UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-K
(Mark one)
☒ | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019
or
☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission file number: 001-33156
First Solar, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 20-4623678 |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
350 West Washington Street, Suite 600
Tempe, Arizona85281
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered |
| Common stock, $0.001 par value | FSLR | The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes [x]☒ No [ ]☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes [ ] ☐ No [x]☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes [x]☒ No [ ]☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes [x]☒ No [ ]
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “smaller reporting“emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☒ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | Non-accelerated filer | ☐ |
| Smaller reporting company | |||||
| ☐ | Emerging growth company | ☐ | |||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes [ ]☐ No [x]☒
The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock $0.001 par value per share, held by non-affiliates of the registrant onas of June 30, 2016,2019, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $3.4$5.4 billion (based on the closing sales price of the registrant’s common stock on that date). As of February 17, 2017, 104,044,69114, 2020, 105,457,669 shares of the registrant’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share, were issued and outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The information required by Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, to the extent not set forth herein, is incorporated by reference from the registrant’s definitive proxy statement relating to the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held in 2017,2020, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year to which this Annual Report on Form 10-K relates.
FIRST SOLAR, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FORM 10-K FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 20162019
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page | ||
| PART I | ||
| Item 1. | ||
| Item 1A. | ||
| Item 1B. | ||
| Item 2. | ||
| Item 3. | ||
| Item 4. | ||
| PART II | ||
| Item 5. | ||
| Item 6. | ||
| Item 7. | ||
| Item 7A. | ||
| Item 8. | ||
| Item 9. | ||
| Item 9A. | ||
| Item 9B. | ||
| PART III | ||
| Item 10. | ||
| Item 11. | ||
| Item 12. | ||
| Item 13. | ||
| Item 14. | ||
| PART IV | ||
| Item 15. | ||
| Item 16. | ||
Throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we refer to First Solar, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries as “First Solar,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our.” When referring to our manufacturing capacity, total sales, and solar module sales, the unit of electricity in watts for megawatts (“MW”) and gigawatts (“GW”) is direct current (“DC” or “DC”) unless otherwise noted. When referring to our projects or systems, the unit of electricity in watts for MW and GW is alternating current (“AC” or “AC”) unless otherwise noted.
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), which are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. All statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements include statements, among other things, concerning: effects resulting from certain module manufacturing changes and associated restructuring activities; our business strategy, including anticipated trends and developments in and management plans for our business and the markets in which we operate; future financial results, operating results, revenues, gross margin, operating expenses, products, projected costs (including estimated future module collection and recycling costs), warranties, solar module technology and cost reduction roadmaps, restructuring, product reliability, investments, in unconsolidated affiliates, and capital expenditures; our ability to continue to reduce the cost per watt of our solar modules; the impact of public policies, such as tariffs or other trade remedies imposed on solar cells and modules; effects resulting from pending litigation, including the opt-out action against us; our ability to expand manufacturing capacity worldwide; our ability to reduce the costs to develop and construct photovoltaic (“PV”) solar power systems; research and development (“R&D”) programs and our ability to improve the conversion efficiencywattage of our solar modules; sales and marketing initiatives; and competition. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words, such as “estimate,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “plan,” “intend,” “seek,” “believe,” “forecast,” “foresee,” “likely,” “may,” “should,” “goal,” “target,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “predict,” “continue,” and the negative or plural of these words, and other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and our projections about future events. All forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are based upon information available to us as of the filing date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.10-K and therefore speak only as of the filing date. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements for any reason.reason, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements, including, but not limited to:
structural imbalances in global supply and demand for PV solar modules;
the market for renewable energy, including solar energy;
our competitive position and other key competitive factors;
reduction, elimination, or expiration of government subsidies, policies, and support programs for solar energy projects;
our ability to execute on our long termlong-term strategic plan;plans;
our ability to execute on our solar module technology and cost reduction roadmaps;
the loss of any of our and our customers’ abilitylarge customers, or their inability to secure financing;perform under their contracts with us;
our ability to attract new customers and to develop and maintain existing customer and supplier relationships;
interest rate fluctuations and both our and our customers’ ability to secure financing;
our ability to successfully develop and complete our systems business projects;
our ability to convert existing or construct production facilities to support new product lines, such as Series 6 module manufacturing;lines;
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general economic and business conditions, including those influenced by U.S., international, and geopolitical events;
environmental responsibility, including with respect to cadmium telluride (“CdTe”) and other semiconductor materials;
claims under our limited warranty obligations;
changes in, or the failure to comply with, government regulations and environmental, health, and safety requirements;
future collection and recycling costs for solar modules covered by our module collection and recycling program;
our ability to protect our intellectual property;
our ability to prevent and/or minimize the impact of cyber attackscyber-attacks or other breaches of our information systems;
our continued investment in research and development;R&D;
the supply and price of components and raw materials, including CdTe;
our ability to attract and retain key executive officers and associates; and
all other matters discussed in Item 1A. “Risk Factors,”Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.10-K, our subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described under this section.
