Item 1A. Risk Factors
Investing in our securities involves risks. Before you make a decision to buy our securities, you should carefully consider the following risk factors in addition to the other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including matters addressed in the section titled “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” As well as our audited financial statements and notes thereto. If any of the risks discussed herein actually occur, it may materially harm our business, operations, financial condition or prospects. As a result, the market price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. These risk factors are not exhaustive, and investors are encouraged to perform their own investigation with respect to Altus and its business, operations, financial condition and prospects. Altus may face additional risks and uncertainties that are not presently known to it, or that it currently deems immaterial, which may also impair Altus’s business, operations, financial condition or prospects.
Summary of Risks Related to Altus’s Business
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in the section titled "Risk Factors," which represent challenges that we face in connection with the successful implementation of our strategy and growth of our business. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in that section, alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations. These risk factors include, but are not limited to, the following:
•Our growth strategy depends on the widespread adoption of solar power technology;
•If we cannot compete successfully against other solar and energy companies, we may not be successful in developing our operations and our business may suffer;
•With respect to providing electricity on a price-competitive basis, solar systems face competition from traditional regulated electric utilities, from less-regulated third party energy service providers and from new renewable energy companies;
•A material reduction in the retail price of traditional utility-generated electricity or electricity from other sources could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects;
•Due to the limited number of suppliers in our industry, the acquisition of any of these suppliers by a competitor or any shortage, delay, quality issue, price change, or other limitations in our ability to obtain components or technologies we use could result in adverse effects;
•Although our business has benefited from the declining cost of solar panels in the past, our financial results may be harmed now that the cost of solar panels has increased, and our costs overall may continue to increase due to increases in the cost of solar panels and tariffs on imported solar panels imposed by the U.S. government;
•Our market is characterized by rapid technological change, which requires us to continue to develop new products and product innovations. Any delays in such development could adversely affect market adoption of our products and our financial results;
•Developments in alternative technologies may materially adversely affect demand for our offerings;
•The operation and maintenance of our facilities are subject to many operational risks, the consequences of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects;
•Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could suffer if we do not proceed with projects under development or are unable to complete the construction of, or capital improvements to, facilities on schedule or within budget; and
•We face risks related to project siting, financing, construction, permitting, governmental approvals and the negotiation of project development agreements that may impede our development and operating activities.
Business and Operational Risks
Our growth strategy depends on the widespread adoption of solar power technology.
The market for solar power products is emerging and rapidly evolving, and our future success is uncertain. If solar power technology proves unsuitable for widespread commercial deployment or if demand for solar power products fails to develop sufficiently, we would be unable to generate enough revenues to achieve and sustain profitability and positive cash flow. The factors influencing the widespread adoption of solar power technology include but are not limited to:
•cost-effectiveness of solar power technologies as compared with conventional and non-solar alternative energy technologies;
•performance and reliability of solar power products as compared with conventional and non-solar alternative energy products;
•continued deregulation of the electric power industry and broader energy industry;
•fluctuations in economic and market conditions which impact the viability of conventional and non-solar alternative energy sources, such as increases or decreases in the prices of oil and other fossil fuels; and
•availability of governmental subsidies and incentives.
If we cannot compete successfully against other solar and energy companies, we may not be successful in developing our operations and our business may suffer.
The solar and energy industries are characterized by intense competition and rapid technological advances, both in the U.S. and internationally. We compete with solar companies with business models that are similar to ours. In addition, we compete with solar companies in the downstream value chain of solar energy. For example, we face competition from purely finance driven organizations that acquire customers and then subcontract out the installation of solar energy systems, from installation businesses that seek financing from external parties, from large construction companies and utilities, and increasingly from sophisticated electrical and roofing companies. Some of these competitors may provide energy at lower costs than we do. Further, some competitors are integrating vertically in order to ensure supply and to control costs. Many of our competitors also have significant brand name recognition and have extensive knowledge of our target markets. If we are unable to compete in the market, there will be an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
With respect to providing electricity on a price-competitive basis, solar systems face competition from traditional regulated electric utilities, from less- regulated third party energy service providers and from new 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 traditional utilities. We believe that our primary competitors are the traditional utilities that supply electricity to our potential customers. Traditional 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 respond more quickly to evolving industry standards and changes in market conditions than we can. Traditional 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 that of 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.
We also compete with companies that are not regulated like traditional utilities, but that have access to the traditional utility electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure pursuant to state and local pro-competitive and consumer choice policies. These energy service companies 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 fund-financed business model requires. This may limit our ability to attract new customers, particularly those who wish to avoid long-term contracts or have an aesthetic or other objection to putting solar panels on their roofs.
As the solar industry grows and evolves, we will also face new competitors who are not currently in the market. Low technological barriers to entry characterize our industry and well-capitalized 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 and prospects.
A material reduction in the retail price of traditional utility-generated electricity or electricity from other sources could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We believe that a significant number of our customers decide to buy solar energy because they want to pay less for electricity than what is offered by the traditional utilities. However, distributed C&I solar energy has yet to achieve broad market adoption as evidenced by the fact that distributed solar has penetrated less than 5% of its total addressable market in the U.S. C&I sector.
The customer’s decision to choose solar energy may also be affected by the cost of other renewable energy sources. Decreases in the retail prices of electricity from the traditional utilities or from other renewable energy sources would harm our ability to offer competitive pricing and could harm our business. The price of electricity from traditional utilities could decrease as a result of:
•construction of a significant number of new power generation plants, including plants utilizing natural gas, nuclear, coal, renewable energy or other generation technologies;
•relief of transmission constraints that enable local centers to generate energy less expensively;
•reductions in the price of natural gas;
•utility rate adjustment and customer class cost reallocation;
•energy conservation technologies and public initiatives to reduce electricity consumption;
•development of new or lower-cost energy storage technologies that have the ability to reduce a customer’s average cost of electricity by shifting load to off-peak times; or
•development of new energy generation technologies that provide less expensive energy
A reduction in utility electricity prices would make the purchase or the lease of our solar energy systems less economically attractive. If the retail price of energy available from traditional utilities were to decrease due to any of these reasons, or other reasons, we would be at a competitive disadvantage, we may be unable to attract new customers and our growth would be limited.
Due to the limited number of suppliers in our industry, the acquisition of any of these suppliers by a competitor or any shortage, delay, quality issue, price change, or other limitations in our ability to obtain components or technologies we use could result in adverse effects.
While we purchase our products from several different suppliers, if one or more of the suppliers that we rely upon to meet anticipated demand ceases or reduces production due to its financial condition, acquisition by a competitor, delays in receipt of component parts, or otherwise is unable to increase production as industry demand increases or is otherwise unable to allocate sufficient production to us, it may be difficult to quickly identify alternate suppliers or to qualify alternative products on commercially reasonable terms, and our ability to satisfy this demand may be adversely affected. At times, suppliers may have issues with the quality of their products, which may not be realized until the product has been installed at a customer site. This may result in additional cost incurred. There are a limited number of suppliers of solar energy system components and technologies. While we believe there are other sources of supply for these products available, transitioning to a new supplier may result in additional costs and delays in acquiring our solar products and deploying our systems. These issues could harm our business or financial performance. In addition, the acquisition of a component supplier or technology provider by one of our competitors could limit our access to such components or technologies and require significant redesigns of our solar energy systems or installation procedures, slow our growth, cause our financial results and operational metrics to suffer, and have a negative impact on our business.
There have also been periods of industry-wide shortages of key components, including solar panels, in times of industry disruption. 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 frequently experiencing significant disruption and, as a result, shortages of key components, 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 with high demand or insufficient production capacity to more profitable customers, customers with long-term supply agreements or customers other than us and our supply of such components may be reduced as a result. The supply of components from various locales is also uncertain due to COVID-19 that has resulted in travel restrictions, backlog in shipping and trucking, and shutdowns of businesses in various regions. We have accommodated such delays by pushing out our delivery dates in our timelines.
We purchase the components for our solar energy systems on both an as-needed basis as well as under long-term supply agreements. The vast majority of our purchases are denominated in U.S. dollars. Since our revenue is also generated in U.S.
dollars we are mostly insulated from currency fluctuations. However, since our suppliers 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 our suppliers to raise the prices they charge us, which could harm our financial results. Since we purchase most of the solar PV panels we use from China, we are particularly exposed to exchange rate risk from increases in the value of the Chinese Renminbi.
On December 23, 2021, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act was passed, responding to human rights abuses and forced labor practices in the Xinjian Uyghur Autonomous Region of China (the “Xinjian Region”). It establishes a rebuttable presumption that the importation of any goods, wares, articles, and merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Region, or produced by certain entities, is prohibited by Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and that such goods, wares, articles, and merchandise are not entitled to entry to the United States. Approximately 50% of the global supply of polysilicon, an essential material in conventional solar modules, is from the Xinjian Region, which has caused some delays in the receipt of polysilicon, affecting the solar module supply chain. The presumption applies unless the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection determines that the importer of record has complied with specified conditions and, by clear and convincing evidence, that the goods, wares, articles, or merchandise were not produced using forced labor. We are mitigating the effects of this new legislation by procuring products only from those countries and regions that have proper documentation as reviewed and approved by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Any additional supply shortages, delays, quality issues, price changes or other limitations in our ability to obtain components we use, including due to COVID-19 and as a result of the Russia invasion of Ukraine, could limit our growth, cause cancellations or adversely affect our profitability, result in loss of market share and damage to our brand, and cause our financial results and operational metrics to suffer.
Although our business has benefited from the declining cost of solar panels in the past, our financial results may be harmed now that the cost of solar panels has increased, and our costs overall may continue to increase in the future, due to increases in the cost of solar panels and tariffs on imported solar panels imposed by the U.S. government.
The declining cost of solar panels and the raw materials necessary to manufacture them in the past has been a key driver in the pricing of our solar energy systems and customer adoption of this form of renewable energy. With the increase of solar panel and raw materials prices and because our costs overall may continue to increase, our growth could slow, and our financial results could suffer. Further, the cost of solar panels and raw materials could increase in the future due to tariffs, lingering issues of COVID, the Russia invasion of Ukraine, or other factors.
