shortages do not occur, suppliers may decide to allocate key components or instruments with high demand or insufficient production capacity to more profitable customers, customers with long-term supply agreements or customers other than us, our dealers or other third parties from whom we may originate solar energy systems and our ability to originate solar service agreements and related solar energy systems may be reduced as a result.

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Increases in the cost of our solar energy systems due to tariffs imposed by the U.S. government could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

China is a major producer of solar cells and other solar products. Certain solar cells, modules, laminates and panels from China are subject to various U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty rates, depending on the exporter supplying the product, imposed by the United States government as a result of determinations that the United States was materially injured as a result of such imports being sold at less than fair value and subsidized by the Chinese government. While historically our dealers have purchased a number of these products from manufacturers in China, currently such purchases are immaterial and sourced from manufacturers in other jurisdictions. If these alternative sources are no longer available on competitive terms in the future, we and our dealers may seek to purchase these products from manufacturers in China. In addition, tariffs on solar cells, modules and inverters in China may put upwards pressure on prices of these products in other jurisdictions from which our dealers currently purchase equipment, which could reduce our ability to offer competitive pricing to potential customers.

The antidumping and countervailing duties discussed above are subject to annual review and may be increased or decreased. Furthermore, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, the United States Trade Representative imposed tariffs on $200 billion worth of imports from China, including inverters and certain AC modules and non-lithium-ion batteries, effective September 24, 2018. The tariffs are currently set at 10% but may be raised by the United States Trade Representative in the future. Since these tariffs impact the purchase price of the solar products, these tariffs raise the cost associated with purchasing these solar products from China and reduce the competitive pressure on providers of solar cells not subject to these tariffs.

In addition, on January 22, 2018, the President of the United States announced, effective February 7, 2018, the imposition of a global 30% ad valorem tariff, with certain qualifications and exceptions, on certain imported solar cells and modules, which steps down by five percentage points each year over the next three years and then phases out in 2022. Since such actions increase the cost of imported solar products, to the extent we or our dealers use imported solar products or domestic producers are able to raise their prices for their solar products, the overall cost of the solar energy systems will increase, which could reduce our ability to offer competitive pricing in certain markets.

We cannot predict what additional actions the United States may adopt with respect to tariffs or other trade regulations or what actions may be taken by other countries in retaliation for such measures. If additional measures are imposed or other negotiated outcomes occur, our ability or the ability of our dealers to purchase these products on competitive terms or to access specialized technologies from other countries could be further limited, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Warranties provided by the manufacturers of equipment for our assets and maintenance obligations of our dealers may be limited by the ability of a supplier and/or dealer to satisfy its warranty or performance obligations or by the expiration of applicable time or liability limits, which could reduce or void the warranty protections, or may be limited in scope or magnitude of liabilities, and thus the warranties and maintenance obligations may be inadequate to protect us.

We agree to maintain the solar energy systems and energy storage systems installed on our customers’ homes during the length of the term of our solar service agreements, which is typically 25 years. We are exposed to any liabilities arising from the systems’ failure to operate properly and are generally under an obligation to ensure that each system remains in good condition during the term of the agreement. We are the beneficiary of the panel manufacturers’ warranty coverage, typically of 10 years for material and workmanship and 25 years for performance, the inverter manufacturers’ warranty coverage, typically from 10 to 25 years and the energy storage manufacturers’ warranty coverage, typically of 10 years. Furthermore, our dealers provide warranties as to their workmanship. In the event that such warranty providers or dealers file for bankruptcy, cease operations or otherwise become unable or unwilling to fulfill their warranty or maintenance obligations, we may not be

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adequately protected by such warranties or maintenance obligations. Even if such warranty or maintenance providers or dealers fulfill their obligations, the warranty or maintenance obligations may not be sufficient to protect us against all of our losses. In addition, our warranties are of limited duration, ranging from one year, in the case of certain system and transformer warranties, to 25 years, in the case of certain panel performance warranties, after the date each equipment item is delivered or commissioned, although the useful life of our solar energy systems is 35 years. These warranties are subject to liability and other limits. If we seek warranty protection and a warranty provider is unable or unwilling to perform its warranty obligations, or if a dealer is unable or unwilling to perform its maintenance obligations, whether as a result of its financial condition or otherwise, or if the term of the warranty or maintenance obligation has expired or a liability limit has been reached, there may be a reduction or loss of protection for the affected assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our failure to accurately predict future liabilities related to material quality or performance expenses could result in unexpected volatility in our financial condition. Because of the long estimated useful life of our solar energy systems, we have been required to make assumptions and apply judgments regarding a number of factors, including our anticipated rate of warranty claims, and the durability, performance and reliability of our solar energy systems. We have made these assumptions based on the historic performance of similar systems or on accelerated life cycle testing. Our assumptions could prove to be materially different from the actual performance of our systems, causing us to incur substantial expense to repair or replace defective solar energy systems in the future or to compensate customers for systems that do not meet their performance guarantees. Equipment defects, serial defects or operational deficiencies also would reduce our revenue from solar service agreements because the customer payments under such agreements are dependent on system production or would require us to make refunds under performance guarantees. Any widespread product failures or operating deficiencies may damage our market reputation and adversely impact our financial results. For further discussion of these potential charges and related proposals, see “ Management’s Discussion And Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Components of Results of Operations .”

Our operating results and our ability to grow may fluctuate from quarter to quarter and year to year, which could make our future performance difficult to predict and could cause our operating results for a particular period to fall below expectations.

Our quarterly and annual operating results and our ability to grow are difficult to predict and may fluctuate significantly in the future. We have experienced seasonal and quarterly fluctuations in the past and expect to experience such fluctuations in the future. In addition to the other risks described in this “ Risk Factors ” section, the following factors could cause our operating results to fluctuate:

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For these or other reasons, the results of any prior quarterly or annual periods should not be relied upon as indications of our future performance.

The solar energy systems we own or may originate have a limited operating history and may not perform as we expect.

We expect that many of the solar energy systems that we currently own or that we may originate in the future will not have commenced operations, have recently commenced operations or otherwise have a limited operating history. Of the solar energy systems we owned as of December 31, 2018, 23%, 21% and 24% were placed into service in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. The ability of our solar energy systems to perform as we expect will also be subject to risks inherent in newly constructed renewable energy assets, including breakdowns and outages, latent defects, equipment that performs below our expectations, system failures and outages. As a result, our assumptions and estimates regarding the performance of these solar energy systems are, and will be, made without the benefit of a meaningful operating history, which may impair our ability to accurately assess the potential profitability of the solar energy systems and, in turn, our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

The cost of maintenance or repair of solar energy systems or energy storage systems throughout the term of the associated solar service agreement, or the removal of solar energy systems at the end of the term of the associated solar service agreement, may be higher than projected today and adversely affect our financial performance and valuation.

If we incur repair and maintenance costs on our solar energy systems or energy storage systems after the individual component warranties have expired, and if they then fail or malfunction, we will be liable for the expense of repairing these systems without a chance of recovery from our suppliers. In addition, we typically bear the cost of removing the solar energy systems at the end of the term of the solar lease or power purchase agreement if the customer does not renew his or her agreement or elect to purchase the system at the end of its term. Furthermore, it is difficult to predict how future environmental regulations may affect the costs associated with the repair, removal, disposal or recycling of our solar energy systems. This could materially impair our future operating results.

Problems with performance of our solar energy systems may cause us to incur expenses, may lower the value of our solar energy systems and may damage our market reputation and adversely affect our business.

Our long-term solar leases and loan agreements contain a performance guarantee in favor of the customer. Solar service agreements with performance guarantees require us to provide a bill credit (or in limited cases, refund money) to the customer if the solar energy system fails to generate the minimum amount of electricity, as specified in the solar service agreement, in a given term, beginning with the first three year period after execution of the solar service agreement and annually thereafter. We may also suffer financial losses associated with such credit and refunds if significant performance guarantee payments are triggered. For a description of our performance guarantee obligations, see “ Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Components of Results of Operations—Revenue. ”

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We and our dealers are subject to risks associated with installation and other contingencies.

Our dealers design and install solar energy systems and energy storage systems on our behalf. Because the solar service agreement is entered into between us and the customer, we may be liable to our customers for any damage our dealers cause to our customers’ homes, belongings or property during the installation of our solar energy systems and energy storage systems or otherwise.

For example, dealers may penetrate our customers’ roofs during the installation process, and we may incur liability for the failure to adequately weatherproof such penetrations following the completion of installation of solar energy systems. In addition, because our solar energy systems and energy storage systems are high-voltage energy systems, we may incur liability for a dealer’s failure to comply with electrical standards and manufacturer recommendations. Furthermore, prior to obtaining permission to operate our solar energy systems and energy storage systems, the systems must pass various inspections. Any delay in passing, or inability to pass, such inspections, would adversely affect our results of operations. Because our profit on a particular solar service agreement and related solar energy system and energy storage system, if applicable, is based in part on assumptions as to the ongoing cost of the related solar energy system and energy storage system, if applicable, cost overruns, delays or other execution issues may cause us to not achieve our expected results or cover our costs for that solar service agreement and related solar energy system and energy storage systems, if applicable.

Product liability claims against us or accidents could result in adverse publicity and potentially significant monetary damages.

It is possible that our solar energy systems or energy storage systems could injure our customers or other third parties, or that our systems could cause property damage as a result of product malfunctions, defects, improper installation, fire or other causes. Any product liability claim we face could be expensive to defend and may divert management’s attention. The successful assertion of product liability claims against us could result in potentially significant monetary damages, potential increases in insurance expenses, penalties or fines, subject us to adverse publicity, damage our reputation and competitive position and adversely affect sales of solar energy systems or energy storage systems. In addition, product liability claims, injuries, defects or other problems experienced by other companies in the residential solar industry could lead to unfavorable market conditions to the industry as a whole and may have an adverse effect on our ability to expand our portfolio of solar service agreements and related solar energy systems or energy storage systems, thus affecting our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Inflation could result in decreased value from future contractual payments and higher expenses for labor and equipment, which, in turn, could adversely impact our reputation, business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

Any future increase in inflation may adversely affect our costs, including our dealers’ cost of labor and equipment, and may result in a decrease in value in our future contractual payments. Many of our solar service agreements, which generally have a term of 25 years, do not contain any pricing escalators. The pricing escalators we do have may not keep pace with inflation, which would result in the agreement yielding decreased value over time. These factors could adversely impact our reputation, business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

We are not able to insure against all potential risks and we may become subject to higher insurance premiums.

We are exposed to numerous risks inherent in the operation of solar energy systems and energy storage systems, including equipment failure, manufacturing defects, natural disasters such as hurricanes, fires and earthquakes, terrorist attacks, sabotage, vandalism and environmental risks. Furthermore, components of our solar energy systems and energy storage systems, such as panels, inverters and batteries, could be damaged by

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severe weather, such as tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, hailstorms or lightning. If our solar energy systems or energy storage systems are damaged in the event of a natural disaster beyond our control, losses could be outside the scope of insurance policies or exceed insurance policy limits, and we could incur unforeseen costs that could harm our business and financial condition. We may also incur significant additional costs in taking actions in preparation for, or in reaction to, such events.