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PART I
Item 1. Business
Company Overview
We are a leading global provider of comprehensive PV solar energy solutions. We design, manufacture, and sell PV solar modules with an advanced thin-filmthin film semiconductor technology and also develop design, construct, and sell PV solar power systems that primarily use the modules we manufacture. Additionally, we provide operations and maintenance (“O&M”) services to system owners that use solar modules manufactured by us or by third-party manufacturers.owners. We have substantial, ongoing research and developmentR&D efforts focused on module and system-levelvarious technology innovations. We are the world’s largest thin-filmthin film PV solar module manufacturer and one of the world’s largest PV solar module manufacturers. Our mission is to create enduring value by enabling a world powered by clean, affordable solar energy.
In addressing the overall global demand for PV solar electricity, our high-efficiency CdTe modules, which leverage our Series 6TM (“Series 6”) module technology, and fully integrated systems business can provide competitively priced utility-scale PV solar energypower plant solutions to system owners and low cost electricity to end-users. Our systems business has enabled us to drive cost reduction across the value chain and deliver compelling solutions to our customers. We are committed to continually lowering the cost of solar electricity and plan to compete favorably on an economic basis with conventional fossil-fuel-based power generation.
Business Strategy
Differentiated Technology
As a field-proven technology, our CdTe solar modules offer certain advantages over conventional crystalline silicon solar modules by delivering competitive efficiency, higher real-world energy yield, and long-term reliability. Proven to deliver up to 8% more usable energy per nameplate watt than monofacial crystalline silicon technologies in certain geographic markets and with a record of reliable system performance, our CdTe technology delivers more energy, more consistently, over the lifetime of a PV solar power system. Our Series 6 module technology, with its combination of high wattage, low manufacturing costs, a larger form factor, and balance of systems (“BoS”) component compatibility, has further enhanced our competitive position since the launch of such technology in 2018.
In terms of energy yield, in many climates our CdTe solar modules provide an energy production advantage over most monofacial crystalline silicon solar modules of equivalent efficiency rating. For example, our CdTe solar modules provide a superior temperature coefficient, which results in stronger system performance in typical high insolation climates as the majority of a system’s generation, on average, occurs when module temperatures are well above 25°C (standard test conditions). In addition, our CdTe solar modules provide a superior spectral response in humid environments where atmospheric moisture alters the solar spectrum relative to laboratory standards. Our CdTe solar modules also provide a better shading response than conventional crystalline silicon solar modules, which may lose up to three times as much power as CdTe solar modules when shading occurs. As a result of these and other factors, our PV solar modules typically produce more annual energy in real world field conditions than conventional modules with the same nameplate capacity.
Manufacturing Process
Our modules are manufactured in a high-throughput, automated environment that integrates all manufacturing steps into a continuous flow line. Such manufacturing process eliminates the multiple supply chain operators and time-consuming and resource-intensive batch processing steps that are used to produce crystalline silicon solar modules. At the outset of the production of our modules, a sheet of glass enters the production line and in a matter of hours is transformed into a completed module, which is flash tested, packaged, and ready for shipment. With more than 25 GWDC of modules sold worldwide, we have a demonstrated history of manufacturing success and innovation. We have a global manufacturing footprint with facilities based in the United States, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
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Diversified Capabilities
We are diversified across the solar value chain. Many of the efficiencies and mitigate risk forcapabilities that we deliver to our customers are not easily replicable for other industry participants that are not diversified in a similar manner. Accordingly, our operational model offers PV solar energy solutions that benefit from our wide range of capabilities, including advanced PV solar module manufacturing, project development, engineering and offer valuable benefits such asplant optimization, grid integration and stabilization, thereby positioningplant control systems, construction services, and O&M services.