On February 4, 2022, the U.S. government imposed a protective tariff on solar panel components. The U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”) released the following terms of the tariff:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Year 1 | | Year 2 | | Year 3 | | Year 4 |
| Safeguard Tariff on Panels and Cells | 15% | | 15% | | 15% | | 15% |
| Cells Exempted from Tariff | 5 gigawatts | | 5 gigawatts | | 5 gigawatts | | 5 gigawatts |
As indicated in the terms, the tariff will not apply to the first 5 gigawatts of solar cells imported in each of the four years. In addition, the tariff will not apply to bi-facial panels. Panels imported from China and Taiwan previously were subject to tariffs from a 2012 solar trade case. The current tariff applies to all countries. As a result of the protective tariffs, and if additional tariffs are imposed or other disruptions to the supply chain occur, our ability to purchase these products on competitive terms or to access specialized technologies from other countries could be limited. Any of those events could harm our financial results by requiring us to account for the cost of tariffs or to purchase solar panels or other system components from alternative, higher-priced sources.
On February 8 2022, Auxin Solar, a U.S. module manufacturer petitioned the U.S. Department of Commerce to investigate whether crystalline silicon PV (CSPV) cells and modules assembled in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia are circumventing US anti-dumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) orders on cells and modules from China, which places a 100% to 250% tariff on such modules. If the U.S. Department of Commerce decides to grant the petition, this may lead to such tariffs being imposed imports from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia as well, which would have an adverse impact on our ability to source modules from those countries.
Our market is characterized by rapid technological change, which requires us to continue to develop new products and product innovations. Any delays in such development could adversely affect market adoption of our products and our financial results.
Continuing technological changes in battery and other EV technologies could adversely affect adoption of current EV charging technology and/or our products. Our future success will depend upon our ability to develop and introduce a variety of new capabilities and innovations to our existing product offerings, as well as introduce a variety of new product offerings, to
address the changing needs of the EV charging market. As new products are introduced, gross margins have historically tended to decline until the products become more mature, with a more efficient manufacturing process. As EV technologies change, we may need to upgrade or adapt our charging station technology and introduce new products and services in order to serve vehicles that have the latest technology, in particular battery cell technology, which could involve substantial costs. Even if we are able to keep pace with changes in technology and develop new products and services, our research and development expenses could increase, our gross margins could be adversely affected in some periods and our prior products could become obsolete more quickly than expected.
We may not be able to release new products in a timely manner, or at all, and such new products may not achieve market acceptance. Delays in delivering new products that meet customer requirements could damage our relationships with customers and lead them to seek alternative providers. Delays in introducing products and innovations or the failure to offer innovative products or services at competitive prices may cause existing and potential customers to purchase our competitors’ products or services.
If we are unable to devote adequate resources to develop products or cannot otherwise successfully develop products or services that meet customer requirements on a timely basis or that remain competitive with technological alternatives, our products and services could lose market share, our revenue will decline, we may experience higher operating losses and our business and prospects will be adversely affected.
Developments in alternative technologies may materially adversely affect demand for our offerings.
Significant developments in alternative technologies, such as advances in other forms of distributed solar power generation, storage solutions such as batteries, the widespread use or adoption of fuel cells for residential or commercial properties or improvements in other forms of centralized power production may materially and adversely affect our business and prospects in ways we do not currently anticipate. Any failure by us to adopt new or enhanced technologies or processes, or to react to changes in existing technologies, could materially delay deployment of our solar energy systems, which could result in product obsolescence, the loss of competitiveness of our systems, decreased revenue and a loss of market share to competitors.
The operation and maintenance of our facilities are subject to many operational risks, the consequences of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
The operation, maintenance, refurbishment, construction and expansion of our facilities involve risks, including breakdown or failure of equipment or processes, fuel interruption and performance below expected levels of output or efficiency. Some of our facilities were constructed many years ago and may require significant capital expenditures to maintain peak efficiency or to maintain operations. There can be no assurance that our maintenance program will be able to detect potential failures in our facilities before they occur or eliminate all adverse consequences in the event of failure. In addition, weather- related interference, work stoppages and other unforeseen problems may disrupt the operation and maintenance of our facilities and may materially adversely affect us.
We have entered into ongoing maintenance and service agreements with the manufacturers of certain critical equipment. If a manufacturer is unable or unwilling to provide satisfactory maintenance or warranty support, we may have to enter into alternative arrangements with other providers. These arrangements could be more expensive to us than our current arrangements and this increased expense could have a material adverse effect on our business. If we are unable to enter into satisfactory alternative arrangements, our inability to access technical expertise or parts could have a material adverse effect on us.
While we maintain an inventory of, or otherwise make arrangements to obtain, spare parts to replace critical equipment and maintain insurance for property damage to protect against certain operating risks, these protections may not be adequate to cover lost revenues or increased expenses and penalties that could result if we were unable to operate our generation facilities at a level necessary to comply with sales contracts.
Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could suffer if we do not proceed with projects under development or are unable to complete the construction of, or capital improvements to, facilities on schedule or within budget.
Our ability to proceed with projects under development and to complete the construction of, or capital improvements to, facilities on schedule and within budget may be adversely affected by escalating costs for materials and labor and regulatory compliance, inability to obtain or renew necessary licenses, rights-of-way, permits or other approvals on acceptable terms or on schedule, disputes involving contractors, labor organizations, land owners, governmental entities, environmental groups, Native American and aboriginal groups, lessors, joint venture partners and other third parties, negative publicity, interconnection issues and other factors. If any development project or construction or capital improvement project is not completed, is delayed or is subject to cost overruns, certain associated costs may not be approved for recovery or otherwise be recoverable through regulatory mechanisms that may be available, and we could become obligated to make delay or termination payments or become obligated for other damages under contracts, could experience the loss of tax credits or tax incentives, or delayed or diminished returns, and could be required to write off all or a portion of its investment in the project. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We face risks related to project siting, financing, construction, permitting, governmental approvals and the negotiation of project development agreements that may impede their development and operating activities.
We own, develop, construct, manage and operate electric-generation facilities. A key component of our growth is our ability to construct and operate generation facilities to meet customer needs. As part of these operations, we must periodically apply for licenses and permits from various local, state, and federal regulatory authorities and abide by their respective conditions. Should we be unsuccessful in obtaining necessary licenses or permits on acceptable terms or resolving third-party challenges to such licenses or permits, should there be a delay in obtaining or renewing necessary licenses or permits or should regulatory authorities initiate any associated investigations or enforcement actions or impose related penalties or disallowances on us, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially adversely affected. Any failure to negotiate successful project development agreements for new facilities with third parties could have similar results.
Our business is subject to risks associated with construction, such as cost overruns and delays, and other contingencies that may arise in the course of completing installations such as union requirements, and such risks may increase in the future as we expand the scope of such services with other parties.
We do not typically install charging stations at customer sites. These installations are typically performed by our partners or electrical contractors with an existing relationship with the customer and/or knowledge of the site. The installation of charging stations at a particular site is generally subject to oversight and regulation in accordance with state and local laws and ordinances relating to building codes, safety, environmental protection and related matters, and typically requires various local and other governmental approvals and permits that may vary by jurisdiction. In addition, building codes, accessibility requirements or regulations may hinder EV charger installation because they end up costing the developer or installer more in order to meet the code requirements. Meaningful delays or cost overruns may impact our recognition of revenue in certain cases and/or impact customer relationships, either of which could impact our business. In addition, if any of our partners or electrical contractors are unable to provide timely, thorough and quality installation-related services, customers could fall behind their construction schedules leading to liability to us or cause customers to become dissatisfied with the solutions we offer.
We may not be able to effectively manage our growth.
Our future growth, if any, may cause a significant strain on our management and our operational, financial, and other resources. Our ability to manage our growth effectively will require us to implement and improve our operational, financial, and management systems and to expand, train, manage, and motivate our employees. These demands will require the hiring of additional management personnel and the development of additional expertise by management. Any increase in resources used without a corresponding increase in our operational, financial, and management systems could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We may not realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions, and integration of these acquisitions may disrupt our business and management.
We have in the past, and in the future we may, acquire companies, project pipelines, products or technologies or enter into joint ventures or other strategic initiatives. We may not realize the anticipated benefits of these acquisitions, and any acquisition has numerous risks. These risks include the following:
•difficulty in assimilating the operations and personnel of the acquired company;
•difficulty in effectively integrating the acquired technologies or products with our current technologies;
•difficulty in maintaining controls, procedures and policies during the transition and integration;
•disruption of our ongoing business and distraction of our management and employees from other opportunities and challenges due to integration issues;
•difficulty integrating the acquired company’s accounting, management information, and other administrative systems;
•inability to retain key technical and managerial personnel of the acquired business;
•inability to retain key customers, vendors, and other business partners of the acquired business;
•inability to achieve the financial and strategic goals for the acquired and combined businesses;
•incurring acquisition-related costs or amortization costs for acquired intangible assets that could impact our operating results;
•potential failure of the due diligence processes to identify significant issues with product quality, intellectual property infringement, and other legal and financial liabilities, among other things;
•potential inability to assert that internal controls over financial reporting are effective; and
•potential inability to obtain, or obtain in a timely manner, approvals from governmental authorities, which could delay or prevent such acquisitions.
Acquisitions of companies, businesses and assets are inherently risky and, if we do not complete the integration of these acquisitions successfully and in a timely manner, we may not realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisitions to the extent anticipated, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Our business is concentrated in certain markets, putting us at risk of region-specific disruptions.
As of December 31, 2021, a majority of our solar facilities were in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Minnesota and California. We expect our near-term future growth to occur in states such as Maryland, New York, California, and Hawaii, and to further expand 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.
Our growth depends in part on the success of our relationships with third parties.
A key component of our growth strategy is to develop or expand our relationships with third parties. For example, we are investing resources in establishing strategic relationships with market players across a variety of industries, including large retailers, to generate new customers. These programs may not roll out as quickly as planned or produce the results we anticipated. A significant portion of our business depends on attracting and retaining new and existing solar partners. Negotiating relationships with our solar partners, investing in due diligence efforts with potential solar partners, training such third parties and contractors, and monitoring them for compliance with our standards require significant time and resources and may present greater risks and challenges than expanding a direct sales or installation team. If we are unsuccessful in establishing or maintaining our relationships with these third parties, our ability to grow our business and address our market opportunity could be impaired. Even if we are able to establish and maintain these relationships, we may not be able to execute on our goal of leveraging these relationships to meaningfully expand our business, brand recognition and customer base. This would limit our growth potential and our opportunities to generate significant additional revenue or cash flows.
Our relationship with CBRE is new and developing and may not result in profitable long-term contracts with their referred clients.
Our relationship with CBRE is new and developing. The Company expects some development opportunities to come from referrals from CBRE and Blackstone. Our success depends on profitable long-term contracts with any referred clients. We cannot assure you that new contracts and clients for our technologies, products and services will develop or that our existing market will grow. If a significant number of referred clients elect not to use our services or purchase our products, it could materially adversely affect our financial condition, business and results of operations.