Our insurance policies also cover legal and contractual liabilities arising out of bodily injury, personal injury or property damage to third parties, and are subject to policy limits. We also maintain coverage for physical damage to our solar energy assets.

However, such policies do not cover all potential losses and coverage is not always available in the insurance market on commercially reasonable terms. In addition, we may have disagreements with our insurers on the amount of our recoverable damages and the insurance proceeds received for any loss of, or any damage to, any of our assets may be claimed by lenders under our financing arrangements or otherwise may not be sufficient to restore the loss or damage without a negative impact on our results of operations. Furthermore, the receipt of insurance proceeds may be delayed, requiring us to use cash or incur financing costs in the interim. To the extent we experience covered losses under our insurance policies, the limit of our coverage for potential losses may be decreased or the insurance rates we have to pay increased. Furthermore, the losses that are insured through commercial insurance are subject to the credit risk of those insurance companies. While we believe our commercial insurance providers are currently creditworthy, we cannot assure you that such insurance companies will remain so in the future.

We may not be able to maintain or obtain insurance of the type and amount we desire at reasonable rates. The insurance coverage we do obtain may contain large deductibles or fail to cover certain risks or all potential losses. In addition, our insurance policies are subject to annual review by our insurers and may not be renewed on similar or favorable terms, including coverage, deductibles or premiums, or at all. If a significant accident or event occurs for which we are not fully insured, or we suffer losses due to one or more of our insurance carriers defaulting on their obligations or contesting their coverage obligations, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We typically bear the risk of loss and the cost of maintenance, repair and removal on solar energy systems that are owned by our subsidiaries and included in securitization and tax equity vehicles.

We typically bear the risk of loss and are generally obligated to cover the cost of maintenance, repair and removal for any solar energy system that we sell to subsidiaries and include in securitization and tax equity vehicles. At the time we enter into a tax equity or securitization transaction, we enter into a maintenance services agreement where we agree to operate and maintain the system for a fixed fee that is calculated to cover our future expected maintenance costs. If our solar energy systems require an above-average amount of repairs or if the cost of repairing systems were higher than our estimate, we would need to perform such repairs without additional compensation. If our solar energy systems are damaged as the result of a natural disaster beyond our control, losses could exceed or be excluded from, our insurance policy limits, and we could incur unforeseen costs that could harm our business and financial condition. We may also incur significant costs for taking other actions in preparation for, or in reaction to, such events. We purchase property insurance with industry standard coverage and limits approved by an investor’s third-party insurance advisors to hedge against such risk, but such coverage may not cover our losses.

Certain of our solar energy systems are located in, and we conduct business in, Puerto Rico, and both the weakness in the fiscal health of the government and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (“PREPA”) and the damage caused by Hurricane Maria create uncertainty that may adversely impact us.

Puerto Rico is a significant market for our business, representing 14% of our solar energy systems as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 and has suffered from economic difficulties in recent years. As a result

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of the continued weakness of the Puerto Rico economy, liquidity constraints and a lack of market access, the credit ratings of the Puerto Rico government’s general obligation bonds and guaranteed bonds, as well as the ratings of most of the Puerto Rico public corporations, including PREPA, have been lowered to non-investment grade by Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch Ratings.

In September 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico, causing catastrophic damage to Puerto Rico’s infrastructure, homes and businesses, including its communication systems and transportation networks, and disrupting the markets in which we operate. Following Hurricane Maria, all of Puerto Rico was left without electrical power and other basic utility and infrastructure services (such as water, communications, ports and other transportation networks) were severely curtailed. Many of our solar energy systems located in Puerto Rico were damaged in the hurricanes. Further, Puerto Rico’s electrical grid, which is necessary to operate solar energy systems that were not paired with energy storage systems, was damaged. There was intermittent or reduced electrical grid operation during the fourth quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2018. During this period, many of our systems produced reduced levels or no power and therefore generated reduced or no revenue and cash receipts, even where solar energy systems remained functional. Although power has been restored, many residents left Puerto Rico following the storm and many are continuing to leave. In many cases, Puerto Rico residents who have abandoned their properties suspended payments to us under their solar service agreements.

Although Puerto Rico had already suffered from economic difficulties in recent years, the hurricanes caused a significant disruption to the island’s economic activity. The continued weakness of the Puerto Rico economy has strained the fiscal health of the government, which may create uncertainty that may adversely impact us. Furthermore, the future financial condition and prospects of PREPA are uncertain, which could negatively impact the availability and the reliability of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid and adversely impact our operations on the island.

While we do not currently contract directly with the Puerto Rico government or PREPA, continued weakness in the Puerto Rico economy or the failure of the Puerto Rico government to manage its fiscal challenges in an orderly manner could result in policy decisions that we do not anticipate and that may directly or indirectly adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Certain legislation in Puerto Rico, including potential tax increases, may increase our cost of conducting business in Puerto Rico and could adversely impact our business.

Puerto Rico has enacted certain measures that could increase the cost of solar energy systems. In 2015, the Puerto Rico government increased the sales and use tax on repair and maintenance services on tangible personal property that are not capital expenditures, such as the repair and maintenance of solar energy systems, from 7% to 11.5%. As of October 1, 2015, most services became subject to a 4% or 11.5% sales and use tax, as applicable, subject to limited exceptions. The tax increase may impose greater costs on our future and current customers, which may hinder our future origination efforts and adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth. Future changes in Puerto Rico tax law could affect our tax position and adversely impact our business.

We are subject to administrative proceedings instituted by the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau.

The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau has instituted administrative proceedings regarding customer complaints about our Puerto Rican operations, the operations of some of our dealers in Puerto Rico, and certain Sunnova policies and procedures relating to contract disclosures and invoice disputes in Puerto Rico. While the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau’s Notice of Non-Compliance is currently seeking changes to certain of our policies and procedures, we are unable to determine whether they will seek monetary or other penalties against us in the future. In addition, the United States Better Business Bureau is investigating our overall accreditation status due to these proceedings. We are currently listed as not accredited and are unable to determine what impact, if any, such revocation will have on our long-term business prospects.

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Our business is concentrated in certain markets, putting us at risk of region-specific disruptions.

As of March 31, 2019, approximately 29%, 26% and 14% of our solar energy systems were located in New Jersey, California, and Puerto Rico, respectively. In addition, we expect much of our near-term future growth to occur in these same markets, further concentrating our customer base and operational infrastructure. Accordingly, our business and results of operations are particularly susceptible to adverse economic, regulatory, political, weather and other conditions in such markets and in other markets that may become similarly concentrated. See “ —We are not able to insure against all potential risks and we may become subject to higher insurance premiums ” and “ —Certain of our solar energy systems are located in, and we conduct business in, Puerto Rico, and weakness in the fiscal health of the government and PREPA, the damage caused by Hurricane Maria, and the potential tax increases that may increase our cost of conducting business in Puerto Rico create uncertainty that may adversely impact us. In addition, we are subject to administrative proceedings instituted by the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau. ” Any of these conditions, even if only in one such market, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, all of our current solar energy systems are located in the United States and its territories, which makes us particularly susceptible to adverse changes in U.S. tax laws. See “ Risks Related to Taxation—Recent tax legislation and future changes in law could adversely affect our business. ” For a discussion of expenses related to Hurricane Maria and the California wildfires in October 2017 and November 2018, see “ Management’s Discussion And Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations —Components of Results of Operations— Operations and Maintenance Expense .”

Dealer and marketplace confidence in our liquidity and long-term business prospects is important for building and maintaining our business.

Our financial condition, operating results and business prospects may suffer materially if we are unable to establish and maintain confidence about our liquidity and business prospects among dealers, consumers and within our industry. Our dealer network is an integral component of our business strategy and serves as the means by which we are able to rapidly and successfully expand within existing and prospective markets. Dealers and other third parties will be less likely to enter into dealer agreements with us or originate new solar service agreements if they are uncertain that we will be able to make payments on time, that our business will succeed or that our operations will continue for many years.

Our solar energy systems and energy storage systems require ongoing maintenance and support. If we were to reduce operations, even years from now, buyers of our solar energy systems and energy storage systems from years earlier might have difficulty having us provide or arrange repairs or other services to our and their systems, which remain our responsibility under the terms of our solar service agreements. As a result, consumers may be less likely to enter into solar service agreements with us if they are uncertain that our business will succeed or that our operations will continue for many years.

Accordingly, in order to build and maintain our business, we must maintain confidence among dealers, customers and other parties in our liquidity and long-term business prospects. We may not succeed in our efforts to build this confidence.

Damage to our brand and reputation, or change or loss of use of our brand, could harm our business and results of operations.

We depend significantly on our reputation for high-quality products, excellent customer service and the brand name “Sunnova” to attract new customers and grow our business. If we fail to continue to deliver our solar energy systems or energy storage systems within the planned timelines, if our offerings do not perform as anticipated or if we damage any of our customers’ properties or delay or cancel projects, our brand and reputation could be significantly impaired. Future technological improvements may allow us to offer lower prices or offer new technology to new customers; however, technical limitations in our current solar energy systems and

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energy storage systems may prevent us from offering such lower prices or new technology to our existing customers. The inability of our current customers to benefit from technological improvements could cause our existing customers to lower the value they perceive our existing products offer and impair our brand and reputation.

In addition, given the sheer number of interactions our personnel or dealers operating on our behalf have with customers and potential customers, it is inevitable that some customers’ and potential customers’ interactions with our company or dealers operating on our behalf will be perceived as less than satisfactory. This has led to instances of customer complaints, some of which have affected our digital footprint on rating websites and social media platforms. If we cannot manage our hiring and training processes to avoid or minimize these issues to the extent possible, our reputation may be harmed and our ability to attract new customers would suffer.

In addition, if we were to no longer use, lose the right to continue to use, or if others use, the “Sunnova” brand, we could lose recognition in the marketplace among customers, suppliers and dealers, which could affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and would require financial and other investment, and management attention in new branding, which may not be as successful.

The installation and operation of solar energy systems and energy storage systems depends heavily on suitable solar and meteorological conditions. If meteorological conditions are unexpectedly unfavorable, the electricity production from our solar energy systems may be substantially below our expectations and our ability to timely deploy new systems may be adversely impacted.

The energy produced and the revenue and cash receipts generated by a solar energy system depend on suitable solar, atmospheric and weather conditions, all of which are beyond our control. Our economic model and projected returns on our systems require achievement of certain production results from our systems and, in some cases, we guarantee these results to our consumers. If the systems underperform for any reason, our business could suffer. For example, the amount of revenue we recognize in a given period from our power purchase agreements and the amount of our obligations under the performance guarantees of our solar service agreements are dependent in part on the amount of energy generated by solar energy systems under such solar service agreements. As a result, revenue derived from our standard power purchase agreements is impacted by seasonally shorter daylight hours in winter months. In addition, the ability of our dealers to install solar energy systems and energy storage systems is impacted by weather. For example, the ability to install solar energy systems and energy storage systems during the winter months in the Northeastern United States is limited. Such solar, atmospheric and weather conditions can delay the timing of when solar energy systems and energy storage systems can be installed and when we can originate and begin to generate revenue from solar energy systems. This may increase our expenses and decrease revenue and cash receipts in the relevant periods. Furthermore, prevailing weather patterns could materially change in the future, making it harder to predict the average annual amount of sunlight striking each location where we install a solar energy system and energy storage systems. This could make our solar energy systems less economical overall or make individual systems less economical. Any of these events or conditions could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The loss of one or more members of our senior management or key employees may adversely affect our ability to implement our strategy.