Financial Viability
We are committed to creating long-term shareholder value through a decision-making framework that delivers a balance of growth, profitability, and liquidity. This framework has enabled us to deliverfund our Series 6 manufacturing and capacity expansion initiatives using cash flows generated by our operations despite substantial downward pressure on the price of solar modules and systems due to competition, demand fluctuations, and significant overcapacity in the industry. Our financial viability provides strategic optionality as we evaluate how to invest in our business and generate returns for our shareholders. Our financial viability and bankability also enable us to offer meaningful warranties, which provide us with a competitive advantage relative to many of our peers in the solar industry in the context of project financing and offering PV solar energy solutions to variedlong-term owners. Furthermore, we expect our financial discipline and ability to manage operating costs to enhance our profitability as we continue to scale our business.
Sustainability
In addition to our financial commitments, we are also committed to minimizing the environmental impacts and enhancing the social and economic benefits of our products across their life cycle, from raw material sourcing through end-of-life module recycling. Accordingly, our modules and systems provide an ecologically leading solution to climate change, energy problems worldwide. We seeksecurity, and water scarcity, which also enables our customers to offer leadership acrossachieve their sustainability objectives. On a lifecycle basis, our thin film module technology has the entire solar value chain, resulting in more reliablefastest energy payback time, smallest carbon footprint, and cost effectivelowest water use of any PV solar technology on the market.
The energy payback time (which is the amount of time a system must operate to recover the energy required to produce it) of our module technology is facilitated by our specialized manufacturing process. In less than six months under high irradiance conditions, our systems produce more energy than was required to create them. This energy payback time represents a 50-fold energy return on investment over a theoretical 25-year system lifetime and an abundant net energy gain to the electricity grid. Our module technology also has a carbon footprint that is up to six times lower than the carbon footprint of conventional crystalline silicon modules and a fraction of the carbon footprint of conventional energy sources. Furthermore, our module technology displaces up to 98% of greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants when replacing traditional forms of energy generation. Our modules also use up to 400 times less water per MW hour than conventional energy sources and up to 24 times less water than other PV solar modules. In addition, our industry-leading recycling process further enhances our sustainability advantage by recovering approximately 90% of the glass for reuse in new glass products and over 90% of the semiconductor material for reuse in new modules.
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Offerings and Capabilities
We are focusing on markets and energy applications in which solar power can be a least-cost, best-fit energy solution, particularly in regions with high solar resources, significant current or projected electricity demand, and/or relatively high existing electricity prices. We differentiate our product offerings by geographic market and localize the solution, as needed. Our consultative approach to our customers’ solar energy needs and capabilities results in customized solutions to meet their economic goals. As a result, we have designed our product and service offerings according to the following business areas:
| • | PV Solar Modules. Our modules couple our leading-edge CdTe technology with the manufacturing excellence and quality control that comes from being one of the world’s most experienced producers of advanced PV solar modules. Our technology demonstrates a proven performance advantage over most monofacial crystalline silicon solar modules of equivalent efficiency rating by delivering higher real-world energy yield and long-term reliability. We are able to provide such product performance, quality, and reliability to our customers due, in large part, to our consistent and sustained investments in R&D activities. |
| • | Utility-Scale Power Plants. We have extensive, proven experience in the development, engineering, and construction of reliable grid-connected power systems for utility-scale generation. Our grid-connected systems support a diversified energy portfolio, reduce fossil-fuel consumption, mitigate the risk of fuel price volatility, and save costs, proving that centralized solar generation can deliver dependable and affordable solar electricity to the grid around the world. Our plant control systems provide reliability services, such as frequency control, voltage control, ramping capacity, and automated generation control, which enable expanded integration of PV solar power systems into the power grid. Such reliability services also help balance the grid during times of high renewable energy generation. Our solar energy systems also offer a meaningful value proposition by eliminating commodity price risks thereby providing a long-term fixed price with relatively low operating costs. When compared to the price of power derived from a conventional source of energy, a fixed price cannot be achieved unless the cost of hedging is included. Hedging costs of a commodity such as natural gas, along with the costs of credit support required for a long-term hedge, can significantly increase conventional energy costs. Additional benefits of our grid-connected power systems include reductions of fuel imports and improvements in energy security, enhanced peaking generation and faster time-to-power, and managed variability through accurate forecasting. |