The principal benefits expected to result from referrals from CBRE and Blackstone may not be fully achieved. Challenges we may face in this regard include, but are not limited to: (i) estimating the capital, personnel and equipment required for proper integration; (ii) minimizing potential adverse effects on existing business relationships; (iii) enhancing the technology platform; and (iv) successfully developing and marketing the Company’s products and services. Any difficulties we may experience in connection with referrals obtained could delay or prevent us from realizing expected benefits and enhancing our business, and our business, financial condition and results of operation could be materially and adversely impacted.
We have incurred operating losses before income taxes and may be unable to achieve or sustain profitability in the future.
We have incurred operating losses before income taxes in the past and may continue to incur operating losses as we increase our spending to finance the expansion of our operations, expand our installation, engineering, administrative, sales and marketing staffs, increase spending on our brand awareness and other sales and marketing initiatives, make significant investments to drive future growth in our business and implement internal systems and infrastructure to support our growth. We do not know whether our revenue will grow rapidly enough to absorb these costs and our limited operating history makes it difficult to assess the extent of these expenses or their impact on our results of operations. Our ability to sustain profitability depends on a number of factors, including but not limited to:
•mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business;
•growing our customer base;
•maintaining or lowering our cost of capital;
•reducing the cost of components for our solar service offerings;
•growing and maintaining our channel partner network;
•maintaining high levels of product quality, performance, and customer satisfaction;
•successfully integrating acquired businesses;
•growing our direct-to-consumer business to scale;
•reducing our operating costs by lowering our customer acquisition costs and optimizing our design and installation processes;
•permitting and interconnection delays; and
•supply chain logistics, such as accepting late deliveries.
We may be unable to achieve positive cash flows from operations in the future.
We are not currently regulated as an electric utility under applicable law in the jurisdictions in which we operate, but we may be subject to regulation as an electric utility in the future.
Most federal, state and municipal laws do not currently regulate us as an electric utility in the jurisdictions in which we operate, such as FERC rules for small power production and cogeneration facilities. As a result, we are not subject to the various regulatory requirements applicable to U.S. utilities. However, any federal, state, local or other applicable regulations could place significant restrictions on our ability to operate our business and execute our business plan by prohibiting or otherwise restricting our sale of electricity. These regulatory requirements could include restricting the structuring of our sale of electricity, as well as regulating the price of our solar service offerings. For example, Florida law does not permit a third-party solar developer to make retail sales of electricity to others. If we become subject to the same regulatory authorities as utilities in other states or if new regulatory bodies are established to oversee our business, our operating costs could materially increase.
Failure to hire and retain a sufficient number of employees and service providers in key functions would constrain our growth and our ability to timely complete customers’ projects and successfully manage customer accounts.
To support our growth, we need to hire, train, deploy, manage and retain a substantial number of skilled employees, engineers, installers, electricians, sales and project finance specialists. Competition for qualified personnel in our industry is increasing, particularly for skilled personnel involved in the installation of solar energy systems. We have in the past been, and may in the future be, unable to attract or retain qualified and skilled installation personnel or installation companies to be our solar partners, which would have an adverse effect on our business. We and our solar partners also compete with the homebuilding and construction industries for skilled labor. As these industries grow and seek to hire additional workers, our cost of labor may increase. The unionization of the industry’s labor force could also increase our labor costs. Shortages of skilled labor could significantly delay a project or otherwise increase our costs. Because our profit on a particular installation is based in part on assumptions as to the cost of such project, cost overruns, delays or other execution issues may cause us to not achieve our expected margins or cover our costs for that project. In addition, because we are headquartered in Connecticut, we compete for a limited pool of technical and engineering resources that requires us to pay wages that are competitive with relatively high regional standards for employees in these fields. Further, we need to continue to expand upon the training of our customer service team to provide high-end account management and service to customers 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 technical and customer service personnel, we may not be able to realize the expected benefits of this investment or grow our business.
In addition, to support the growth and success of our direct-to-consumer channel, we need to recruit, retain and motivate a large number of sales personnel on a continuing basis. We compete with many other companies for qualified sales personnel, and it could take many months before a new salesperson is fully trained on our solar service offerings. If we are unable to hire, develop and retain qualified sales personnel or if they are unable to achieve desired productivity levels, we may not be able to compete effectively.
If we or our solar partners cannot meet our hiring, retention and efficiency goals, we may be unable to complete customers’ projects on time or manage customer accounts in an acceptable manner or at all. Any significant failures in this regard would materially impair our growth, reputation, business and financial results. If we are required to pay higher compensation than we anticipate, these greater expenses may also adversely impact our financial results and the growth of our business.
Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially adversely affected by work strikes or stoppages and increasing personnel costs.
Employee strikes or work stoppages could disrupt operations and lead to a loss of revenue and customers. Personnel costs may also increase due to inflationary or competitive pressures on payroll and benefits costs. These consequences could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
If we are unable to retain and recruit qualified technicians and advisors, or if our boards of directors, key executives, key employees or consultants discontinue their employment or consulting relationship with us, it may delay our development efforts or otherwise harm our business.
We may not be able to attract or retain qualified management or technical personnel in the future due to the intense competition for qualified personnel among solar, energy, and other businesses. Our industry has experienced a high rate of turnover of management personnel in recent years. If we are not able to attract, retain, and motivate necessary personnel to accomplish our business objectives, we may experience constraints that will significantly impede the successful development of any product candidates, our ability to raise additional capital, and our ability to implement our overall business strategy.
We are highly dependent on members of our management and technical staff. Our success also depends on our ability to continue to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled junior, mid-level, and senior managers as well as junior, mid-level, and senior technical personnel. The loss of any of our executive officers, key employees, or consultants and our inability to find suitable replacements could potentially harm our business, financial condition, and prospects. We may be unable to attract and retain personnel on acceptable terms given the competition among solar and energy companies. Certain of our current officers, directors, and/or consultants hereafter appointed may from time to time serve as officers, directors, scientific advisors, and/or consultants of other solar and energy companies. We do not maintain “key man” insurance policies on any of our officers or employees. Other than certain members of our senior management team, all of our employees are employed “at will” and, therefore, each employee may leave our employment and join a competitor at any time.
We plan to grant stock options, restricted stock grants, restricted stock unit grants, or other forms of equity awards in the future as a method of attracting and retaining employees, motivating performance, and aligning the interests of employees with those of our shareholders. If we are unable to implement and maintain equity compensation arrangements that provide sufficient incentives, we may be unable to retain our existing employees and attract additional qualified candidates. If we are unable to retain our existing employees and attract additional qualified candidates, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected. Currently the exercise prices of all outstanding stock options are greater than the current stock price.
As of December 31, 2021, we had 44 full-time employees and no part-time employees. We may be unable to implement and maintain an attractive incentive compensation structure in order to attract and retain the right talent. These actions could lead to disruptions in our business, reduced employee morale and productivity, increased attrition, and problems with retaining existing and recruiting future employees.
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.
We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the listing requirements of the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations has increased our legal and financial compliance costs, made some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and increased 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 results of operations and maintain effective disclosure controls, procedures, and internal controls over financial reporting. Maintaining our disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with this standard requires significant resources and management oversight. As a result, management’s attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could harm our business and results of operations. We will need to hire more employees in the future, which will increase our costs and expenses.
Our management has limited experience in operating a public company.
Our executive officers have limited experience in the management of a publicly traded company subject to significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under federal securities laws. Our management team may not successfully or effectively manage our transition to a public company. Their limited experience in dealing with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies could be a significant disadvantage in that it is likely that an increasing amount of their time may be devoted to these activities which will result in less time being devoted to our management and growth. We may not have adequate personnel with the appropriate level of knowledge, experience and training in the accounting policies, practices or internal controls over financial reporting required of public companies in the United States. It is possible that will be required to expand its employee base and hire additional employees to support our operations as a public company, which will increase its operating costs in future periods.
We may be materially adversely affected by negative publicity.
Our business involves transactions with customers. We and our solar partners must comply with numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations that govern matters relating to our interactions with customers, including those pertaining to privacy and data security and warranties. These laws and regulations are dynamic and subject to potentially differing interpretations, and various federal, state and local legislative and regulatory bodies may 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 do business, acquire customers, and manage and use information we collect from and about current and prospective customers and the costs associated therewith. We strive to comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to our 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 our practices. Noncompliance with any such laws or regulations, or the perception that we or our solar partners have violated such laws or regulations or engaged in deceptive practices that could result in a violation, could also expose us to claims, proceedings, litigation and investigations by private parties and regulatory authorities, as well as substantial fines and negative publicity, each of which may materially and adversely affect our business. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, significant expenses to comply with such laws and regulations, and increased regulation of matters relating to our business could require us to modify our operations and incur significant additional expenses, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Any investigations, actions, adoption or amendment of regulations relating to the marketing of our products to residential consumers of our community solar programs could divert management’s attention from our business, require us to modify our operations and incur significant additional expenses, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations or could reduce the number of our potential customers.
We cannot ensure that our sales professionals and other personnel will always comply with our standard practices and policies, as well as applicable laws and regulations. In any of the numerous interactions between our sales professionals or other personnel and our customers or potential customers, our sales professionals or other personnel may, without our knowledge and despite our efforts to effectively train them and enforce compliance, engage in conduct that is or may be prohibited under our standard practices and policies and applicable laws and regulations. Any such non-compliance, or the perception of non-compliance, has exposed us to claims and could expose us to additional claims, proceedings, litigation, investigations, or enforcement actions by private parties or regulatory authorities, as well as substantial fines and negative publicity, each of which may materially and adversely affect our business and reputation. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, significant expenses to comply with the laws, regulations and industry standards that apply to us.
Problems with product quality or performance may cause us to incur warranty expenses, damage our market reputation and prevent us from maintaining or increasing our market share.
Customers who enter into customer agreements with us sometimes are covered by production guarantees and roof penetration warranties. As the owners of the solar energy systems, we or our investment funds receive a warranty from the inverter and solar panel manufacturers, and, for those solar energy systems that we do not install directly, we receive workmanship and material warranties as well as roof penetration warranties from our solar partners. One or more of our third-party manufacturers or solar partners could cease operations and no longer honor these warranties, leaving us to fulfill these potential obligations to customers, or such warranties may be limited in scope and amount, and may be inadequate to protect us. We also provide a performance guarantee with certain solar service offerings pursuant to which we compensate customers on an annual basis if their system does not meet the electricity production guarantees set forth in their agreement with us. Customers who enter into customer agreements with us that are covered by production guarantees, typically have such guarantees equal to the length of the term of these agreements, typically 20 or 25 years. We may suffer financial losses associated if significant performance guarantee payments are triggered.