We depend on our experienced management team, and the loss of one or more key executives could have a negative impact on our business. In particular, we are dependent on the services of our founder and Chief Executive Officer, William J. Berger. We also depend on our ability to retain and motivate key employees and attract qualified new employees. None of our key executives are bound by employment agreements for any specific term. We may be unable to replace key members of our management team and key employees if we lose their services. Integrating new employees into our team could prove disruptive to our operations, require substantial resources and management attention and ultimately prove unsuccessful. An inability to attract and retain sufficient managerial personnel who have critical industry experience and relationships could limit or

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delay our strategic efforts, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources, divert management’s attention and affect our ability to attract and retain qualified board members and officers.

As a public company, we will be subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), the listing requirements of the NYSE and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and increase demand on our systems and resources. The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and operating results and maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. To maintain and, if required, improve our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting to meet this standard, significant resources and management oversight may be required. As a result, management’s attention may be diverted from other business concerns which could harm our business and operating results. Although we have already hired additional employees to comply with these requirements, we may need to hire more employees in the future which will increase our costs and expenses.

We also expect that being a public company will make it more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified executive officers and members of our board of directors, particularly to serve on our audit committee.

Our inability to protect our intellectual property could adversely affect our business. We may also be subject to intellectual property rights claims by third parties, which are extremely costly to defend, could require us to pay significant damages and could limit our ability to use certain technologies.

Any failure to protect our proprietary rights adequately could result in our competitors offering similar residential solar technology or energy storage services more quickly than anticipated, potentially resulting in the loss of some of our competitive advantage and a decrease in our revenue which would adversely affect our business prospects, financial condition and operating results. Our success depends, at least in part, on our ability to protect our core technology and intellectual property. We rely on intellectual property laws, primarily a combination of copyright and trade secret laws in the United States, as well as license agreements and other contractual provisions, to protect our proprietary technology and brand. We cannot be certain that our agreements and other contractual provisions will not be breached, including a breach involving the use or disclosure of our trade secrets or know-how, or that adequate remedies will be available in the event of any breach. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or lose trade secret protection.

We cannot be certain that our products and our business do not or will not violate the intellectual property rights of a third party. Third parties, including our competitors, may own patents or other intellectual property rights that cover aspects of our technology or business methods. Such parties may claim we have misappropriated, misused, violated or infringed third-party intellectual property rights, and, if we gain greater recognition in the market, we face a higher risk of being the subject of claims that we have violated others’ intellectual property rights. Any claim that we violated a third party’s intellectual property rights, whether with or without merit, could be time-consuming, expensive to settle or litigate and could divert our management’s attention and other resources, all of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. If we do not successfully settle or defend an intellectual property claim, we could be liable for significant monetary damages and could be prohibited from continuing to use certain technology, business methods, content or brands. To avoid a prohibition, we could seek a license from third parties, which could require us to pay significant royalties, increasing our operating expenses. If a license is not available at all or not available on commercially reasonable terms, we may be required to develop or license a non-violating

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alternative, either of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We currently use or plan to use software that is licensed under “open source,” “free” or other similar licenses that may subject us to liability or require us to release the source code of our proprietary software to the public.

We currently use open source software that is licensed under “open source,” “free” or other similar licenses. Open source software is made available to the general public on an “as-is” basis under the terms of a non-negotiable license. If we fail to comply with these licenses, we may be subject to certain conditions, including requirements that we offer our services that incorporate the open source software for no cost, that we make available source code for modifications or derivative works we create based upon, incorporating or using the open source software and that we license such modifications or alterations under the terms of the particular open source license. We do not plan to integrate our proprietary software with this open source software in ways that would require the release of the source code of our proprietary software to the public. However, our use and distribution of open source software may entail greater risks than use of third-party commercial software. Our authorized developers may contribute to this open source software community, but they will be prohibited from providing any proprietary process or proprietarily developed source code of ours. Open source licensors generally do not provide warranties or other contractual protections regarding infringement claims or the quality of the code. In addition, if we combine our proprietary software with open source software in a certain manner, we could, under certain open source licenses, be required to release the source code of our proprietary software to the public. This would allow our competitors to create similar offerings with lower development effort and time. We may also face claims alleging noncompliance with open source license terms or infringement or misappropriation of proprietary software.

These claims could result in litigation, require us to purchase a costly license or require us to devote additional research and development resources to change our software, any of which would have a negative effect on our business and operating results. In addition, if the license terms for open source software that we use change, we may be forced to re-engineer our technology platform or incur additional costs.

Although we monitor our use of open source software to avoid subjecting our technology platform to unintended conditions, few courts have interpreted open source licenses, and there is a risk that these licenses could be construed in a way that could impose unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our business. We cannot guarantee that we have incorporated open source software in our software in a manner that will not subject us to liability, or in a manner that is consistent with our current policies and procedures.

We may be subject to interruptions or failures in our information technology systems.

We rely on information technology systems and infrastructure to support our business. Any of these systems may be susceptible to damage or interruption due to fire, floods, power loss, telecommunication failures, usage errors by employees, computer viruses, cyberattacks or other security breaches or similar events. A compromise of our information technology systems or those with which we interact could harm our reputation and expose us to regulatory actions and claims from customers and other persons, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations. If our information systems are damaged, fail to work properly or otherwise becomes unavailable, we may incur substantial costs to repair or replace them, and we may experience a loss of critical information, customer disruption and interruptions or delays in our ability to perform essential functions.

Disruptions to our solar monitoring systems could negatively impact our revenues and increase our expenses.

Our ability to accurately charge our customers for the energy produced by our solar energy systems primarily depends on the cellular connection for the related monitoring system, which we are responsible for maintaining, functioning so that we may receive data regarding the solar energy systems’ production from their

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residences. We could incur significant expenses or disruptions of our operations in connection with failures of our solar monitoring systems, including failures of such connections, that would prevent us from accurately monitoring solar energy production. In addition, sophisticated hardware and operating system software and applications that we procure from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture, including “bugs” and other problems that could unexpectedly interfere with the operation of our solar energy systems or energy storage systems. The costs to us to eliminate or alleviate viruses and bugs, or any problems associated with failures of our cellular connections could be significant. We have in the past experienced periods where some of our cellular connections have been unavailable and, as a result, we have been forced to estimate the production of their solar energy systems. Such estimates may prove inaccurate and could cause us to underestimate the power being generated by our solar energy systems and undercharge our customers, thereby harming our results of operations.

Any unauthorized access to, or disclosure or theft of personal information we gather, store or use could harm our reputation and subject us to claims or litigation.

We receive, store and use personal information of our customers, including names, addresses, e-mail addresses, credit information, credit card and financial account information and other housing and energy use information. We also store information of our dealers, including employee, financial and operational information. We rely on the availability of data collected from our customers and our dealers in order to manage our business and market our offerings. We take certain steps in an effort to protect the security, integrity and confidentiality of the personal information we collect, store or transmit, but there is no guarantee that inadvertent or unauthorized use or disclosure will not occur or that third parties will not gain unauthorized access to this information despite our efforts. We also rely on third-party suppliers or vendors to host certain of the systems we use. Although we take precautions to provide for disaster recovery, our ability to recover systems or data may be expensive and may interfere with our normal operations. Also, although we obtain assurances from such third parties that they will use reasonable safeguards to secure their systems, we may be adversely affected by unavailability of their systems or unauthorized use or disclosure or our data maintained in such systems. Because techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or sabotage systems change frequently and generally are not identified until they are launched against a target, we, our suppliers or vendors and our dealers may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative or mitigation measures.

Cyberattacks in particular are becoming more sophisticated and include, but are not limited to, malicious software, attempts to gain unauthorized access to data and other electronic security breaches that could lead to disruptions in critical systems, disruption of our customers’ operations, loss or damage to our data delivery systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information, corruption of data, and increased costs to prevent, respond to or mitigate cybersecurity events. In addition, certain cyber incidents, such as advanced persistent threats, may remain undetected for an extended period.

Unauthorized use or disclosure of, or access to, any personal information maintained by us or on our behalf, whether through breach of our systems, breach of the systems of our suppliers, vendors or dealers by an unauthorized party or through employee or contractor error, theft or misuse, or otherwise, could harm our business. If any such unauthorized use or disclosure of, or access to, such personal information were to occur, our operations could be seriously disrupted and we could be subject to demands, claims and litigation by private parties, and investigations, related actions, and penalties by regulatory authorities.

In addition, we could incur significant costs in notifying affected persons and entities and otherwise complying with the multitude of federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the unauthorized access to, or use or disclosure of, personal information. Finally, any perceived or actual unauthorized access to, or use or disclosure of, such information could harm our reputation, substantially impair our ability to expand our portfolio of solar service agreements and related solar energy systems and energy storage systems and have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Our business is subject to complex and evolving U.S. laws and regulations regarding privacy and data protection (“data protection laws”). Many of these laws and regulations are subject to change and uncertain interpretation, and could result in claims, increased cost of operations or otherwise harm our business.

The regulatory environment surrounding data privacy and protection is constantly evolving and can be subject to significant change. New data protection laws, including recent California legislation which affords California consumers an array of new rights, including the right to be informed about what kinds of personal data companies have collected and why it was collected, pose increasingly complex compliance challenges and potentially elevate our costs. Complying with varying jurisdictional requirements could increase the costs and complexity of compliance, and violations of applicable data protection laws can result in significant penalties. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with applicable data protection laws could result in proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others, subject us to significant fines, penalties, judgments and negative publicity, require us to change our business practices, increase the costs and complexity of compliance, and adversely affect our business. As noted above, we are also subject to the possibility of security and privacy breaches, which themselves may result in a violation of these laws.

We may become involved in the future in legal proceedings that could adversely affect our business.

We may, from time to time, be involved in litigation and claims, such as those relating to employees, customers, our dealers or other third parties with whom we contract, including consumer claims and class action lawsuits. In the ordinary course of business, we have disputes with dealers and customers. In general, litigation claims or regulatory proceedings can be expensive and time consuming to bring or defend against, may result in the diversion of management attention and resources from our business and business goals and could result in injunctions or other equitable relief, settlements, penalties, fines or damages that could significantly affect our results of operations and the conduct of our business. It is impossible to predict with certainty whether any resulting liability would have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

We intend to expand our operations to include international activities, which will subject us to a number of risks.

Our long-term strategic plans include international expansion, including expansion into jurisdictions that have characteristics similar to those in which we currently operate. Risks inherent to international operations include the following:

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Doing business in foreign markets requires us to be able to respond to rapid changes in market, legal, and political conditions in these countries. The success of our business will depend, in part, on our ability to succeed in differing legal, regulatory, economic, social and political environments. We may not be able to develop and implement policies and strategies that will be effective in each location where we do business.

Our future operations may subject us to risks associated with currency fluctuations.