| • | O&M Services. By leveraging our extensive experience in plant optimization and advanced diagnostics, we have developed one of the largest and most advanced O&M programs in the industry, including more than 10 GWDC of utility-scale PV solar power systems, while maintaining an average fleet system effective availability greater than 99%. Utilizing a state of the art global operations center, our team of O&M associates provide a variety of services to optimize system performance and comply with power purchase agreements (“PPA”), other project agreements, and regulations. Our products and services are engineered to enable the maximization of energy output and revenue for our customers while significantly reducing their unplanned maintenance costs. Plant owners benefit from predictable expenses over the life of the contract and reduced risk of energy loss. Our O&M program is compliant with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (“NERC”) standards and is designed to scale to accommodate the growing O&M needs of customers worldwide. We offer our O&M services to solar power plant owners that use either our solar modules or modules manufactured by third parties. |
Following an evaluation of the long-term sustainable cost structure, competitiveness, and risk-adjusted returns of our U.S. project development business, we have determined it is in the best interest of our stockholders to explore options for this business line. This exploration may result in, among other possibilities, a partnership with a third party who possesses complimentary competencies or a sale of all or a portion of our U.S. project development business. This exploration of options for our customers,U.S. project development business is not subject to any definitive timetable and furthering our mission to create enduring value by enabling a world powered by clean, affordable solar electricity.there can be no assurances that this process will result in any transaction.
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Sustainability
In addition to our financial commitments, we are also committed to minimizing the environmental impacts and enhancing the social and economic benefits of our products across their life cycle, from raw material sourcing through end-of-life module recycling. Accordingly, our modules in key geographic markets that we believe haveand systems provide an ecologically leading solution to climate change, energy security, and water scarcity, which also enables our customers to achieve their sustainability objectives. On a compelling need for mass-scalelifecycle basis, our thin film module technology has the fastest energy payback time, smallest carbon footprint, and lowest water use of any PV electricity, including markets throughoutsolar technology on the Americas,market.
The energy payback time (which is the Asia-Pacific region, andamount of time a system must operate to recover the Middle East. As partenergy required to produce it) of our long term strategic plan, we are focusingmodule technology is facilitated by our specialized manufacturing process. In less than six months under high irradiance conditions, our systems produce more energy than was required to create them. This energy payback time represents a 50-fold energy return on opportunities in whichinvestment over a theoretical 25-year system lifetime and an abundant net energy gain to the electricity grid. Our module technology also has a carbon footprint that is up to six times lower than the carbon footprint of conventional crystalline silicon modules and a fraction of the carbon footprint of conventional energy sources. Furthermore, our module technology displaces up to 98% of greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants when replacing traditional forms of energy generation. Our modules also use up to 400 times less water per MW hour than conventional energy sources and up to 24 times less water than other PV solar energy solutions can compete directly with fossil fuel offerings on an LCOE or similar basis, or complement such fossil fuel electricity offerings. Executionmodules. In addition, our industry-leading recycling process further enhances our sustainability advantage by recovering approximately 90% of the long term strategic plan entails a prioritization of market opportunities worldwide relative to our core strengthsglass for reuse in new glass products and a corresponding allocation of resources around the globe. This prioritization involves a focus on our core module and utility-scale offerings and exists within a current market environment that includes rooftop and distributed generation solar, particularly in the United States. While it is unclear how rooftop and distributed generation solar might impact our core utility-scale offerings in the next several years, we believe that utility-scale solar will continue to be a compelling solar offering for companies with technology and cost leadership and will continue to represent an increasing portionover 90% of the overall electricity generation mix.semiconductor material for reuse in new modules.