Because of our limited operating history and the length of the term of our customer agreements, we have been required to make assumptions and apply judgments regarding a number of factors, including the durability, performance and reliability of our solar energy systems. 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 production guarantees. Product failures or operational deficiencies also would reduce our revenue from power purchase or lease agreements because they are dependent on system production. Any widespread product failures or operating deficiencies may damage our market reputation and adversely impact our financial results.
Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects can be materially adversely affected by weather conditions, including, but not limited to, the impact of severe weather.
Weather conditions directly influence the demand for electricity and natural gas and other fuels and affect the price of energy and energy-related commodities. In addition, severe weather and natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, icing events and earthquakes, can be destructive and cause power outages and property damage, reduce revenue, affect the availability of fuel and water, and require us to incur additional costs, for example, to restore service and repair damaged
facilities, to obtain replacement power and to access available financing sources. Furthermore, our physical plants could be placed at greater risk of damage should changes in the global climate produce unusual variations in temperature and weather patterns, resulting in more intense, frequent and extreme weather events, and abnormal levels of precipitation. A disruption or failure of electric generation, or storage systems in the event of a hurricane, tornado or other severe weather event, or otherwise, could prevent us from operating our business in the normal course and could result in any of the adverse consequences described above. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Where cost recovery is available, recovery of costs to restore service and repair damaged facilities is or may be subject to regulatory approval, and any determination by the regulator not to permit timely and full recovery of the costs incurred could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Changes in weather can also affect the production of electricity at power generation facilities.
Our results of operations may fluctuate from quarter to quarter, which could make our future performance difficult to predict and could cause our results of operations for a particular period to fall below expectations, resulting in a decline in the price of our common stock.
Our quarterly results of operations are difficult to predict and may fluctuate significantly in the future. We have experienced seasonal and quarterly fluctuations in the past and expect these fluctuations to continue. However, given that we are operating in a rapidly changing industry, those fluctuations may be masked by our recent growth rates and thus may not be readily apparent from our historical results of operations. As such, our past quarterly results of operations may not be good indicators of likely future performance.In addition to the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, as well as the factors discussed in the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” section in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the following factors, among others, could cause our results of operations and key performance indicators to fluctuate:
•the expiration, reduction or initiation of any governmental tax rebates, tax exemptions, or incentive;
•significant fluctuations in customer demand for our solar service offerings or fluctuations in the geographic concentration of installations of solar energy systems;
•changes in financial markets, which could restrict our ability to access available and cost-effective financing sources;
•seasonal, environmental or weather conditions that impact sales, energy production, and system installation;
•the amount and timing of operating expenses related to the maintenance and expansion of our business, operations and infrastructure;
•announcements by us or our competitors of new products or services, significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures;
•capital-raising activities or commitments;
•changes in our pricing policies or terms or those of our competitors, including utilities;
•changes in regulatory policy related to solar energy generation;
•the loss of one or more key partners or the failure of key partners to perform as anticipated;
•our failure to successfully integrate acquired solar facilities;
•actual or anticipated developments in our competitors’ businesses or the competitive landscape;
•actual or anticipated changes in our growth rate;
•general economic, industry and market conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and
•changes to our cancellation rate.
In the past, we have experienced seasonal fluctuations in installations in certain states, particularly in the fourth quarter. This has been the result of weather-related installation delays. Our actual revenue or key operating metrics in one or more future quarters may fall short of the expectations of investors and financial analysts. If that occurs, the market price of our common stock could decline and stockholders could lose part or all of their investment.
Our results of operations have been and will continue to be adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the duration and extent to which it will impact our results of operations remains uncertain.
A significant outbreak of epidemic, pandemic, or contagious diseases in the human population, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the broader economies, financial and capital markets, commodity and energy prices, and overall demand environment for our products. A global health crisis could affect, and has affected, our workforce, customers and vendors, as well as economies and financial markets globally, potentially leading to an economic downturn, which could decrease spending, adversely affecting the demand for our products.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, federal, state, local, and foreign governments put in place, and in the future may again put in place, travel restrictions, quarantines, “stay at home” orders and guidelines, and similar government orders and restrictions, in an attempt to control the spread of the disease. Such restrictions or orders resulted in, and in the future may result in, business closures, work stoppages, slowdowns and delays, among other effects that negatively impacted, and in the future may negatively impact, our operations, as well as the operations of our customers and business partners. Such results have had and will continue to have a material adverse effect on our business, operations, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Although we have continued to operate consistent with federal guidelines and state and local orders, the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our business, operations, financial results and financial condition will depend on numerous evolving factors which are uncertain and cannot be predicted, including:
•the duration and scope of the pandemic and associated disruptions;
•a general slowdown in our industry;
•governmental, business and individuals’ actions taken in response to the pandemic;
•the effect on our customers and our customers’ demand for our products and installations;
•the effect on our suppliers and disruptions to the global supply chain;
•delays in the approval of permit and interconnection applications by utilities and municipalities;
•our ability to sell and provide our products and provide installations, including disruptions as a result of travel restrictions and people working from home;
•the ability of our customers to pay for our products;
•delays in our projects due to closures of jobsites or cancellation of jobs; and
•any closures of our and our suppliers’ and customers’ facilities.
In addition, COVID-19 has caused disruptions to the supply chain across the global economy, including within the solar industry, and we are working with our equipment suppliers to minimize disruptions to our operations. Certain suppliers have experienced, and may continue to experience, delays and increased costs related to a variety of factors, including logistical delays and component shortages from upstream vendors. We have developed contingency plans and continue to monitor the situation closely and work closely with our solar partners and suppliers to reinforce our contingency plans for potential operations and supply chain interruptions.
These effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have led us to experience, and continue to experience, disruptions to our business as we implement safety protocols and modifications to travel. We are closely monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, continually assessing its potential effects on our business. The extent to which our results are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic will largely depend on future developments, which cannot be accurately predicted and are uncertain, but the COVID-19 pandemic has had and will continue to have an adverse effect on our business, operations, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
In addition, while we believe we have taken appropriate steps to maintain a safe workplace to protect our employees from contracting and spreading the coronavirus, including following the guidance set out from both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we may not be able to completely prevent the spread of the virus among our employees. We may face litigation or other proceedings making claims related to unsafe working conditions, inadequate protection of our employees or other claims. Any of these claims, even if without merit, could result in costly litigation or divert management’s attention and resources.
Furthermore, we may face a sustained disruption to our operations due to one or more of the factors described above. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, we may continue to experience adverse impacts to our business as a result of any economic instability that has occurred or may occur in the future. Any of these events could amplify the other risks and
uncertainties described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and could materially adversely affect our business, operations, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or the market price of our common stock.
Adverse economic conditions may have negative consequences on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Unpredictable and unstable changes in economic conditions, including recession, inflation, increased government intervention, or other changes, may adversely affect our general business strategy. We rely upon our ability to generate additional sources of liquidity and we may need to raise additional funds through public or private debt or equity financings in order to fund existing operations or to take advantage of opportunities, including acquisitions of complementary businesses or technologies. Any adverse change in economic conditions would have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition and on our ability to generate or raise additional capital on favorable terms, or at all.
Threats of terrorism and catastrophic events that could result from terrorism, cyberattacks or individuals and/or groups attempting to disrupt our business, or the businesses of third parties, may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We are subject to the potentially adverse operating and financial effects of terrorist acts and threats, as well as cyberattacks and other disruptive activities of individuals or groups. There have been cyberattacks within the energy industry on energy infrastructure such as substations, gas pipelines and related assets in the past and there may be such attacks in the future and these may increase as a result of the Russia invasion of Ukraine. Our generation and fuel storage facilities, information technology systems and other infrastructure facilities and systems could be direct targets of, or otherwise be materially adversely affected by, such activities.
Terrorist acts, cyberattacks or other similar events affecting our systems and facilities, or those of third parties on which we rely, could harm our business, for example, by limiting our ability to generate, purchase or transmit power, natural gas or other energy-related commodities, by limiting our ability to bill customers and collect and process payments, and by delaying our development and construction of new generation facilities or capital improvements to existing facilities. These events, and governmental actions in response, could result in a material decrease in revenues, significant additional costs (for example, to repair assets, implement additional security requirements or maintain or acquire insurance), significant fines and penalties, and reputational damage, could materially adversely affect our operations (for example, by contributing to disruption of supplies and markets for natural gas, oil and other fuels), and could impair our ability to raise capital (for example, by contributing to financial instability and lower economic activity). In addition, the implementation of security guidelines and measures has resulted in and is expected to continue to result in increased costs. Such events or actions may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Our ability to obtain insurance and the terms of any available insurance coverage could be materially adversely affected by international, national, state or local events or company-specific events, as well as the financial condition of insurers.
Insurance coverage may not continue to be available or may not be available at rates or on terms similar to those presently available to us. Our ability to obtain insurance and the terms of any available insurance coverage could be materially adversely affected by international, national, state or local events or company-specific events, as well as the financial condition of insurers. If insurance coverage is not available or obtainable on acceptable terms, we may be required to pay costs associated with adverse future events.
Our ability to be successful is dependent upon the efforts of certain key personnel. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our business and its financial condition could suffer as a result.
Our ability to be successful is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. Our success depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of senior management, certain of whom would be difficult to replace. Departure by certain of our officers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or operating results.
We may need to raise additional funds and these funds may not be available when needed.
We may need to raise additional capital in the future to further scale our business and expand to additional markets. We may raise additional funds through the issuance of equity, equity-related or debt securities, through tax equity partnerships, or through obtaining credit from government or financial institutions. We cannot be certain that additional funds will be available on favorable terms when required, or at all. If we cannot raise additional funds when needed, our financial condition, results of operations, business and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. If we raise funds through the issuance of debt securities or through loan arrangements, the terms of which could require significant interest payments, contain covenants that restrict our business, or other unfavorable terms. Also, changes in tax law or market conditions could negatively impact the availability of tax equity or the terms on which investors are willing to acquire tax equity and therefore reduce our access to capital on favorable terms for new solar energy projects. In addition, to the extent we raise funds through the sale of additional equity securities, our stockholders would experience dilution.
Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.
As of December 31, 2021, we had U.S. federal and state net operating loss carryforwards (“NOLs”) of approximately $177.4 million and $87.7 million, respectively, which begin expiring in varying amounts in 2034 and 2022, respectively, if unused. Under Sections 382 and 383 of the Code, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change NOLs and other pre-change tax assets, such as tax credits, to offset its post-change income and taxes may be limited. In general, an “ownership change” occurs if there is a cumulative change in our ownership by “5% shareholders” that exceeds 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year period. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws.