Our future international operations may subject us to risks relating to currency fluctuations. Foreign currencies periodically experience rapid and/or large fluctuations in value against the U.S. dollar. A weakened U.S. dollar could increase the cost of procurement of raw materials, by our suppliers, from foreign jurisdictions and operating expenses in foreign locations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Our planned international expansion further subjects us to currency risk.

Since the price at which we originate solar energy systems from our dealers is generated in U.S. dollars, we are mostly insulated from currency fluctuations. However, since suppliers of our dealers often incur a significant amount of their costs by purchasing raw materials and generating operating expenses in foreign currencies, if the value of the U.S. dollar depreciates significantly or for a prolonged period of time against these other currencies this may cause those suppliers to raise the prices they charge us and our dealers, which in turn could harm our business and results of operations. Although the value of the U.S. dollar has been high relative to other currencies in recent periods, there is no guarantee that this trend will continue.

Our actual financial results may differ materially from any guidance we may publish from time to time.

We may, from time to time, provide guidance regarding our future performance that represents our management’s estimates as of the date such guidance is provided. Any such guidance would be based upon a number of assumptions with respect to future business decisions (some of which may change) and estimates that, while presented with numerical specificity, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies (many of which are beyond our control). Guidance is necessarily speculative in nature, and it can be expected that some or all of the assumptions that inform such guidance will not materialize or will vary significantly from actual results. Our ability to meet any forward-looking guidance is impacted by a number of factors including, but not limited to, the number of our solar energy systems sold versus leased, changes in installation costs, the availability of additional financing on acceptable terms, changes in the retail prices of traditional utility-generated electricity, the availability of rebates, tax credits and other incentives, changes in policies and regulations including net metering and interconnection limits or caps, the availability of solar panels, inverters, batteries and other raw materials, as well as the other risks to our business that are described in this “Risk Factors” section. Accordingly, our guidance is only an estimate of what management

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believes is realizable as of the date such guidance is provided. Actual results may vary from such guidance and the variations may be material. Investors should also recognize that the reliability of any forecasted financial data diminishes the farther in the future that the data is forecast. In light of the foregoing, investors should not place undue reliance on our financial guidance and should carefully consider any guidance we may publish in context.

Terrorist or cyberattacks against centralized utilities could adversely affect our business.

Assets owned by utilities such as substations and related infrastructure have been physically attacked in the past and will likely be attacked in the future. These facilities are often protected by limited security measures, such as perimeter fencing. Any such attacks may result in interruption to electricity flowing on the grid and consequently interrupt service to our solar energy systems that are not combined with an energy storage system, which could adversely affect our operations. Furthermore cyberattacks, whether by individuals or nation states, against utility companies could severely disrupt their business operations and result in loss of service to customers, which would adversely affect our operations.

Risks Related to Regulations

We are not currently regulated as an electric public utility under applicable law but may be subject to regulation as an electric utility in the future.

We are not currently regulated as an electric public utility in the United States under applicable national, state or other local regulatory regimes where we conduct business. As a result, we are not currently subject to the various federal, state and local standards, restrictions and regulatory requirements applicable to centralized public utilities. Any federal, state or local regulations that cause us to be treated as an electric utility, or to otherwise be subject to a similar regulatory regime of commission-approved operating tariffs, rate limitations, and related mandatory provisions, could place significant restrictions on our ability to operate our business and execute our business plan by prohibiting, restricting or otherwise regulating our sale of electricity. If we were subject to the same state or federal regulatory authorities as centralized electric utilities in the United States and its territories or if new regulatory bodies were established to oversee our business in the United States and its territories or in foreign markets we enter, then our operating costs would materially increase or we might have to change our business in ways that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

While we are not regulated as extensively as an electric public utility, we are subject to certain utility-like regulations in New York and Puerto Rico. In New York, distributed energy providers are subject to regulation by the New York Public Service Commission (the “NYPSC”) with respect to customer interactions (including contracting and marketing) and are required to comply with the NYPSC’s Uniform Business Practices. In connection with approving the Uniform Business Practices, the NYPSC also established an oversight framework under which it could impose other regulatory requirements on distributed energy providers. In Puerto Rico, we are regulated as an electric power company under applicable Puerto Rico Energy Bureau regulations in connection with the sale and invoicing of energy generated by distributed generation systems having an aggregate capacity of more than 1 megawatt (“MW”). Among other requirements, these regulations impose certain filing, certification, reporting and annual fee requirements upon us, but do not currently subject the companies to centralized utility-like regulation or require the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau’s approval of their charges. In California, the California Public Utilities Commission (“CPUC”) issued an order approving several consumer protection measures for solar customers, including the development of a “solar information packet” that, once finalized, will provide consumers with information regarding the selection of a contractor, solar financing, bill savings estimates, net energy metering and electric rates, low-income options, and related matters. The CPUC order also requires the investor-owned utilities in California to adopt procedures to verify during the interconnection process that the customer received the information packet and that the solar provider is licensed, and to collect and report on complaints regarding solar providers. If we become subject to new, additional regulatory requirements in New York or Puerto Rico, or other jurisdictions adopt regulatory requirements similar to New York or Puerto Rico, then our operating costs would

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materially increase or we might have to change our business in ways that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Electric utility policies and regulations, including those affecting electric rates, may present regulatory and economic barriers to the purchase and use of solar energy systems that may significantly reduce demand for electricity from our solar energy systems and adversely impact our ability to originate new solar service agreements.

Federal, state and local government regulations and policies concerning the electric utility industry, utility rates and rate structures and internal policies and regulations promulgated by electric utilities, heavily influence the market for electricity generation products and services. These regulations and policies often relate to electricity pricing. Policies and regulations that promote renewable energy and distributed energy generation have been challenged by centralized electric utilities and questioned by those in government and others arguing for less governmental spending and involvement in the energy market. To the extent that such views are reflected in government policies and regulations, the changes in such policies and regulations could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In the United States, governmental authorities and state public service commissions that determine utility rates, rate structures and the terms and conditions of electric service continuously modify these regulations and policies. These regulations and policies could result in a significant reduction in the potential demand for electricity from our solar energy systems and could deter customers from entering into solar service agreements with us.

With regard to rates, customers with residential solar energy systems may currently pay or be subject in the future to increased charges due to increased rates or changes in rate design and structures. Utilities in certain jurisdictions may assess fees which apply only to customers with distributed generation systems, including residential solar energy systems or impose charges on solar customers which are significantly higher than comparable charges billed to non-solar customers.

These fees may include demand, stand-by or departing load charges or monthly minimum charges. Certain jurisdictions may permit utilities to change their rate design and structures which could result in charges that would disproportionately impact customers with solar energy systems. For example, a reduction in the number of tiers of residential rates could result in increased charges for lower-demand customers, including many solar customers, by moving them to a new rate tier with higher rates. It could also result in lower charges for higher-demand customers, who may then become less incentivized to consider solar energy to meet their electricity needs. Similarly, a change in rate design to recover more costs from fixed charges as opposed to variable charges (i.e. “decoupled” rates, by which the utility’s revenue requirement is “decoupled” from its level of electricity sales in designing rates) may have the same effect. Additionally, depending on the region, electricity generated by solar energy systems competes most effectively with the most expensive retail rates for electricity from the electrical grid, rather than the less expensive average price of electricity. Modifications to the centralized electric utilities’ peak hour pricing policies or rate design could make our current product offerings less competitive with the price of electricity from the electrical grid. A shift in the timing of peak rates for utility-generated electricity to include times of day when solar energy generation is less efficient or non-operable could make our solar energy systems less competitive and reduce demand for our product offerings. Time-of-use rates could also result in higher costs for solar customers whose electricity requirements are not fully met by the solar energy system during peak periods.

Utilities in California, New Jersey and Puerto Rico, among other states and jurisdictions, have proposed or received approval by state regulators for such rate measures as described in this risk factor. Any such changes affecting rates could increase our customers’ cost to use our solar energy systems and make our service and product offerings less desirable, thereby harming our business, financial condition and results of operations. The imposition of any such rate measures could limit the ability of distributed residential solar power companies to

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compete with the price of electricity generated by centralized electric utilities, which may reduce the number of solar energy systems installed in those jurisdictions. Additionally, any such unaccounted for increases in the fees or charges applicable to existing customer agreements may increase the cost of energy to those customers and result in an increased rate of defaults, terminations or cancellations under our solar service agreements. In addition, changes to government or internal utility regulations and policies that favor centralized electric utilities could reduce our competitiveness and cause a significant reduction in demand for our product offerings.

Any of the foregoing results could limit our ability to expand our portfolio of solar service agreements and related solar energy systems and energy storage systems, or harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on net metering and related policies to offer competitive pricing to our customers in most of our current markets, and changes to net metering policies may significantly reduce demand for electricity from residential solar energy systems.

Net metering is one of several key policies that have enabled the growth of distributed generation solar energy systems in the United States, providing significant value to customers for electricity generated by their residential solar energy systems but not directly consumed on-site. Net metering allows a homeowner to pay his or her local electric utility for power usage net of production from the solar energy system or other distributed generation source. Homeowners receive a credit for the energy that an interconnected solar energy system generates in excess of that needed by the home to offset energy purchases from the centralized utility made at times when the solar energy system is not generating sufficient energy to meet the customer’s demand. In many markets, this credit is equal to the residential retail rate for electricity and in other markets, such as Hawaii and Nevada, the rate is less than the retail rate and may be set, for example, as a percentage of the retail rate or based upon a valuation of the excess electricity. In some states and utility territories, customers are also reimbursed by the centralized electric utility for net excess generation on a periodic basis.

Net metering programs have been subject to legislative and regulatory scrutiny in some states and territories including, but not limited to, New Jersey, California, Puerto Rico and Guam. These jurisdictions, by statute, regulation, administrative order or a combination thereof, have recently adopted or are considering new restrictions and additional changes to net metering programs either on a state-wide basis or within specific utility territories. Many of these measures were introduced and supported by centralized electric utilities. These measures vary by jurisdiction and may include a reduction in the rates or value of the credits that customers are paid or receive for the power that they deliver back to the electrical grid, caps or limits on the aggregate installed capacity of generation in a state or utility territory eligible for net metering, expiration dates for and phasing out of net metering programs, replacement of net metering programs with alternative programs that may provide less compensation, and limits on the capacity size of individual distributed generation systems which can qualify for net metering. Net metering and related policies concerning distributed generation have also received attention from federal legislators and regulators.

In New Jersey, the Board of Public Utilities (“BPU”) has the option under state law of limiting participation in the retail rate net metering program if the aggregate capacity of owned and operating systems reaches 5.8% of total annual kilowatt hours (“kwH”) sold in the state. As of December 31, 2018, that threshold had not yet been reached. On September 22, 2017, the BPU opened a generic proceeding to review the state of the solar market in New Jersey and solicit input from stakeholders in the industry and convene public hearings across the state. The BPU held hearings and received public comments, but no rule or policy changes have been proposed by the BPU.