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Offerings and Capabilities
We are closely evaluating and managing the appropriate level of resources required as we pursue the most advantageous and cost effective projects and partnerships in our target markets. We have dedicated, and intend to continue to dedicate, significant capital and human resources to reduce the total installed cost of PV solar energy, to optimize the design and logistics around our PV solar energy solutions, and to ensure that our solutions integrate well into the overall electricity ecosystem of each specific market. We expect that, over time, an increasing portion of our consolidated net sales, operating income, and cash flows may come from solar offerings in the key geographic markets described above as we executefocusing on our long term strategic plan. The timing, execution, and financial impacts of our long term strategic plan are subject to risks and uncertainties, as described in Item 1A. “Risk Factors.” We are focusing our resources in those markets and energy applications in which solar power can be a least-cost, best-fit energy solution, particularly in regions with high solar resources, significant current or projected electricity demand, and/or relatively high existing electricity prices. We differentiate our product offerings by geographic market and localize the solution, as needed. Our consultative approach to our customers’ solar energy needs and capabilities results in customized solutions to meet their economic goals. As a result, we have designed our product and service offerings according to the following business areas:
| • | PV Solar Modules. Our modules couple our leading-edge CdTe technology with the manufacturing excellence and quality control that comes from being one of the world’s most experienced producers of advanced PV solar modules. Our technology demonstrates a proven performance advantage over most monofacial crystalline silicon solar modules of equivalent efficiency rating by delivering higher real-world energy yield and long-term reliability. We are able to provide such product performance, quality, and reliability to our customers due, in large part, to our consistent and sustained investments in R&D activities. |
| • | Utility-Scale Power Plants. We have extensive, proven experience in the development, engineering, and construction of reliable grid-connected power systems for utility-scale generation. Our grid-connected systems support a diversified energy portfolio, reduce fossil-fuel consumption, mitigate the risk of fuel price volatility, and save costs, proving that centralized solar generation can deliver dependable and affordable solar electricity to the grid around the world. Our plant control systems provide reliability services, such as frequency control, voltage control, ramping capacity, and automated generation control, which enable expanded integration of PV solar power systems into the power grid. Such reliability services also help balance the grid during times of high renewable energy generation. Our solar energy systems also offer a meaningful value proposition by eliminating commodity price risks thereby providing a long-term fixed price with relatively low operating costs. When compared to the price of power derived from a conventional source of energy, a fixed price cannot be achieved unless the cost of hedging is included. Hedging costs of a commodity such as natural gas, along with the costs of credit support required for a long-term hedge, can significantly increase conventional energy costs. Additional benefits of our grid-connected power systems include reductions of fuel imports and improvements in energy security, enhanced peaking generation and faster time-to-power, and managed variability through accurate forecasting. |
| • | O&M Services. By leveraging our extensive experience in plant optimization and advanced diagnostics, we have developed one of the largest and most advanced O&M programs in the industry, including more than 10 GWDC of utility-scale PV solar power systems, while maintaining an average fleet system effective availability greater than 99%. Utilizing a state of the art global operations center, our team of O&M associates provide a variety of services to optimize system performance and comply with power purchase agreements (“PPA”), other project agreements, and regulations. Our products and services are engineered to enable the maximization of energy output and revenue for our customers while significantly reducing their unplanned maintenance costs. Plant owners benefit from predictable expenses over the life of the contract and reduced risk of energy loss. Our O&M program is compliant with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (“NERC”) standards and is designed to scale to accommodate the growing O&M needs of customers worldwide. We offer our O&M services to solar power plant owners that use either our solar modules or modules manufactured by third parties. |
Following an evaluation of these efforts, we continue to optimize resources globally, including business development, sales personnel,the long-term sustainable cost structure, competitiveness, and other professional staff supporting target markets.
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Financial Viability
Sustainability
In addition to our financial commitments, we are also committed to minimizing the environmental impacts and improvements while still investing in growth,enhancing the continued developmentsocial and economic benefits of our global sales capabilities,products across their life cycle, from raw material sourcing through end-of-life module recycling. Accordingly, our modules and systems provide an ecologically leading solution to climate change, energy security, and water scarcity, which also enables our R&D roadmap. We seekcustomers to balanceachieve their sustainability objectives. On a lifecycle basis, our incentive compensationthin film module technology has the fastest energy payback time, smallest carbon footprint, and decision-making processeslowest water use of any PV solar technology on the market.
The energy payback time (which is the amount of time a system must operate to ensure we directrecover the energy required to produce it) of our effortsmodule technology is facilitated by our specialized manufacturing process. In less than six months under high irradiance conditions, our systems produce more energy than was required to create them. This energy payback time represents a 50-fold energy return on investment over a theoretical 25-year system lifetime and investments towards long-term profitablean abundant net energy gain to the electricity grid. Our module technology also has a carbon footprint that is up to six times lower than the carbon footprint of conventional crystalline silicon modules and sustainable growth with appropriate returns on invested capitala fraction of the carbon footprint of conventional energy sources. Furthermore, our module technology displaces up to 98% of greenhouse gas emissions and reinvest excess returns back intoother air pollutants when replacing traditional forms of energy generation. Our modules also use up to 400 times less water per MW hour than conventional energy sources and up to 24 times less water than other PV solar modules. In addition, our industry-leading recycling process further enhances our sustainability advantage by recovering approximately 90% of the business.glass for reuse in new glass products and over 90% of the semiconductor material for reuse in new modules.