Additionally, states may impose other limitations on the use of NOLs and tax credit carryforwards. For example, California has recently imposed other limitations on the use of NOLs and limited the use of certain tax credits for taxable years beginning in 2020 through 2022. Any such limitations on our ability to use our NOLs and other tax assets could adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We have not yet completed our analysis under Section 382 of the Code. Any limitation may result in the expiration of all or a portion of the net operating loss carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards before utilization.
Unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We will be subject to income taxes in the United States, and our tax liabilities will be subject to the allocation of expenses in differing jurisdictions. Our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including:
•changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities;
•expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowances;
•tax effects of stock-based compensation;
•costs related to intercompany restructurings;
•changes in tax laws, regulations or interpretations thereof; or
•lower than anticipated future earnings in jurisdictions where we have lower statutory tax rates and higher than anticipated future earnings in jurisdictions where we have higher statutory tax rates.
In addition, we may be subject to audits of our income, sales and other transaction taxes by taxing authorities. Outcomes from these audits could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
As an emerging growth company and smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, we will utilize certain modified disclosure requirements, and we cannot be certain if these reduced requirements will make our common stock 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 that are available to “emerging growth companies,” but not to other public companies, including:
•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, as amended 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 plan in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") to continue to utilize the modified disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest of:
•December 31, 2026;
•the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenue exceeds $1 billion;
•the date that we become a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which would occur if 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; and
•the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates is greater than or equal to $250 million as of the end of that fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter, and (ii) our annual revenues are greater than or equal to $100 million during the last completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates is greater than or equal to $700 million as of the end of that fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
If we fail to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting and other business practices, and of board-level oversight, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately or prevent and detect fraud and other improprieties. Consequently, investors could lose confidence in our financial reporting, and this may decrease the trading price of our stock.
We must maintain effective internal controls to provide reliable financial reports and to prevent and detect fraud and other improprieties. We are responsible for reviewing and assessing our internal controls and implementing additional controls when improvement is needed. The process of designing and implementing effective internal controls is a continuous effort that requires us to anticipate and react to changes in our business and the economic and regulatory environments and to expend significant resources to maintain a system of internal controls that is adequate to satisfy our reporting obligations as a public company. If we are unable to establish or maintain appropriate internal financial reporting controls and procedures, it could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations on a timely basis, result in material misstatements in our consolidated financial statements and harm our results of operations.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requirements regarding internal control over financial reporting, and other internal controls over business practices, are costly to implement and maintain, and such costs are relatively more burdensome for smaller companies such as us than for larger companies. We have limited internal personnel to implement procedures and rely on outside professionals including accountants and attorneys to support our control procedures. We are working to improve all of our controls but, if our controls are not effective, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately or prevent and detect fraud and other improprieties, which could lead to a decrease in the market price of our stock. Failure to implement any required changes to our internal controls or other changes we identify as necessary to maintain an effective system of internal controls could harm our operating results and cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. Any such loss of confidence would have a negative effect on the market price of our common stock.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to remediate these material weaknesses, or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, this may result in material misstatements of our consolidated financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations.
As a privately-held company, we were not required to evaluate our internal control over financial reporting in a manner that meets the standards of publicly traded companies required by Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. As a public company, we are required, pursuant to Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report for the year ended December 31, 2021. This assessment includes disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting.
A material weakness is a deficiency or combination of deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the financial statements would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting that we are currently working to remediate, which relate to: (a) insufficient qualified personnel, which caused management to be unable to appropriately define responsibilities to create an effective control environment; (b) the lack of a formalized risk assessment process; and (c) selection and development of control activities, including over information technology.
Our management has concluded that these material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting are due to the fact that prior to the Merger we were a private company with limited resources and did not have the necessary business processes and related internal controls formally designed and implemented coupled with the appropriate resources with the appropriate level of experience and technical expertise to oversee our business processes and controls.
Our management has developed a remediation plan which we have begun and will continue to implement. These remediation measures are ongoing and include: hiring additional accounting and financial reporting personnel and implementing
additional policies, procedures and controls. The material weaknesses will be considered remediated when our management designs and implements effective controls that operate for a sufficient period of time and management has concluded, through testing, that these controls are effective. Our management will monitor the effectiveness of its remediation plans and will make changes management determines to be appropriate, however we may encounter problems or delays in completing the remediation of the material weaknesses. In connection with the material weaknesses identified in our internal control over financial reporting we determined that our internal control over financial reporting are not effective and were not effective as of December 31, 2021.
If not remediated, these material weaknesses could result in material misstatements to our annual or interim consolidated financial statements that might not be prevented or detected on a timely basis, or in delayed filing of required periodic reports. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or when required in the future, if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an unqualified opinion as to the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our common stock could be adversely affected and our company could become subject to litigation or investigations by NYSE, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources. Each of these material weaknesses could result in a misstatement of account balances or disclosures that would result in a material misstatement to the annual or interim consolidated financial statements that would not be prevented or detected.
In order to maintain and improve the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting, we have expended, and anticipate that we will continue to expend, significant resources, including accounting-related costs and significant management oversight. Our independent registered public accounting firm is not required to formally attest to the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting until after it is no longer an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended (the "JOBS Act"). At such time, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our internal control over financial reporting is documented, designed or operating. Any failure to maintain effective disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting, and remediate identified material weaknesses could adversely affect our business and operating results and could cause a decline in the market price of our common stock.
The rules governing the standards that must be met for our management to assess our internal control over financial reporting are complex and require significant documentation, testing and possible remediation. Testing and maintaining internal controls may divert our management’s attention from other matters that are important to our business. Our testing, or the subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm, may reveal additional deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses. A material weakness in internal controls could result in our failure to detect a material misstatement of our annual or quarterly consolidated financial statements or disclosures. We may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. If we are unable to conclude that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.
Our historical financial results may not be indicative of what our actual financial position or results of operations would have been if we were a public company.
Our business has achieved rapid growth since we launched. Our net revenue was $71.8 million and $45.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Our net income (loss) was $13.0 million and $(1.9) million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. However, our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows reflected in our consolidated financial statements may not be indicative of the results we would have achieved if we were a public company or results that may be achieved in future periods. Consequently, there can be no assurance that we will be able to generate sufficient income to pay our operating expenses and make satisfactory distributions to our shareholders, or any distributions at all.
Our reported financial results may be affected, and comparability of our financial results with other companies in our industry may be impacted, by changes in the accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S.
Generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. are subject to change and interpretation by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), the SEC, and various bodies formed to promulgate and interpret appropriate accounting principles. A change in these principles or interpretations could have a significant effect on our reported financial results and on the financial results of other companies in our industry, and may even affect the reporting of transactions completed before the announcement or effectiveness of a change. For example, in June 2016 the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU No. 2016-13”), which replaces the current incurred loss impairment methodology with a current expected credit losses model. Other companies in our industry may be affected differently by the adoption of ASU No. 2016-13 or other new accounting standards, including timing of the adoption of new accounting standards, adversely affecting the comparability of financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which primarily changes the lessee’s accounting for operating leases by requiring recognition of lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities. This standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15,
2021. The Company expects to adopt this guidance in fiscal year 2022. The Company is continuing the analysis of the contractual arrangements that may qualify as leases under the new standard and expects the most significant impact will be the recognition of the right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.
We may not successfully implement our business model.
Our business model is predicated on our ability to provide solar systems at a profit, and through organic growth, geographic expansion, and strategic acquisitions. We intend to continue to operate as we have previously with sourcing and marketing methods that we have used successfully in the past. However, we cannot assure that our methods will continue to attract new customers in the very competitive solar systems marketplace. In the event our customers resist paying the prices projected in our business plan to purchase solar installations, our business, financial condition, and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.
Certain estimates of market opportunity and forecasts of market growth may prove to be inaccurate.
From time to time, we make statements with estimates of the addressable market for our solutions and the EV market in general. Market opportunity estimates and growth forecasts, whether obtained from third-party sources or developed internally, are subject to significant uncertainty and are based on assumptions and estimates that may prove to be inaccurate. This is especially so at the present time due to the uncertain and rapidly changing projections of the severity, magnitude and duration of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The estimates and forecasts relating to the size and expected growth of the target market, market demand and adoption, capacity to address this demand and pricing may also prove to be inaccurate. In particular, estimates regarding the current and projected market opportunity are difficult to predict. The estimated addressable market may not materialize for many years, if ever, and even if the markets meet the size estimates and growth forecasts, our business could fail to grow at similar rates.
Litigation and Regulatory Risks
Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially adversely affected by the extensive regulation of our business.
Our operations are subject to complex and comprehensive federal, state and other regulation. This extensive regulatory framework, portions of which are more specifically identified in the following risk factors, regulates, among other things and to varying degrees, our industry, businesses, rates and cost structures, operation and licensing of solar power facilities, construction and operation of electricity generation facilities and acquisition, disposal, depreciation and amortization of facilities and other assets, decommissioning costs and funding, service reliability, wholesale and retail competition, and SRECs trading. In our business planning and in the management of our operations, we must address the effects of regulation on our business and any inability or failure to do so adequately could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially adversely affected as a result of new or revised laws, regulations, interpretations or ballot or regulatory initiatives.
