+ Learn More About Meghan Nutting's Clean Energy Journey

Promoting Policy, Diversity, for a Clean Energy Future

Of her recent accomplishments, one of the things Meghan Nutting is most proud of is her advocacy on behalf of solar workers after the COVID-19 outbreak. She sought to ensure they were classified as essential workers so that they kept their jobs and could continue to work—in safe conditions.

Also of significant import is her work in Puerto Rico. After Hurricanes Irma and Maria hit the island, she helped secure an executive order that eliminated the year-long solar interconnection timelines and cut red tape for energy storage (battery) installations. Since then, Sunnova has installed more than 10,000 storage systems, paired with solar, to ensure those Puerto Rican homeowners never again have to deal with a power outage.

“The work there is critical,” says Nutting. “After Hurricane Maria, people were without electricity for more than eight months. People were trying to send their kids to school, trying to work, trying to care for their families without air conditioning or a means of cooking. Once the area had recovered from the hurricanes, we began requiring that our solar customers in Puerto Rico have batteries because the power goes out so often. Now, we sometimes get calls from people who say, ‘All the electricity is out in my neighborhood, but I’m fine. I’m watching TV and charging my phone, and we can keep our food cold.’

“So, it’s personal—I feel passionate about deploying solar and batteries there. And it was crucial that we be able to keep working during the pandemic and offering that resilience to people, especially as hurricane season approached last year.”

Nutting has also made impacts outside the corporate realm. She worked as a legislative director for New York State Assembly member Linda Rosenthal and as a press secretary for former U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe. She has held policy positions at the World Bank and the British Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as well as at environmental organizations. In 2018, Nutting ran for the Colorado House of Representatives. She was the only woman and the only Spanish-speaking candidate. She came in just behind the frontrunner—a qualified success that she credits in part to her network of women colleagues, who stepped up to donate, volunteer, make calls, and help with fundraisers. “Women in in the solar industry are amazing,” she says.

As the only woman in the Sunnova C-suite for many years, Nutting is focused on promoting the company’s diversity. “This industry—solar and clean energy—is crucial to humanity, and it can’t be successful if it depends on only half the population and their skills. We need to pull from across the gender spectrum, and we need diverse voices from various parts of this country and other countries.”

Nutting formed Women in Solar Energy (WISE) and is now part of Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energies (WRISE). Within her own company, she established the Sunnova Women’s Leadership Network to give female employees access to more professional development and mentorship opportunities.