In California, the Public Utilities Commission (“CPUC”) issued an order in 2016 retaining retail-based net metering credits for residential customers of California’s major utilities as part of Net Energy Metering 2.0 (“NEM 2.0”). Under NEM 2.0, new distributed generation customers receive the retail rate for electricity exported to the grid, less certain non-bypassable charges. Customers under NEM 2.0 also are subject to

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interconnection charges and time-of-use rates. Existing customers who receive service under the prior net metering program, as well as new customers under the NEM 2.0 program, are grandfathered for a period of 20 years. It is expected that the CPUC will revisit future net metering policies again in 2019. Proceedings on distributed energy policy and utility rates before the CPUC could also result in changes that affect customers with distributed generation systems.

In Puerto Rico, legislation enacted in April 2019 would require the Public Service Regulatory Board’s Energy Bureau to undertake a study of net metering to be completed within five years and may result in revisions to the net metering rules based on the study’s findings. Meanwhile, “true” net metering will continue to apply, meaning that the credit for energy exported by net metering clients will equal the value of such energy under the rate applicable to those clients, and accordingly, their charges will be based on their net consumption. Customers subject to this regime would be grandfathered for a period of 20 years from the date of their net metering agreements.

Net metering customers may be impacted by transition charges and other requirements contemplated in the recently submitted May 3, 2019 Definitive Restructuring Support Agreement (“DRSA”) between PREPA and its creditors, which is currently pending before the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. If approved by the court and implemented as proposed, these transition charges will be assessed on all customers at a rate of 2.768 c/kWh, which is set to increase periodically until eventually reaching 4.552 c/kWh in fiscal year 2044. For customers that are grandfathered prior to the DRSA’s September 20, 2020 implementation date, the transition charge will equal the transition charge rate multiplied by the customer’s average net consumption over the previous 24 months, after accounting for a three month lag time. For non-grandfathered customers, the monthly transition charge will equal the greater of either (i) the transition charge rate multiplied by the monthly average of the customer’s gross consumption over the past 24 months or (ii) the transition charge rate multiplied by the customer’s net consumption in the given month. Non-grandfathered customers also will be required to comply with certain notice requirements, and non-grandfathered customers will also be responsible for the costs associated with installing a revenue grade meter to measure “behind the meter” generation.

In Guam, the Consolidated Commission on Utilities (“CCU”) adopted a resolution on September 25, 2018 recommending that retail rate net metering be replaced with a “buy all/sell all” or similar program that provides for compensation to homeowners at a lower, avoided cost rate. The CCU’s resolution provides for a five-year grandfathering period for current net metering customers. The CCU’s resolution is under consideration by the Guam Public Utilities Commission (“GPUC”), who has the authority to approve or reject the CCU’s recommendations. The GPUC held a public hearing in March 2019, and the matter remains pending before the GPUC.

In other jurisdictions, replacing net metering with a “value of distributed energy,” “feed-in,” or “sell-all/buy-all” tariff is also being considered or has been adopted. Under a “value of distributed energy” tariff, the customer would be compensated at a rate that accounts for the electricity, capacity, environmental, and other attributes provided by distributed generation to the grid and the electricity market. Under a “feed-in” or “sell-all/buy-all” tariff, all of the system’s generation is exported to the grid and purchased by the utility at an established rate, and the customer is required to purchase all of its electricity requirements from the utility at the retail rate. In New York, the New York Public Service Commission issued an order in March 2017 adopting a “value of distributed energy” policy, but grandfathering existing net metering customers and continuing net metering for new residential customers interconnected before January 1, 2020 for a period of 20 years. Residential customers otherwise still eligible for net metering may also elect to be compensated under a “value of distributed energy” tariff. Compensation that will be provided to those customers that opt in to a “value of solar” tariff varies and may not favorably compare to that provided by net metering.

Net metering and related policies concerning distributed generation have also received attention from federal legislators and regulators. Changes in federal law, including those made by statute, regulation, rule or order, could negatively affect net metering or other related policies which otherwise promote and support solar energy and enhance the economic viability of distributed residential solar.

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If net metering caps in certain jurisdictions are reached while they are still in effect, if the value of the credit that customers receive for net metering is significantly reduced, if net metering is discontinued or replaced by a different regime which values solar energy at a lower rate, or if other limits or restrictions on net metering are imposed, current and future customers may be unable to recognize the same level of cost savings associated with net metering. The absence of favorable net metering policies or of net metering entirely, or the imposition of new charges that only or disproportionately impact customers that use net metering would likely significantly limit customer demand for distributed residential solar energy systems and the electricity they generate and result in an increased rate of defaults, terminations or cancellations under customer agreements. Our ability to lease, finance and sell our solar energy systems and services or sell the electricity generated from our solar energy systems may be adversely impacted by the failure to expand existing limits on the amount of net metering in states that have implemented it, the failure to adopt a net metering policy where it currently is not in place or reductions in the amount or value of credit that customers receive through net metering. This could adversely impact our ability to expand our portfolio of solar service agreements and related solar energy systems, our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Additionally, distributed residential solar customers in certain jurisdictions may be subject to higher charges from centralized electric utilities than non-solar customers and such charges should be evaluated together with the net metering policies in place. If such charges are imposed, the cost savings associated with switching to solar energy may be significantly reduced and our ability to expand our portfolio of solar service agreements and related solar energy systems and compete with centralized electric utilities could be impacted.

For further discussion of these potential charges and related proposals, see “— Electric utility policies and regulations, including those affecting electric rates, may present regulatory and economic barriers to the purchase and use of solar energy systems that may significantly reduce demand for electricity from our solar energy systems and adversely impact our ability to originate new solar service agreements .”

Our business currently depends in part on the availability of rebates, tax credits and other financial incentives. The expiration, elimination or reduction of these rebates, credits or incentives or our ability to monetize them could adversely impact our business.

Our business depends in part on current government policies that promote and support solar energy and enhance the economic viability of distributed residential solar. Revenues from SRECs constituted approximately 25% and 29% of our revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and for the year ended December 31, 2018, respectively. U.S. federal, state and local governments have established various incentives and financial mechanisms to reduce the cost of solar energy and to accelerate the adoption of solar energy. These incentives come in various forms, including rebates, tax credits and other financial incentives such as payments for renewable energy credits associated with renewable energy generation, exclusion of solar energy systems from property tax assessments or other taxes and system performance payments. However, these programs may expire on a particular date, end when the allocated funding is exhausted or be reduced or terminated as solar energy adoption rates increase. The financial value of certain incentives decreases over time. The value of SRECs in a market tends to decrease over time as the supply of SREC-producing solar energy systems installed in that market increases. If we overestimate the future value of these incentives, it could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial results. See “ Business—Governmental Incentives. ”

A loss or reduction in such incentives could decrease the attractiveness of new solar energy systems to customers, which could adversely impact our business and our access to capital. We also enter into hedges related to expected production of SRECs through forward contracts that require us to physically deliver the SRECs upon settlement. These arrangements may, depending on the instruments used and the level of additional hedges involved, limit any potential upside from SREC production increases. We may be exposed to potential economic loss should a counterparty be unable or unwilling to perform their obligations under the terms of a hedging agreement. In addition, we are exposed to risks related to changes in interest rates and may engage in hedging activities to mitigate related volatility. We may fail to properly hedge these SRECs, or may fail to do so economically, which may also adversely affect our results of operations.

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The economics of purchasing a solar energy system and energy storage system are also improved by eligibility for accelerated depreciation, also known as the modified accelerated cost recovery system (“MACRS”), which allows for the depreciation of equipment according to an accelerated schedule set forth by the IRS. This accelerated schedule allows a taxpayer, such as us and investors in tax equity financing arrangements, to recognize the depreciation of tangible solar property on a five-year basis even though the useful life of such property is generally greater than five years. We benefit from accelerated depreciation on the solar energy systems and energy storage systems we own. To the extent that these policies are changed in a manner that reduces the incentives that benefit our business, we may experience reduced revenues and reduced economic returns, experience increased financing costs and encounter difficulty obtaining financing.

The federal government currently provides business investment tax credits under Section 48 and residential energy credits under Section 25D of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code.”) Section 48(a) of the Code allows taxpayers to claim an investment tax credit equal to 30% of the qualified expenditures for certain commercially owned solar energy systems that began construction before 2020 (the “Section 48(a) ITC”). The Section 48(a) ITC percentage is scheduled to decrease to 26% of the basis of a solar energy system that began construction during 2020, 22% for 2021 and 10% if construction begins after 2021 or if the solar energy system is placed into service after 2023. In June 2018, the IRS provided guidance as to when construction is considered to begin for such purposes, including a safe harbor that may apply when a taxpayer pays or incurs (or in certain cases, a contractor of the taxpayer pays or incurs) 5% or more of the costs of a system before the end of the applicable year. We would be able to claim the Section 48(a) ITC when available for solar energy systems we originate under solar lease agreements or power purchase agreements based on our ownership of the solar energy system at the time it is placed in service. Section 25D of the Code allows an individual to claim a 30% federal tax credit with respect to a residential solar energy system that is owned by the homeowner (the “Section 25D Credit”). As a result, the Section 25D Credit is claimed by customers who purchase solar energy systems. This 30% rate is currently scheduled to be reduced to 26% for systems placed in service during 2020 and to 22% for systems placed in service during 2021. This credit is scheduled to expire effective January 1, 2022. The Section 25D Credit reduces the cost of consumer ownership of solar energy systems, such as under the loan program.

The Section 48(a) ITC has been a significant driver of the financing supporting the adoption of residential solar energy systems in the United States, and the Section 25D Credit has been a significant driver of consumer demand for ownership of solar energy systems. The scheduled reduction in, or expiration of, these tax credits will likely impact the attractiveness of residential solar and could harm our business. For example, we expect the expiration of the Section 25D Credit will increase the cost of consumer ownership of solar energy systems, such as under the loan program. In addition, as we approach the scheduled decrease in the Section 48(a) ITC, delays in obtaining interconnection approval from the local utility as a result of changes to regulations, policies or interconnection process or other reasons may result in the loss of our ability to obtain the higher 30% Section 48(a) ITC for systems installed in the months and weeks approaching the end of 2019, which would be harmful to our business.

The scheduled reduction in the Section 48(a) ITC could adversely impact our financing structures that monetize a substantial portion of such Section 48(a) ITC and provide financing for our solar energy systems. To the extent we have a reduced ability to raise tax equity as a result of this reduction or an inability to continue to monetize such benefits in our financing arrangements, the rate of growth of installations of our residential solar energy systems and our ability to maintain such systems could be negatively impacted. In addition, future changes in existing law and interpretations by the IRS or the courts with respect to certain matters, including but not limited to, treatment of the Section 48(a) ITC and our financing arrangements, and the taxation of business entities including the deductibility of interest expense could affect the amount that tax equity investors are willing to invest, which could reduce our access to capital. See “ Business—Governmental Incentives. ”

In addition, the tax legislation that was signed into law on December 22, 2017, commonly known as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (the “2017 Tax Act”) contains several provisions that may significantly impact the attractiveness

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of tax benefits to tax equity investors. See “ Risks Related to Taxation—Recent tax legislation and future changes in law could adversely affect our business. ” The 2017 Tax Act reduces the highest marginal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, which causes MACRS to have less value to investors and may result in investors having less interest in Section 48(a) ITCs. The 2017 Tax Act also added a base erosion and anti-abuse tax (“BEAT”) provision that imposes a minimum tax on certain multinational corporations, and only 80% of the value of such corporation’s Section 48(a) ITCs can be applied to reduce such corporation’s BEAT liability. Beginning in 2026, no amount of Section 48(a) ITCs can be applied to offset BEAT liability. The BEAT provision generally applies to corporations that are part of a group with at least $500 million of applicable annual gross receipts and that make certain payments to related foreign persons. Accordingly, the BEAT provision could reduce the incentive for certain investors to invest in tax equity financing arrangements and could materially impact financing sources in the solar industry. Any such impact could materially and adversely affect our business.