Our business is influenced by various legislative and regulatory initiatives, including, but not limited to, new or revised laws, including international trade laws, regulations, interpretations or ballot or regulatory initiatives regarding deregulation or restructuring of the energy industry, and regulation of environmental matters, such as environmental permitting. Changes in the nature of the regulation of our business could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. We are unable to predict future legislative or regulatory changes, initiatives or interpretations, although any such changes, initiatives or interpretations may increase costs and competitive pressures on us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We are subject to FERC rules related to energy generation that are designed to facilitate competition on practically a nationwide basis by providing greater certainty, flexibility and more choices to power customers. We cannot predict the impact of changing FERC rules or the effect of changes in levels of wholesale supply and demand, which are typically driven by factors beyond our control. There can be no assurance that we will be able to respond adequately or sufficiently quickly to such rules and developments, or to any changes that reverse or restrict the competitive restructuring of the energy industry in those jurisdictions in which such restructuring has occurred. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Any reductions or modifications to, or the elimination of, governmental incentives or policies that support solar energy, including, but not limited to, tax laws, policies and incentives, RPS or feed-in-tariffs, or the imposition of additional taxes or other assessments on solar energy, could result in, among other items, the lack of a satisfactory market for the development and/or financing of new solar energy projects, our abandoning the development of solar energy projects, a loss of our investments in solar energy projects and reduced project returns, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We depend heavily on government policies that support utility scale renewable energy and enhance the economic feasibility of developing and operating solar energy projects in regions in which we operate or plan to develop and operate renewable energy facilities. The federal government, a majority of state governments in the U.S. and portions of Canada provide incentives, such as tax incentives, RPS or feed-in-tariffs, that support or are designed to support the sale of energy from utility scale renewable energy facilities, such as wind and solar energy facilities. As a result of budgetary constraints, political factors or otherwise, governments from time to time may review their laws and policies that support renewable energy and consider actions that would make the laws and policies less conducive to the development and operation of renewable energy facilities. Any reductions or modifications to, or the elimination of, governmental incentives or policies that support renewable energy or the imposition of additional taxes or other assessments on renewable energy, could result in, among other items, the lack of a satisfactory market for the development and/or financing of new renewable energy projects, our abandoning the development of renewable energy projects, a loss of our investments in the projects and reduced project returns, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We and our tax equity partners have claimed and expect to continue to claim ITCs with respect to qualifying solar energy projects. In structuring tax equity partnerships and determining ITC eligibility, we have relied upon applicable tax law and published IRS guidance. However, there are a number of uncertainties regarding ITC eligibility and the application of law and guidance to the facts of particular solar energy projects, and there can be no assurance that the IRS will agree with our approach in the event of an audit. Furthermore, the IRS may issue additional guidance or modify existing guidance, possibly with retroactive effect. Lastly, the amount of ITCs as a percentage of qualifying investment is scheduled to step down in future years under current law, and as part of ongoing tax, infrastructure and budget debates Congress may amend or eliminate the ITC provisions. Any of the foregoing items could reduce the amount of ITCs available to us and our tax equity partners. In this event, we could be required to indemnify tax equity partners for disallowed ITCs, adjust the terms of future tax equity partnerships, or seek alternative sources of funding for solar energy projects, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
The absence of net energy metering and related policies to offer competitive pricing to our customers in our current markets, and adverse changes to net energy metering policies, may significantly reduce demand for electricity from our solar energy systems.
Each of the states where we currently serve customers has adopted a net energy metering policy. Net energy metering typically allows our customers to interconnect their on-site solar energy systems to the utility grid and offset their utility electricity purchases by receiving a bill credit at the utility’s retail rate for energy generated by their solar energy system that is exported to the grid in excess of the electric load used by the customers. At the end of the billing period, the customer simply pays for the net energy used or receives a credit at the retail rate if more energy is produced than consumed. Utilities operating in states without a net energy metering policy may receive solar electricity that is exported to the grid when there is no simultaneous energy demand by the customer without providing retail compensation to the customer for this generation. Each of the states where we currently serve customers has adopted a net energy metering policy. In addition to net metering policies, certain of our primary markets, including Massachusetts, New Jersey and Maryland have adopted programs specifically aimed at providing renewable energy benefits to specific customers, such as community solar and low and moderate income customers. Many of these programs are set-up with a finite capacity of MW installed. Historically, regulators in our primary markets have continuously rolled out new incentive programs as the caps on existing programs begin to fill to promote continued investment in renewables in order to meet the goals set forth in their Renewable Portfolio Standards, however the continuous roll-out of such programs is not guaranteed.
Our ability to sell solar energy systems and the electricity they generate may be adversely impacted by the failure to expand existing limits on the amount of net energy metering in states that have implemented it, the failure to adopt a net energy metering policy where it currently is not in place, the imposition of new charges that only or disproportionately impact customers that utilize net energy metering, or reductions in the amount or value of credit that customers receive through net energy metering. If such charges are imposed, the cost savings associated with switching to solar energy may be significantly reduced and our ability to attract future customers and compete with traditional utility providers could be impacted. Our ability to sell solar energy systems and the electricity they generate also may be adversely impacted by the unavailability of expedited or simplified interconnection for grid- tied solar energy systems or any limitation on the number of customer interconnections or amount of solar energy that utilities are required to allow in their service territory or some part of the grid.
Limits on net energy metering, interconnection of solar energy systems and other operational policies in key markets could limit the number of solar energy systems installed in those markets. If the caps on net energy metering in jurisdictions are reached, and new caps are not put in place, or if the amount or value of credit that customers receive for net energy metering is significantly reduced, future customers will be unable to recognize the current cost savings associated with net energy metering. We rely substantially on net energy metering when we establish competitive pricing for our prospective customers and the absence of net energy metering for new customers would greatly limit demand for our solar energy systems.
Our business depends in part on the regulatory treatment of third-party-owned solar energy systems.
Our power purchase agreements are third-party ownership arrangements. Sales of electricity by third parties face regulatory challenges in some states and jurisdictions. Other challenges pertain to whether third-party owned systems qualify for the same levels of rebates or other non-tax incentives available for customer-owned solar energy systems, whether third-party owned systems are eligible at all for these incentives, and whether third-party owned systems are eligible for net energy metering and the associated cost savings. Reductions in, or eliminations of, this treatment of these third-party arrangements could reduce demand for our systems, adversely impact our access to capital and could cause us to increase the price we charge our customers for energy.
Existing electric utility industry regulations, and changes to regulations, may present technical, regulatory and economic barriers to the purchase and use of solar energy offerings that may significantly reduce demand for our solar energy offerings.
Federal, state and local government regulations and policies concerning the electric utility industry, 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 and the interconnection of customer-owned electricity generation. In the U.S., governments and utilities continuously modify these regulations and policies. These regulations and policies could deter customers from purchasing renewable energy, including solar energy systems. This could result in a significant reduction in the potential demand for our solar energy systems. For example, utilities commonly charge fees to larger, industrial customers for disconnecting from the electric grid or for having the capacity to use power from the electric grid for back-up purposes. These fees could increase our customers’ cost to use our systems and make them less desirable, thereby harming our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, depending on the region, electricity generated by solar energy systems competes most effectively with expensive peak-hour electricity from the electric grid, rather than the less expensive average price of electricity. Modifications to the utilities’ peak hour pricing policies or rate design, such as to a flat rate, would require us to lower the price of our solar energy systems to compete with the price of electricity from the electric grid.
In addition, any changes to government or internal utility regulations and policies that favor electric utilities could reduce our competitiveness and cause a significant reduction in demand for our products and services. For example, certain jurisdictions have proposed assessing fees on customers purchasing energy from solar energy systems or imposing a new charge that would disproportionately impact solar energy system customers who utilize net energy metering, either of which would increase the cost of energy to those customers and could reduce demand for our solar energy systems. It is possible charges could be imposed on not just future customers but our existing customers, causing a potentially significant consumer relations problem and harming our reputation and business.
Regulatory decisions that are important to us may be materially adversely affected by political, regulatory and economic factors.
The local and national political, regulatory and economic environment has had, and may in the future have, an adverse effect on regulatory decisions with negative consequences for us. These decisions may require, for example, us to cancel or delay planned development activities, to reduce or delay other planned capital expenditures or to pay for investments or otherwise incur costs that we may not be able to recover through rates, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Certain other subsidiaries of ours are subject to similar risks.
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 of solar energy systems requires 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 our employees 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. We also maintain a fleet of trucks and other vehicles to support our installers and operations. 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, or OSHA, and equivalent state laws. Changes to OSHA requirements, or stricter interpretation or enforcement of existing laws or regulations, could result in increased costs. If we fail to comply with applicable OSHA 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. High injury rates could expose us to increased liability. In the past, we have had workplace accidents and received 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.
We have previously been, and may in the future be, named in legal proceedings, become involved in regulatory inquiries or be subject to litigation, all of which are costly, distracting to our core business and could result in an unfavorable outcome or a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or the market price for our common stock.
We are involved in legal proceedings and receive inquiries from government and regulatory agencies from time to time. In the event that we are involved in significant disputes or are the subject of a formal action by a regulatory agency, we could be exposed to costly and time-consuming legal proceedings that could result in any number of outcomes. Although outcomes of such actions vary, any current or future claims or regulatory actions initiated by or against us, whether successful or not, could result in significant costs, costly damage awards or settlement amounts, injunctive relief, increased costs of business, fines or orders to change certain business practices, significant dedication of management time, diversion of significant operational resources, or otherwise harm our business, financial condition and results of operations or adversely affect the market price for our common stock. If we are not successful in our legal proceedings and litigation, we may be required to pay significant monetary damages, which could hurt our results of operations. Lawsuits are time-consuming and expensive to resolve and divert management’s time and attention. Although we carry general liability insurance, our insurance may not cover potential claims or may not be adequate to indemnify us for all liability that may be imposed. We cannot predict how the courts will rule in any potential lawsuit against us. Decisions in favor of parties that bring lawsuits against us could subject us to significant liability for damages, adversely affect our results of operations and harm our reputation.
We may be subject to claims arising from the operations of our various businesses for periods prior to the dates we acquired them.
We may be subject to claims or liabilities arising from the ownership or operation of acquired solar systems for the periods prior to our acquisition of them, including environmental, employee-related, indemnification for tax equity partnerships and other liabilities and claims not covered by insurance. These claims or liabilities could be significant. Our ability to seek indemnification from the former owners of our acquired businesses for these claims or liabilities may be limited by various factors, including the specific time, monetary or other limitations contained in the respective acquisition agreements and the financial ability of the former owners to satisfy our indemnification claims. In addition, insurance companies may be unwilling to cover claims that have arisen from acquired businesses or locations, or claims may exceed the coverage limits that our acquired businesses had in effect prior to the date of acquisition. If we are unable to successfully obtain insurance coverage of third-party claims or enforce our indemnification rights against the former owners, or if the former owners are unable to satisfy their obligations for any reason, including because of their current financial position, we could be held liable for the costs or obligations associated with such claims or liabilities, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Product liability claims against us could result in adverse publicity and potentially significant monetary damages.
If our solar service offerings, including our racking systems, PV modules, batteries, inverters, or other products, injured someone, we would be exposed to product liability claims. Because solar energy systems and many of our other current and anticipated products are electricity-producing devices, it is possible that customers or their property could be injured or damaged by our products, whether by product malfunctions, defects, improper installation or other causes. We rely on third-party manufacturing warranties, warranties provided by our solar partners and our general liability insurance to cover product liability claims and have not obtained separate product liability insurance. Our solar systems, including our PV modules, batteries, inverters, and other products, may also be subject to recalls due to product malfunctions or defects. Any product liability claim we face could be expensive to defend and divert management’s attention. The successful assertion of product liability claims against us could result in potentially significant monetary damages that could require us to make significant payments, as well as subject us to adverse publicity, damage our reputation and competitive position and adversely affect sales of our systems and other products. 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 attract customers, thus affecting our growth and financial performance.