Applicable authorities may adjust or decrease incentives from time to time or include provisions for minimum domestic content requirements or other requirements to qualify for these incentives. Reductions in, eliminations or expirations of or additional application requirements for, governmental incentives could adversely impact our results of operations and ability to compete in our industry by increasing our cost of capital, causing distributed residential solar power companies to increase the prices of their energy and solar energy systems and reducing the size of our addressable market. In addition, this would adversely impact our ability to attract investment partners and lenders and our ability to expand our portfolio of solar service agreements and related solar energy systems.

Our business depends in part on the regulatory treatment of third-party owned solar energy systems.

Our lease and PPA agreements are third-party ownership arrangements. Retail sales of electricity by third parties such as us face regulatory challenges in some states and jurisdictions, including states and jurisdictions that we intend to enter where the laws and regulatory policies have not historically embraced competition to the service provided by the vertically integrated centralized electric utility. Some of the principal challenges pertain to whether third-party owned solar energy systems qualify for the same levels of rebates or other non-tax incentives available for customer-owned solar energy systems, whether third-party owned solar energy systems are eligible at all for these incentives and whether third-party owned solar energy systems are eligible for net metering and the associated significant cost savings. Furthermore, in some states and utility territories third parties are limited in the way that they may deliver solar to their customers. In jurisdictions such as Arizona, Kentucky, North Carolina and Utah and in Los Angeles, California, laws have been interpreted to prohibit the sale of electricity pursuant to power purchase agreements, leading distributed residential solar energy system providers to use solar leases in lieu of PPAs, in addition to customer ownership. These regulatory constraints may, for example, give rise to various property tax issues. See “ Risks Related to Taxation .” Changes in law and reductions in, eliminations of or additional requirements for, benefits such as rebates, tax incentives and favorable net metering policies decrease the attractiveness of new solar energy systems to distributed residential solar power companies and the attractiveness of solar energy systems to customers, which could reduce our acquisition opportunities. Such a loss or reduction could also adversely impact our access to capital and reduce our willingness to pursue solar energy systems due to higher operating costs or lower revenues from leases and PPAs.

Technical and regulatory limitations regarding the interconnection of solar energy systems to the electrical grid may significantly reduce our ability to sell electricity from our solar energy systems in certain markets or delay interconnections and customer in-service dates, harming our growth rate and customer satisfaction.

Technical and regulatory limitations regarding the interconnection of solar energy systems to the electrical grid may curb or slow our growth in key markets. Utilities throughout the country follow different rules and regulations regarding interconnection, and regulators or utilities have or could cap or limit the amount of solar energy that can be interconnected to the grid. Our systems do not provide power to homeowners until they are interconnected to the grid.

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With regard to interconnection limits, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in promulgating the first form of small generator interconnection procedures, recommended limiting customer-sited intermittent generation resources, such as our solar energy systems, to a certain percentage of peak load on a given electrical feeder circuit. Similar limits have been adopted by many states as a de facto standard and could constrain our ability to market to customers in certain geographic areas where the concentration of solar installations exceeds this limit.

Furthermore, in certain areas, we benefit from policies that allow for expedited or simplified procedures related to connecting solar energy systems and energy storage systems to the electrical grid. We also are required to obtain interconnection permission for each solar energy system from the local utility. In many states and territories, by statute, regulations or administrative order, there are standardized procedures for interconnecting distributed residential solar energy systems and related energy storage systems to the electric utility’s local distribution system. However, approval from the local utility could be delayed as a result of a backlog of requests for interconnection, or the local utility could seek to limit the number of customer interconnections or the amount of solar energy on the grid. In some states, such as New Jersey and Massachusetts, certain utilities such as municipal utilities or electric cooperatives are exempt from certain interconnection requirements. If expedited or simplified interconnection procedures are changed or cease to be available, or if interconnection approvals from the local utility are delayed, or if the local utility seeks to limit interconnections, this could decrease the attractiveness of new solar energy systems and energy storage systems to distributed residential solar power companies, including us, and the attractiveness of solar energy systems and energy storage systems to customers. Delays in interconnections could also harm our growth rate and customer satisfaction scores. Such limitations or delays could also adversely impact our access to capital and reduce our willingness to pursue solar energy systems and energy storage systems due to higher operating costs or lower revenues from solar service agreements. Such limitations would negatively impact our business, results of operations, future growth and cash flows.

As adoption of solar distributed generation rises, along with the increased operation of utility-scale solar generation (such as in key markets including California), the amount of solar energy being contributed to the electrical grid may surpass the capacity anticipated to be needed to meet aggregate demand. Some centralized public utilities claim that in less than five years, solar generation resources may reach a level capable of producing an over-generation situation, which may require some existing solar generation resources to be curtailed to maintain operation of the electrical grid. In the event that such an over-generation situation was to occur, this could also result in a prohibition on the addition of new solar generation resources. The adverse effects of such a curtailment or prohibition without compensation could adversely impact our business, results of operations, future growth and cash flows.

We and our dealers are subject to risks associated with construction, regulatory compliance and other contingencies.

We utilize our growing dealer network to market, design, construct and install solar energy systems and energy storage systems in each of the markets in which we operate. The marketing and installation of solar energy systems and energy storage systems is subject to oversight and regulation in accordance with national, state and local laws and ordinances relating to consumer protection, building, fire and electrical codes, professional codes, safety, environmental protection, utility interconnection and metering, and related matters. We also rely on certain of our dealers and third-party contractors to obtain and maintain permits and professional licenses, including as contractors, and other authorizations from various regulatory authorities and abide by their respective conditions and requirements in many of the jurisdictions in which we operate. A failure by us to obtain necessary permits or encounter delays in obtaining or renewing such permits, or to use properly licensed dealers and third-party contractors could adversely affect our operations in those jurisdictions. Furthermore, we may become subject to similar regulatory requirements in some jurisdictions in which we operate. It is difficult and costly to track the requirements of every authority with jurisdiction over our operations and our solar energy systems. Separately, we are subject to regulations and potential liability under the Resource Conservation and

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Recovery Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act related to the disposal of wastes generated in connection with our operations. Regulatory authorities may impose new government regulations or utility policies, change existing government regulations or utility policies, may seek expansive interpretations of existing regulations or policies pertaining to our services or solar energy systems and energy storage systems or may initiate associated investigations or enforcement actions or impose penalties or reject solar energy systems and energy storage systems. Any of these factors may result in regulatory and/or civil litigation, significant additional expenses to us or our customers or cause delays in our or our dealers’ ability to originate solar service agreement or install or interconnect solar energy systems and energy storage systems or cause other harm to our business. As a result, this could cause a significant reduction in demand for our services and solar energy systems and energy storage systems or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Compliance with occupational safety and health requirements and best practices can be costly, and noncompliance with such requirements may result in potentially significant monetary penalties, operational delays and adverse publicity.

The installation and ongoing operations and maintenance of solar energy systems and energy storage systems requires individuals hired by us, our dealers or third-party contractors, potentially including our employees, to work at heights with complicated and potentially dangerous electrical systems. The evaluation and modification of buildings as part of the installation process requires these individuals to work in locations that may contain potentially dangerous levels of asbestos, lead, mold or other materials known or believed to be hazardous to human health. There is substantial risk of serious injury or death if proper safety procedures are not followed. Our operations are subject to regulation under the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSHA”), the U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”) regulations and equivalent state and local laws. Changes to OSHA or DOT requirements, or stricter interpretation or enforcement of existing laws or regulations, could result in increased costs. If we fail to comply with applicable OSHA or DOT regulations, even if no work-related serious injury or death occurs, we may be subject to civil or criminal enforcement and be required to pay substantial penalties, incur significant capital expenditures or suspend or limit operations. Because individuals hired by us or on our behalf to perform installation and ongoing operations and maintenance of our solar energy systems and energy storage systems, including our dealers and third-party contractors, are compensated on a per project basis, they are incentivized to work more quickly than installers that are compensated on an hourly basis. While we have not experienced a high level of injuries to date, this incentive structure may result in higher injury rates than others in the industry and could accordingly expose us to increased liability. Individuals hired by or on behalf of us may have workplace accidents and receive citations from OSHA regulators for alleged safety violations, resulting in fines. Any such accidents, citations, violations, injuries or failure to comply with industry best practices may subject us to adverse publicity, damage our reputation and competitive position and adversely affect our business.

A failure to comply with laws and regulations relating to interactions by us or our dealers with current or prospective residential customers could result in negative publicity, claims, investigations and litigation, and adversely affect our financial performance.

Our business substantially focuses on solar service agreements and transactions with residential customers. We and our dealers must comply with numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations that govern matters relating to interactions with residential consumers, including those pertaining to consumer protection, marketing and sales, privacy and data security, consumer financial and credit transactions, mortgages and refinancings, home improvement contracts, warranties and various means of customer solicitation. These laws and regulations are dynamic and subject to potentially differing interpretations, and various federal, state and local legislative and regulatory bodies may initiate investigations, expand current laws or regulations, or enact new laws and regulations, regarding these matters. Changes in these laws or regulations or their interpretation could dramatically affect how we and our dealers do business, acquire customers, and manage and use information collected from and about current and prospective customers and the costs associated therewith.

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We and our dealers strive to comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to interactions with residential customers. It is possible, however, that these requirements may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or the practices of us or our dealers.

Although we require our dealers to meet our consumer compliance requirements and provide regular training to help them do so, we do not control our dealers and their suppliers or their business practices. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee that they follow ethical business practices such as fair wage practices and compliance with environmental, safety and other local laws. A lack of demonstrated compliance could lead us to seek alternative dealers or suppliers, which could increase our costs and have a negative effect on our business and prospects for growth. Violation of labor or other laws by our dealers or suppliers or the divergence of a dealer or supplier’s labor or other practices from those generally accepted as ethical in the United States or other markets in which we do or intend to do business could also attract negative publicity for us and harm our business.

Violations of anti-bribery, anti-corruption and/or international trade laws to which we are subject could have a material adverse effect on our business operations, financial position, and results of operations.

We are subject to laws concerning our business operations and marketing activities in the United States and its territories where we conduct business. Further, we are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which generally prohibits companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to non-U.S. government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We currently only operate in the United States and its territories. However, in the future we may conduct business outside of the United States and operate in parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree and, in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. In addition, due to the level of regulation in our industry, our entry into new jurisdictions through internal growth or acquisitions requires substantial government contact where norms can differ from U.S. standards. Additionally, we regularly interact with domestic municipalities and municipal-owned centralized electric utilities. We will consider our interactions with these domestic governmental bodies when designing our policies and procedures and conducting training designed to facilitate compliance with domestic and international anti-bribery laws. Although we believe these policies and procedures will mitigate the risk of violations of such laws, our employees, dealers and agents may take actions in violation of our policies and anti-bribery laws. Any such violation, even if prohibited by our policies, could subject us to criminal or civil penalties or other sanctions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and reputation.