A failure to comply with laws and regulations relating to our interactions with current or prospective community solar customers could result in negative publicity, claims, investigations and litigation, and adversely affect our financial performance.
Approximately 20% of our business focuses on contracts and transactions with residential customers via community solar. We must comply with federal, state, and local laws and regulations that govern matters relating to our interactions with residential consumers, including those pertaining to privacy and data security and warranties. These laws and regulations are dynamic and subject to potentially differing interpretations, and various federal, state and local legislative and regulatory bodies may expand current laws or regulations, or enact new laws and regulations, regarding these matters. Changes in these laws or regulations or their interpretation could affect how we do business, acquire customers, and manage and use information we collect from and about current and prospective community solar customers and the costs associated therewith. We strive to comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to our 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 our practices. Our non-compliance with any such law or regulations could also expose us to claims, proceedings, litigation and investigations by private parties and regulatory authorities, as well as fines and negative publicity, each of which may materially and adversely affect our business. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, expenses to comply with such laws and regulations, and increased regulation of matters relating to our interactions with residential consumers
could require us to modify our operations and incur additional expenses, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Changes in tax laws, guidance or policies, including but not limited to changes in corporate income tax rates, as well as judgments and estimates used in the determination of tax-related asset and liability amounts, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Our provision for income taxes and reporting of tax-related assets and liabilities require significant judgments and the use of estimates. Amounts of tax-related assets and liabilities involve judgments and estimates of the timing and probability of recognition of income, deductions and tax credits, including, but not limited to, estimates for potential adverse outcomes regarding tax positions that have been taken and the ability to utilize tax benefit carryforwards, such as net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Actual income taxes could vary significantly from estimated amounts due to the future impacts of, among other things, changes in tax laws, guidance or policies, including changes in our corporate income tax rates, our financial condition and results of operations, and the resolution of audit issues raised by taxing authorities. These factors, including the ultimate resolution of income tax matters, may result in material adjustments to tax-related assets and liabilities, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Changes in laws, regulations or rules, or a failure to comply with any laws, regulations or rules, may adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We are subject to laws, regulations and rules enacted by national, regional and local governments and the NYSE. In particular, we are required to comply with certain SEC, NYSE and other legal or regulatory requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws, regulations and rules may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws, regulations or rules and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations or rules, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Intellectual Property and Data Privacy Risks
If we are unsuccessful in developing and maintaining our proprietary technology, including our Gaia software, our ability to attract and retain solar partners could be impaired, our competitive position could be harmed and our revenue could be reduced.
Our future growth depends on our ability to continue to develop and maintain our proprietary technology that supports our solar service offerings, including our design and proposal software, Gaia. In addition, we rely, and expect to continue to rely, on licensing agreements with certain third parties for aerial images that allow us to efficiently and effectively analyze a customer’s rooftop for solar energy system specifications. In the event that our current or future products require features that we have not developed or licensed, or we lose the benefit of an existing license, we will be required to develop or obtain such technology through purchase, license or other arrangements. If the required technology is not available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, we may incur additional expenses in an effort to internally develop the required technology. If we are unable to maintain our existing proprietary technology, our ability to attract and retain solar partners could be impaired, our competitive position could be harmed and our revenue could be reduced.
Our business may be harmed if we fail to properly protect our intellectual property, and we may also be required to defend against claims or indemnify others against claims that our intellectual property infringes on the intellectual property rights of third parties.
We believe that the success of our business depends in part on our proprietary technology, including our software, information, processes and know-how. We rely on copyright, trade secret and other protections to secure our intellectual property rights. Although we may incur substantial costs in protecting our technology, we cannot be certain that we have adequately protected or will be able to adequately protect it, that our competitors will not be able to utilize our existing technology or develop similar technology independently or that foreign intellectual property laws will adequately protect our intellectual property rights. Despite our precautions, it may be possible for third parties to obtain and use our intellectual property without our consent. Unauthorized use of our intellectual property by third parties, and the expenses incurred in protecting our intellectual property rights, may adversely affect our business. In the future, some of our products could be alleged to infringe existing patents or other intellectual property of third parties, and we cannot be certain that we will prevail in any intellectual property dispute. In addition, any future litigation required to enforce our patents, to protect our trade secrets or know-how or to defend us or indemnify others against claimed infringement of the rights of third parties could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We use open source software, which may require that we release the source code of certain software subject to open source licenses or subject us to possible litigation or other actions that could adversely affect our business.
We utilize software that is licensed under so-called “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. We currently combine our
proprietary software with open source software but not in a manner that we believe requires the release of the source code of our proprietary software to the public. However, our use of open source software may entail greater risks than use of third-party commercial software. Open source licensors generally do not provide support, warranties, indemnification 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 results of operations. In addition, if the license terms for open source software that we use change, we may be forced to re-engineer our solutions, incur additional costs or discontinue the use of these solutions if re-engineering cannot be accomplished on a timely basis. Although we monitor our use of open source software to avoid subjecting our offerings 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 ability to use our proprietary software. We cannot guarantee that we have incorporated or will incorporate 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.
If we experience a significant disruption in our information technology systems, fail to implement new systems and software successfully or if we experience cyber security incidents or have a deficiency in cybersecurity, our business could be adversely affected.
We depend on information systems to process orders, manage inventory, process and bill customers and collect payments from our customers, respond to customer inquiries, contribute to our overall internal control processes, maintain records of our property, plant and equipment, and record and pay amounts due vendors and other creditors. These systems may experience damage or disruption from a number of causes, including power outages, computer and telecommunication failures, computer viruses, malware, ransomware or other destructive software, internal design, manual or usage errors, cyberattacks, terrorism, workplace violence or wrongdoing, catastrophic events, natural disasters and severe weather conditions. We may also be impacted by breaches of our third-party processors.
If we were to experience a prolonged disruption in our information systems that involve interactions with customers and suppliers, it could result in the loss of sales and customers and/or increased costs, which could adversely affect our overall business operation. Although no such incidents have had a direct, material impact on us, we are unable to predict the direct or indirect impact of any future incidents to our business.
In addition, numerous and evolving cybersecurity threats, including advanced and persistent cyberattacks, phishing and social engineering schemes, particularly on internet applications, could compromise the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of data in our systems. The security measures and procedures we and our customers have in place to protect sensitive data and other information may not be successful or sufficient to counter all data breaches, cyberattacks, or system failures. Although we devote resources to our cybersecurity programs and have implemented security measures to protect our systems and data, and to prevent, detect and respond to data security incidents, there can be no assurance that our efforts will prevent these threats.
Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, or to disable or degrade systems change frequently, have become increasingly more complex and sophisticated, and may be difficult to detect for periods of time, we may not anticipate these acts or respond adequately or timely. These threats have increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and may increase as a result of the Russia invasion of Ukraine. As these threats continue to evolve and increase, we may be required to devote significant additional resources in order to modify and enhance our security controls and to identify and remediate any security vulnerabilities.
Any security breach or unauthorized disclosure or theft of personal information we gather, store and use, or other hacking and phishing attacks on our systems, could harm our reputation, subject us to claims or litigation and have an adverse impact on our business.
We receive, store and use personal information of customers, including names, addresses, e-mail addresses, credit information and other housing and energy use information, as well as the personal information of our employees. Unauthorized disclosure of such personal information, whether through breach of our systems by an unauthorized party, employee theft or misuse, or otherwise, could harm our business. In addition, computer malware, viruses, social engineering (predominantly spear phishing attacks), and general hacking have become more prevalent, have occurred on our systems in the past, and could occur on our systems in the future. Inadvertent disclosure of such personal information, or if a third party were to gain unauthorized access to the personal information in our possession, has resulted in, and could result in future claims or litigation arising from damages suffered by such individuals. In addition, we could incur significant costs in complying with the multitude of federal, state and local laws regarding the unauthorized disclosure of personal information. Our efforts to protect such personal information may be
unsuccessful due to software bugs or other technical malfunctions; employees, contractor, or vendor error or malfeasance; or other threats that evolve. In addition, third parties may attempt to fraudulently induce employees or users to disclose sensitive information. The risks of these threats have increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and may increase as a result of the Russia invasion of Ukraine. Although we have developed systems and processes that are designed to protect the personal information we receive, store and use and to prevent or detect security breaches, we cannot assure you that such measures will provide absolute security. Any perceived or actual unauthorized disclosure of such information could harm our reputation, substantially impair our ability to attract and retain customers and have an adverse impact on our business.
Our business is subject to complex and evolving laws and regulations regarding privacy and data protection. 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 and regulation 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 could result in significant penalties. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with applicable data protection laws could result in proceedings or actions brought 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.
Risks Relating to Our Financial Statements
A significant portion of our activities are conducted through variable interest entities (“VIEs”), and changes to accounting guidance, policies or interpretations thereof could cause us to materially change the presentation of our financial statements.
We fund a significant portion of our activities by means of tax equity partnerships. In many cases, we consolidate these tax equity partnerships as VIEs in which we hold a variable interest and of which we are deemed to be the primary beneficiary. We evaluate whether an entity is a VIE whenever reconsideration events as defined by the accounting guidance occur. We determine the value of noncontrolling interests in VIEs using the HLBV method, as described under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates.” Accounting for VIEs and noncontrolling interests is complex, subject to a number of uncertainties, and dependent on assumptions and estimates. Any changes in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") guidance, policies or interpretation thereof could materially impact the presentation of our financial statements.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Securities
Concentration of ownership among existing executive officers, directors and their affiliates may prevent new investors from influencing significant corporate decisions.
Our directors, executive officers and their affiliates as a group beneficially own approximately 41% of the outstanding shares of our Class A common stock (including shares that may be issued upon exercise of our outstanding warrants but without giving effect to exercise of the warrants or any conversions of our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the "Class B common stock" or "Alignment Shares"). As a result, these stockholders are able to exercise a significant level of influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors, any amendment of the certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions. This influence could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in management and will make the approval of certain transactions difficult or impossible without the support of these stockholders.
Our stock price will be volatile, which could cause the value of your investment to decline.
The market price of the common stock and warrants will be volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. These factors include:
•actual or anticipated fluctuations in operating results;
•failure to meet or exceed financial estimates and projections of the investment community or that we provide to the public;
•issuance of new or updated research or reports by securities analysts or changed recommendations for the industry in general;
•announcements of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, collaborations or capital commitments;
•operating and share price performance of other companies in the industry or related markets;
•the timing and magnitude of investments in the growth of the business;
•actual or anticipated changes in laws and regulations;
•additions or departures of key management or other personnel;
•increased labor costs;
•disputes or other developments related to intellectual property or other proprietary rights, including litigation;
•the ability to market new and enhanced solutions on a timely basis;
•sales of substantial amounts of the common stock by our board of directors, executive officers or significant stockholders or the perception that such sales could occur;
•changes in capital structure, including future issuances of securities or the incurrence of debt; and
•general economic, political and market conditions.
In addition, the stock market in general, and the stock prices of technology companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. Broad market and industry factors may seriously affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of actual operating performance. In addition, in the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a particular company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against these companies. This litigation, if instituted, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources.
Anti-takeover provisions contained in our governing documents and applicable laws could impair a takeover attempt.
Our third amended and restated certificate of incorporation and second amended and restated bylaws afford certain rights and powers to the public company board of directors that could contribute to the delay or prevention of an acquisition that it deems undesirable. We are also subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, and other provisions of Delaware law that limit the ability of stockholders in certain situations to effect certain business combinations. Any of the foregoing provisions and terms that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control could limit the opportunity for stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of their common stock, and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for the common stock.
The NYSE may not continue to list our securities, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
Our Class A common stock and Redeemable Warrants are currently listed on the NYSE. There can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with the continued listing standards of NYSE. If NYSE delists our Class A common stock and/or Redeemable Warrants from trading on its exchange for failure to meet the listing standards, our securityholders could face significant material adverse consequences including:.
•a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
•reduced liquidity for our securities;
•a determination that our Class A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in such securities to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;
•a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
•a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.
Our Redeemable Warrants (including the Private Placement Warrants) and Alignment Shares have been accounted for as derivative liabilities and have been recorded at fair value with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.
CBRE Acquisition Holdings, Inc. ("CBAH") sold 10,062,500 Redeemable Warrants as part of the Shareholder Aligned Initial Listing ("SAILSM") securities in the initial public offering of CBAH (which traded separately on the NYSE under the symbol “CBAH WS” prior to the Closing, and following the Closing trade under the symbol "AMPS WS"). The Redeemable
Warrants will be exercisable for an aggregate of 10,062,500 shares of Class A common stock at a purchase price of $11.00 per share. CBAH also issued 7,366,667 warrants to CBRE Acquisition Sponsor, LLC (the "Sponsor") in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of CBAH's initial public offering and 2,000,000 warrants to the Sponsor in full settlement of a second amended and restated promissory note with the Sponsor (such warrants, the "Private Placement Warrants"). The Private Placement Warrants will be exercisable for an aggregate of 9,366,667 shares of our Class A common stock at a purchase price of $11.00 per share.
We have 1,408,750 Alignment Shares outstanding, all of which will be held by the Sponsor, certain officers of CBAH (such officers, together with the Sponsor, the "Sponsor Parties") and existing CBAH directors. The Alignment Shares will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock based upon the Total Return (as defined in Exhibit 4.4 to this Form) on the Class A common stock as of the relevant measurement date over each of the seven fiscal years following the Merger.
We account for the Redeemable Warrants and Alignment Shares as derivative liabilities, which are presented at fair value each reporting period, with changes in fair value recorded through earnings.
As the Redeemable Warrants (other than our Private Placement Warrants) are expected to continue to trade separately on the NYSE following the consummation of the Merger, we anticipate the fair value of the Redeemable Warrants will be determined based on the quoted trading price of those warrants.
The Private Placement Warrants have the same redemption and make-whole provisions as the Redeemable Warrants. Therefore, the fair value of the Private Placement Warrants is equal to the Redeemable Warrants. The fair value of the Private Placement Warrants is determined based on the quoted trading price of the Redeemable Warrants.
We estimate the fair value of our Alignment Share using a Monte Carlo simulation, which is based on various market inputs (e.g., measurement of our stock price after the consummation of the Merger).
As a result of the estimation processes involved in presenting these instruments at fair value, our financial statements and results of operations may fluctuate quarterly, based on various factors, many of which are outside of our control. If our stock price is volatile, we expect that we will recognize non- cash gains or losses on our Redeemable Warrants (including Private Placement Warrants) and Alignment Shares for each reporting period and that the amount of such gains or losses could be material. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock.
Warrants will become exercisable for our common stock, which would increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders.
Each of our Private Placement Warrants and the Redeemable Warrants exercisable for one share of common stock at an exercise price of $11.00 per share. The shares of our common stock issued upon exercise of our warrants and other outstanding warrants will result in dilution to the then existing holders of common stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
We may redeem the unexpired Redeemable Warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to holders, thereby making such warrants worthless. Additionally, the exercise price for the warrants is $11.00 per share and the warrants may expire worthless unless the stock price is higher than the exercise price during the exercise period.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding Redeemable Warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant; provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described below) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date we send the notice of such redemption to the warrant holders. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force warrant holders to (i) exercise their warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for them to do so, (ii) sell their warrants at the then-current market price when they might otherwise wish to hold their warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding Redeemable Warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of the warrants.
In addition, if the last reported sale price of shares of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant pursuant to the terms of the warrants) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders, we may redeem the Redeemable Warrants after they become exercisable for $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption; provided that holders will be able to exercise
their warrants prior to redemption for a number of our Class A common stock determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our Class A common stock. Historical trading prices for shares of our Class A common stock have exceeded the $10.00 per share threshold at which the Redeemable Warrants would become redeemable. Any such redemption may have similar consequences to a cash redemption described above. In addition, such redemption may occur at a time when the warrants are “out-of-the-money,” in which case holders would lose any potential embedded value from a subsequent increase in the value of our Class A common stock had their warrants remained outstanding.
Finally, the exercise price of the warrants is $11.00 per share, subject to adjustment. As a result, the warrants may expire worthless unless the stock price reaches that level during the exercise period.
The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants except that, so long as they are held by our Sponsor, officers or directors or their respective permitted transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by us (except in certain circumstances), (ii) they will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of the Merger (except, among other limited exceptions as described under CBAH's initial public offering registration statement’s section entitled “Principal Stockholders—Transfers of Alignment Shares and Private Placement Warrants,” to our officers and directors and other permitted transferees including persons or entities affiliated with the Sponsor), (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis, and (iv) they (including the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) are entitled to registration rights. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by holders other than the Sponsor, officers or directors or their respective permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will become redeemable by us in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants. Because the Private Placement Warrants may be redeemed only under limited circumstances, they may remain outstanding after all Redeemable Warrants have been redeemed or exercised. All Private Placement Warrants that are exercised will cause additional dilution for other stockholders, including any holders of shares of our Class A common stock issued pursuant to prior exercises of Redeemable Warrants. If the holders of the Private Placement Warrants elect to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis we will not receive cash proceeds from the exercise of such warrants.
A significant portion of our Class A common stock is restricted from immediate resale, but may be sold into the market in the future. This could cause the market price of our Class A common stock to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our Class A common stock in the public market or the perception that these sales might occur could depress the market price of our Class A common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We are unable to predict the effect that sales may have on the prevailing market price of our Class A common stock. Sales of significant number of shares of Class A common stock may make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that it deems reasonable or appropriate, and make it more difficult for you to sell shares of our Class A common stock. In connection with the Business Combination Agreement, CBAH, the Founders (as defined in the Investor Rights Agreement (as defined below)), Blackstone, the Sponsor and certain other parties thereto entered into an investor rights agreement (the "Investor Rights Agreement"), pursuant to which such stockholders are entitled to, among other things, certain registration rights, including demand, piggy- back and shelf registration rights, subject to cut-back provisions. Additionally, the Private Investment in Public Entity Investors ("PIPE Investors") are not restricted from selling any of the shares of Class A common stock they acquired in connection with the closing of the Merger, other than by applicable securities laws. As such, sales of a substantial number of shares of Class A common stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of Class A common stock. Certain parties to the Investor Rights Agreement have agreed not to sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose of shares of Class A common stock they hold or receive for certain time periods specified therein.
We may issue additional shares of Class A common stock or other equity securities without your approval, which would dilute your ownership interests and may depress the market price of your shares.
We may issue additional shares of Class A common stock or other equity securities of equal or senior rank in the future without stockholder approval in connection with, among other things, future acquisitions, repayment of outstanding indebtedness or under our equity plans and in a number of other circumstances.
Our issuance of additional shares of Class A common stock or other equity securities of equal or senior rank could have the following effects:
•your proportionate ownership interest will decrease;
•the relative voting strength of each previously outstanding share of common stock may be diminished; or
•the market price of shares of common stock may decline.
There is no guarantee that the Redeemable Warrants will ever be in the money, and they may expire worthless.
The exercise price for Redeemable Warrants (including Private Placement Warrants) is $11.00 per share of Class A common stock. There is no guarantee that the Redeemable Warrants will ever be in the money prior to their expiration, and as such, the Redeemable Warrants may expire worthless.
Our charter designates a state court within the State of Delaware, to the fullest extent permitted by law, as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit the ability of our stockholders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or with our directors, officers or employees and may discourage stockholders from bringing such claims.
Under our charter, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum will be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if such court does not have jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware) for:
•any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf;
•any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by, or any wrongdoing by, any current or former director, officer or employee of the Company or the Company’s stockholders;
•any action asserting a claim against us or any current or former director or officer or other employee of ours arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our Certificate of Incorporation or bylaws (as either may be amended, restated, modified, supplemented or waived from time to time); and
•any action asserting a claim against us or any current or former director or officer or other employee of ours governed by the internal affairs doctrine, or any action asserting an “internal corporate claim” as that term is defined in Section 115 of the DGCL.
These provisions shall not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction and our stockholders cannot waive compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Furthermore, unless we consent in writing to the selection on an alternative forum, to the fullest extent provided by law, the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action under the federal securities laws, including the Securities Act.
These provisions of our charter could limit the ability of our stockholders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for certain disputes with us or with our current or former directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our current or former directors, officers and employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our charter inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the types of actions or proceedings listed above, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
A market for our securities may not be sustained, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
An active trading market for our securities may not be sustained. In addition, the price of our securities can vary due to general economic conditions and forecasts, our general business condition and the release of our financial reports. Additionally, if our securities become delisted from the NYSE for any reason, and are quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board, an inter-dealer automated quotation system for equity securities that is not a national securities exchange, the liquidity and price of our securities may be more limited than if the Company was quoted or listed on the NYSE or another national securities exchange. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established or sustained.
If, securities or industry analysts cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, or our market, or if they change their recommendations regarding our Class A common stock adversely, then the price and trading volume of our Class A common stock could decline.
The trading market for our Class A common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business and operations, our market, or our competitors. If any of the analysts who may cover us change their recommendation regarding our stock adversely, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our Class A common stock would likely decline. If any analyst who may cover us were to cease coverage of us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.