Violations of export control and/or economic sanctions laws and regulations to which we are subject could have a material adverse effect on our business operations, financial position, and results of operations.

Our products may be subject to export control regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security. We are also subject to foreign assets control and economic sanctions regulations administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which restrict or prohibit our ability to transact with certain foreign countries, individuals, and entities. We currently only operate in the United States and its territories. However, export control regulations may restrict our ability to exchange technical information with foreign manufacturers and suppliers, and economic sanctions regulations may restrict our ability to source from certain suppliers. In addition, in the future we may conduct business outside of the United States. We will consider these scenarios when designing our policies and procedures and conducting training designed to facilitate compliance with U.S. export control and economic sanctions laws and regulations. Although we believe these policies and procedures will mitigate the risk of violations of such laws, our employees, dealers and agents may take actions in violation of our policies or these laws. Any such violation, even if prohibited by our policies, could subject us to criminal or civil penalties or other sanctions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and reputation.

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Risks Related to This Offering and Our Common Stock

We do not intend to pay, and our credit facilities currently prohibit us from paying, cash dividends on our common stock and, consequently, your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment is if the price of our common stock appreciates.

We do not plan to declare dividends on shares of our common stock in the foreseeable future. Additionally, we are currently prohibited from making any cash dividends pursuant to the terms of certain of our credit facilities. Consequently, your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment in us will be if you sell your common stock at a price greater than you paid for it. There is no guarantee that the price of our common stock that will prevail in the market will ever exceed the price that you pay in this offering. Please see “ Dividend Policy .”

The market price of our common stock could be materially adversely affected by sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public markets.

Immediately following this offering, our existing stockholders will beneficially own approximately 79.7% of our common stock, or 77.3% if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full. After the expiration of the 180-day lockup with the underwriters, our executive officers, directors, and the holders of substantially all of our stock and securities convertible into our stock will be able to sell their shares in the public markets. Any such sales, or the perception that such sales might occur, could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock or could impair our ability to obtain capital through an offering of equity securities.

An active, liquid and orderly trading market for our common stock does not exist and may not develop, and the price of our common stock may be volatile and may decline in value.

Prior to this offering, our common stock was not traded on any market. An active, liquid and orderly trading market for our common stock may not develop or be maintained after this offering. Active, liquid and orderly trading markets usually result in less price volatility and more efficiency in carrying out investors’ purchase and sale orders. The market price of our common stock could vary significantly as a result of a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control. In the event of a drop in the market price of our common stock, you could lose a substantial part or all of your investment in our common stock. The initial public offering price will be negotiated between us and representatives of the underwriters, based on numerous factors which we discuss in “ Underwriting ,” and may not be indicative of the market price of our common stock after this offering. Consequently, you may not be able to sell shares of our common stock at prices equal to or greater than the price paid by you in this offering.

The market price of our common stock may also be influenced by many factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:

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If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding our common stock, our common stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock is influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of the analysts currently covering our common stock ceases coverage of us, the trading price for our common stock would be negatively impacted. If any of the analysts who cover us issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding us, our business model, our intellectual property or our common stock performance, or if our operating results fail to meet the expectations of analysts, our common stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our common stock price or trading volume to decline.

We are an “emerging growth company” and as a result of the reduced disclosure and governance requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, our common stock may be less attractive to investors.

We are an emerging growth company, and, for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may choose to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies but not to “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to have our independent registered public accounting firm audit our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We have utilized, and we plan in future filings with the SEC to continue to utilize, the modified disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies. As a result, holders of our common stock may not have access to certain information they may deem important.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can utilize the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), for complying with new or revised accounting standards. Thus, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have irrevocably elected not to avail ourselves of this exemption from new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, we will be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies.”

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We could remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest of (1) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of this offering, (2) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenue exceeds $1.07 billion, (3) the date that we become a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, which would occur if we become a seasoned issuer and the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter or (4) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three-year period.

We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our common stock price may be more volatile.

If we fail to comply with the reporting requirements under the Exchange Act or maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, it could result in late or non-compliant filings or inaccurate financial reporting and have a negative impact on the price of our common stock or our business.

Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide timely, reliable financial reporting and prevent fraud. Our accounting predecessor was not a public company and was not required to comply with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, or with the standards adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding internal controls over financial reporting. As a public company, we will be required to report our financial results on the timeline and in the form prescribed by the Exchange Act and to evaluate and report on our internal control over financial reporting. This will require management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting.

Though we will be required to disclose material changes made in our internal controls and procedures on a quarterly basis, we will not be required to make our first annual assessment of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC. Pursuant to the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting until the later of the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC or the date we are no longer an emerging growth company, which may be more than five full years following this offering. We cannot assure you that we will not in the future have material weaknesses or significant deficiencies. Material weaknesses and significant deficiencies may exist when we report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as required by reporting requirements under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, after the completion of this offering.

The process of documenting and further developing our internal controls to become compliant with Section 404 will take a significant amount of time and effort to complete and will require significant attention of management. Completing implementation of new controls, documentation of our internal control system and financial processes, remediation of control deficiencies, and management testing of internal controls will require substantial effort by us. We may experience higher than anticipated operating expenses, as well as increased independent auditor and other fees and expenses during the implementation of these changes and thereafter.

Certain of our directors have significant duties with, and spend significant time serving, entities that may compete with us in seeking business opportunities and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating time or pursuing business opportunities.

Certain of our directors, who are responsible for managing the direction of our operations and acquisition activities, hold positions of responsibility with other entities whose businesses are similar to our business. The existing positions held by these directors may give rise to fiduciary or other duties that are in

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conflict with the duties they owe to us. These directors may become aware of business opportunities that may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as to the other entities with which they are or may become affiliated. Due to these existing and potential future affiliations, they may present potential business opportunities to other entities prior to presenting them to us, which could cause additional conflicts of interest. They may also decide that certain opportunities are more appropriate for other entities with which they are affiliated, and as a result, they may elect not to present those opportunities to us. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor. For additional discussion of our directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest of which our stockholders should be aware, see “ Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions .”

Conflicts of interest could arise in the future between us, on the one hand, and any of our stockholders and its affiliates and affiliated funds and its and their current and future portfolio companies on the other hand, concerning, among other things, potential competitive business activities or business opportunities.

Conflicts of interest could arise in the future between us, on the one hand, and any of our stockholders and its affiliates and affiliated funds and its and their current and future portfolio companies, on the other hand, concerning, among other things, potential competitive business activities or business opportunities. For example, certain of our existing investors and their affiliated funds may invest in companies that operate in the traditional energy industry and solar and other renewable industries. As a result, our existing investors and their affiliates’ and affiliated funds’ current and future portfolio companies which they control may now, or in the future, directly or indirectly, compete with us for investment or business opportunities.

Our governing documents provide that our stockholders and their affiliates and affiliated funds are not restricted from owning assets or engaging in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us and will not have any duty to refrain from engaging, directly or indirectly, in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us, including those business activities or lines of business deemed to be competing with us, or doing business with any of our clients, customers or vendors. In particular, subject to the limitations of applicable law, our certificate of incorporation, among other things:

Our stockholders or their affiliates or affiliated funds may become aware, from time to time, of certain business opportunities (such as acquisition opportunities) and may direct such opportunities to other businesses in which they have invested, in which case we may not become aware of or otherwise have the ability to pursue such opportunity. Further, such businesses may choose to compete with us for these opportunities, possibly causing these opportunities to not be available to us or causing them to be more expensive for us to pursue. In addition, our stockholders or their affiliates and affiliated funds may dispose of their interests in energy infrastructure or other renewable companies or other assets in the future, without any obligation to offer us the opportunity to purchase any of those assets. As a result, our renouncing our interest and expectancy in any business opportunity that may be from time to time presented to any of our stockholders or their affiliates and affiliated funds could adversely impact our business or prospects if attractive business opportunities are procured by such parties for their own benefit rather than for ours.

In any of these matters, the interests of our existing stockholders and their affiliates and affiliated funds may differ or conflict with the interests of our other shareholders. Any actual or perceived conflicts of interest with respect to the foregoing could have an adverse impact on the trading price of our common stock.

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Control of our common stock by current stockholders is expected to remain significant.

Currently, our key stockholders directly and indirectly beneficially own a majority of our outstanding common stock, and they will continue to own a substantial amount of our outstanding common stock following this offering. As a result, these affiliates have the ability to exercise significant influence over matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election and removal of directors, amendments to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and the approval of any business combination. This concentration of ownership may also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of our company or discouraging others from making tender offers for our shares, which could prevent our stockholders from receiving an offer premium for their shares. Please see “ Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Stockholders Agreement.”

So long as the key stockholders continue to control a significant amount of our common stock, they will continue to be able to strongly influence all matters requiring stockholder approval, regardless of whether or not other stockholders believe that a potential transaction is in their own best interests. In any of these matters, the interests of the key stockholders may differ or conflict with the interests of our other stockholders. In addition, certain of the keys stockholders may, from time to time, acquire interests in businesses that directly or indirectly compete with our business, as well as businesses that are significant existing or potential customers. Certain of the key stockholders and may acquire or seek to acquire assets that we seek to acquire and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us or may be more expensive for us to pursue. Moreover, this concentration of stock ownership may also adversely affect the trading price of our common stock to the extent investors perceive a disadvantage in owning stock of a company with controlling stockholders.

Provisions of our charter documents and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our common stock.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws that will become effective immediately prior to or contemporaneously with the completion of this offering will authorize our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval and, relatedly, may have the effect of delaying or preventing an acquisition of us or a merger in which we are not the surviving company and may otherwise prevent or slow changes in our board of directors and management. In addition, some provisions of our certificate of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws and stockholders’ agreement could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the change of control would be beneficial to our stockholders, including:

These provisions could discourage an acquisition of us or other change in control transactions and thereby negatively affect the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for our common stock. See “ Anti-Takeover Provisions ” to read about a description of capital stock takeover defenses.

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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that will become effective immediately prior to or contemporaneously with the completion of this offering designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and, to the extent enforceable, the federal district courts of the United States of America as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents.

Our amended and restated certificate of organization that will become effective immediately prior to or contemporaneously with the completion of this offering will provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our or our stockholders’ behalf, (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our current or former directors, officers, employees, agents and stockholders to us or our stockholders, (3) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws, (4) any action as to which the Delaware General Corporation Law confers jurisdiction to the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, or (5) any other action asserting a claim that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware. Our new amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, subject to and contingent upon a final adjudication in the State of Delaware of the enforceability of such exclusive forum provision.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring an interest in any shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. These choice-of-forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that he, she or it believes to be favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors. For example, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware recently determined that a provision stating that U.S. federal district courts are the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act is not enforceable.

Future sales of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could reduce our stock price, and any additional capital raised by us through the sale of equity or convertible securities may dilute your ownership in us.

We may raise additional capital through the issuance of equity or debt in the future. In that event, the ownership of our existing stockholders would be diluted, and the value of the stockholders’ equity in common stock could be reduced. If we raise more equity capital from the sale of common stock, institutional or other investors may negotiate terms more favorable than the current prices of our common stock. If we issue debt securities, the holders of the debt would have a claim to our assets that would be prior to the rights of stockholders until the debt is paid. Interest on these debt securities would increase costs and could negatively impact operating results.

In accordance with Delaware law and the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that will become effective immediately prior to or contemporaneously with the completion of this offering, we may issue preferred stock that ranks senior in right of dividends, liquidation or voting to our

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common stock. The issuance by us of such preferred stock may (i) reduce or eliminate the amount of cash available for payment of dividends to our holders of common stock, (ii) diminish the relative voting strength of the total shares of common stock outstanding as a class, or (iii) subordinate the claims of our holders of common stock to our assets in the event of our liquidation.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that will become effective immediately prior to or contemporaneously with the completion of this offering does not provide stockholders the pre-emptive right to buy shares from us. As a result, stockholders will not have the automatic ability to avoid dilution in their percentage ownership of us.

In connection with this offering, we intend to file a registration statement with the SEC on Form S-8 providing for the registration of shares of our common stock issued or reserved for issuance under our equity incentive plan. Subject to the satisfaction of vesting conditions and the expiration of lock-up agreements, shares registered under the registration statement on Form S-8 will be available for resale immediately in the public market without restriction.

We cannot predict the size of future issuances of our common stock or securities convertible into common stock or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of shares of our common stock will have on the market price of our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock (including shares issued in connection with an acquisition), or the perception that such sales could occur, may adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock.

The underwriters of this offering may waive or release parties to the lock-up agreements entered into in connection with this offering, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock.

We, Energy Capital Partners and its affiliates, certain other investors and each of our directors and executive officers have entered into lock-up agreements with respect to their common stock, pursuant to which they are subject to certain resale restrictions for a period of 180 days following the date of this prospectus. The underwriters, at any time and without notice, may release all or any portion of the common stock subject to the foregoing lock-up agreements. If the restrictions under the lock-up agreements are waived, then common stock will be available for sale into the public markets, which could cause the market price of our common stock to decline and impair our ability to raise capital.

Investors in this offering will experience immediate and substantial dilution of $8.62 per share.

Based on an assumed initial public offering price of $17.00 per share of common stock (the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover of this prospectus), purchasers of our common stock in this offering will experience an immediate and substantial dilution of $8.62 per share in the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of common stock from the initial public offering price, and our as further adjusted net tangible book value as of March 31, 2019 after giving effect to this offering and the Recapitalization Transactions, would be $8.38 per share. This dilution is due in large part to earlier investors having paid substantially less than the initial public offering price when they purchased their shares. See “ Dilution ” for additional information.

We will have broad discretion to determine how to use the funds raised in this offering. We may use them in ways that may not enhance our operating results or the price of our common stock.

We estimate we will receive net proceeds of $276.8 million from this offering, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. Our management will have broad discretion over the use of proceeds that we receive from this offering, and we could spend the proceeds from this offering in ways our stockholders may not agree with or that do not yield a favorable return, if at all. Our use of these proceeds may differ substantially from our current plans, as described under “Use of Proceeds.” If we do not invest or apply the proceeds of this offering in ways that improve our operating results, we may fail to achieve expected results of operations, which could cause our common stock price to decline.

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The NYSE does not require publicly listed companies like us to immediately comply with certain of its corporate governance requirements.

Our common stock has been approved for listing on the NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance. We will rely on the phase-in rules of the SEC and the NYSE with respect to the independence of our nomination and corporate governance, compensation and audit committees. These rules permit us to have an audit committee that has one member that is independent by the date that our common stock first trades on the NYSE, a majority of members that are independent within 90 days of the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and all members that are independent within one year of the effective date. Similarly, the rules permit us to have nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees that have one member that is independent by the date that our common stock first trades on the NYSE, a majority of members that are independent within 90 days of the listing date and all members that are independent within one year of the listing date. Additionally, we have 12 months from the date of listing to satisfy the requirement that a majority of the board of directors be independent. Accordingly, you may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE.

Risks Related to Taxation

In addition to reading the following risk factors, if any shareholder is a non-U.S. investor, see “ Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders of Our Common Stock ” for a more complete discussion of certain expected U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning and disposing of our common stock.

Our ability to use net operating loss carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards to offset future income taxes is subject to limitation, and the amount of such carryforwards may be subject to challenge or reduction.

As of December 31, 2018, we had approximately $656.2 million of U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards (“NOL”), a portion of which will begin to expire in 2032, and approximately $226.4 million of U.S. federal tax credit carryforwards, which begin to expire in 2033. Utilization of our NOLs and tax credit carryforwards depends on many factors, including our future income, which cannot be assured. In addition, Section 382 of the Code generally imposes an annual limitation on the amount of NOLs that may be used to offset taxable income by a corporation that has undergone an “ownership change” (as determined under Section 382). An ownership change generally occurs if one or more stockholders (or groups of stockholders) that are each deemed to own at least 5% of our stock increase their ownership percentage by more than 50 percentage points over their lowest ownership percentage during a rolling three-year period. Similar rules under Section 383 of the Code impose an annual limitation on the amount of tax credit carryforwards, including carryforwards of Section 48(a) ITCs, that may be used to offset U.S. federal income taxes.

We have experienced an ownership change under Sections 382 and 383 of the Code in the past. We do not expect to experience such an ownership change as a result of this offering, but this offering may contribute to a later ownership change when combined with any subsequent transactions. Thus, our ability to utilize NOLs and tax credit carryforwards existing at the time of this offering may be subject to limitation under Sections 382 and 383 of the Code. The application of such limitations may cause U.S. federal income taxes to be paid by us earlier than they otherwise would be paid if such limitations were not in effect and could cause such NOLs and tax credit carryforwards to expire unused, in each case reducing or eliminating the benefit of such NOLs and tax credit carryforwards. To the extent we are not able to offset our future taxable income with our NOLs or offset future taxes with our tax credits carryforwards, this would adversely affect our operating results and cash flows if we have taxable income in the future. These same risks can arise in the context of state income and franchise tax given that many states conform to federal law and rely on federal authority for determining state NOLs.

Furthermore, the IRS or other tax authorities could successfully challenge one or more tax positions we take, such as the classification of assets under the income tax depreciation rules, the characterization of expenses

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for income tax purposes, the extent to which sales, use or goods and services tax applies to operations in a particular state or the availability of property tax exemptions with respect to our solar energy systems, which could reduce the NOLs we generate and/or are able to use.

Our tax positions are subject to challenge by the relevant tax authority.

Our federal and state tax positions may be challenged by the relevant tax authority. The process and costs, including potential penalties for nonpayment of disputed amounts, of contesting such challenges, administratively or judicially, regardless of the merits, could be material. Future tax audits or challenges by tax authorities to our tax positions may result in a material increase in our estimated future income tax or other tax liabilities, which would negatively impact our financial condition.

For example, many of our solar energy systems are located in states or territories that exempt such assets from state, territorial and local sales and property taxes. We believe that these systems are and should continue to be exempt from certain state, territorial and local sales and property taxes; however, some of our solar energy systems are located in certain jurisdictions where the applicability of these exemptions to solar energy systems is the subject of ongoing litigation and possible legislative change, or else the jurisdiction’s law is uncertain regarding the effect on property and sales tax exemptions of certain complex business reorganizations undergone by us and our subsidiaries. As such, some tax authorities could challenge the availability of these exemptions. If our solar energy systems are determined to be subject to state, territorial or local sales or property taxes, it could negatively impact our financial condition.

Recent tax legislation and future changes in law could adversely affect our business.

The 2017 Tax Act significantly changed the Code, including the taxation of U.S. corporations, by, among other things, reducing the U.S. corporate income tax rate, accelerating the expensing of certain capital expenditures, adopting elements of a territorial tax system, and introducing certain anti-base erosion provisions. Further, the 2017 Tax Act generally (i) limits our annual deductions for interest expense to no more than 30% of our “adjusted taxable income” (plus 100% of our business interest income) for the year, and (ii) permits us to offset only 80% (rather than 100%) of our taxable income with any NOLs we generate after 2017 with an indefinite carryforward.

The 2017 Tax Act is unclear in certain respects and will require interpretations and implementing regulations by the IRS, and the legislation could be subject to potential amendments and technical corrections, any of which could lessen or increase certain adverse impacts of the legislation. As states elect to conform (or else have rolling conformity) to the Code, such interpretations, regulations, amendments, and corrections (including those promulgated by state authorities) could likewise affect our state income and franchise tax obligations. Any of the foregoing changes arising from the 2017 Tax Act, as well as other changes in law not mentioned herein, could adversely impact our business. Furthermore, any future changes in law could affect our tax position and adversely impact our business.

If the IRS makes a determination that the fair market value of our solar energy systems is materially lower than what we have reported in our tax equity vehicles’ tax returns, we may have to pay significant amounts to our tax equity vehicles, our tax equity investors and/or the U.S. government. Such determinations could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

The basis of our solar energy systems that we report in our tax equity vehicles’ tax returns to claim the Section 48(a) ITC is based on the appraised fair market value of our solar energy systems. Scrutiny by the IRS continues with respect to fair market value determinations industry-wide. We are not aware of any audits or results of audits related to our appraisals or fair market value determinations of any of our tax equity vehicles. If as part of an examination the IRS were to review the fair market value that we used to establish our basis for claiming Section 48(a) ITCs and determine that the Section 48(a) ITCs previously claimed should be reduced, we

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would owe certain of our tax equity vehicles or our tax equity investors an amount equal to 30% of the investor’s share of the difference between the fair market value used to establish our basis for claiming Section 48(a) ITCs and the adjusted fair market value determined by the IRS, plus any costs and expenses associated with a challenge to that fair market value, plus a gross up to pay for additional taxes. We could also be subject to tax liabilities, including interest and penalties, based on our share of claimed Section 48(a) ITCs. To date, we have not been required to make such payments under any of our tax equity vehicles. We have obtained insurance coverage with respect to certain losses that may be incurred should the Section 48(a) ITCs previously claimed with respect to our tax equity vehicles be reduced. Any such losses could be outside the scope of these insurance policies or exceed insurance policy limits, and we could incur unforeseen costs that could harm our business and financial condition.

If our solar energy systems either cease to be qualifying property or undergo certain changes in ownership within five years of the applicable placed in service date, we may have to pay significant amounts to our tax equity vehicles, our tax equity investors and/or the U.S. government. Such recapture could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

The Section 48(a) ITCs are subject to recapture under the Code if a solar energy system either ceases to be qualifying property or undergoes certain changes in ownership within five years of its placed in service date. The amount of Section 48(a) ITCs subject to recapture decreases by 20% of the claimed amount on each anniversary of a solar energy system’s placed in service date. If such a recapture event were to occur, we could owe certain of our tax equity vehicles or our tax equity investors an amount equal to such vehicles’ or investors’ share of the Section 48(a) ITCs that were recaptured. We could also be subject to tax liabilities, including interest and penalties, based on our share of recaptured Section 48(a) ITCs. To date, none of the Section 48(a) ITCs claimed with respect to our solar energy systems have been recaptured. Any such recapture could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

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