4
Offerings and Capabilities
We are focusing on markets and energy applications in which solar power can be a least-cost, best-fit energy solution, particularly in regions with high solar resources, significant current or projected electricity demand, and/or relatively high existing electricity prices. We differentiate our product offerings by geographic market and localize the solution, as needed. Our consultative approach to our customers’ solar energy needs and capabilities results in customized solutions to meet their economic goals. WeAs a result, we have designed our customer solutionsproduct and service offerings according to the needs of the following different business areas. Although we have substantial experience with the advanced PV module and utility-scale power plant offerings described below, certain other offerings are in various stages of development.areas:
| • | PV Solar Modules. Our modules couple our leading-edge CdTe technology with the manufacturing excellence and quality control that comes from being one of the world’s most experienced producers of advanced PV solar modules. Our technology demonstrates a proven performance advantage over most monofacial crystalline silicon solar modules of equivalent efficiency rating by delivering higher real-world energy yield and long-term reliability. We are able to provide such product performance, quality, and reliability to our customers due, in large part, to our consistent and sustained investments in R&D activities. |
| • | Utility-Scale Power Plants. We have extensive, proven experience in the development, engineering, and construction of reliable grid-connected power systems for utility-scale generation. Our grid-connected systems support a diversified energy portfolio, reduce fossil-fuel consumption, mitigate the risk of fuel price volatility, and save costs, proving that centralized solar generation can deliver dependable and affordable solar electricity to the grid around the world. Our plant control systems provide reliability services, such as frequency control, voltage control, ramping capacity, and automated generation control, which enable expanded integration of PV solar power systems into the power grid. Such reliability services also help balance the grid during times of high renewable energy generation. Our solar energy systems also offer a meaningful value proposition by eliminating commodity price risks thereby providing a long-term fixed price with relatively low operating costs. When compared to the price of power derived from a conventional source of energy, a fixed price cannot be achieved unless the cost of hedging is included. Hedging costs of a commodity such as natural gas, along with the costs of credit support required for a long-term hedge, can significantly increase conventional energy costs. Additional benefits of our grid-connected power systems include reductions of fuel imports and improvements in energy security, enhanced peaking generation and faster time-to-power, and managed variability through accurate forecasting. |
| • | O&M Services. By leveraging our extensive experience in plant optimization and advanced diagnostics, we have developed one of the largest and most advanced O&M programs in the industry, including more than 10 GWDC of utility-scale PV solar power systems, while maintaining an average fleet system effective availability greater than 99%. Utilizing a state of the art global operations center, our team of O&M associates provide a variety of services to optimize system performance and comply with power purchase agreements (“PPA”), other project agreements, and regulations. Our products and services are engineered to enable the maximization of energy output and revenue for our customers while significantly reducing their unplanned maintenance costs. Plant owners benefit from predictable expenses over the life of the contract and reduced risk of energy loss. Our O&M program is compliant with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (“NERC”) standards and is designed to scale to accommodate the growing O&M needs of customers worldwide. We offer our O&M services to solar power plant owners that use either our solar modules or modules manufactured by third parties. |
Following an evaluation of the long-term sustainable cost structure, competitiveness, and risk-adjusted returns of our U.S. project development business, we have determined it is in the best interest of our stockholders to explore options for this business line. This exploration may result in, among other possibilities, a partnership with a third party who possesses complimentary competencies or a sale of all or a portion of our U.S. project development business. This exploration of options for our U.S. project development business is not subject to any definitive timetable and there can be no assurances that this process will result in any transaction.
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Market Overview
Solar energy is one of the world’s most experienced producersfastest growing forms of advanced PV modules. Our technology demonstrates a proven performance advantage over most crystalline silicon solar modulesrenewable energy with numerous economic and environmental benefits that make it an attractive complement to and/or substitute for traditional forms of equivalent efficiency rating by delivering competitive efficiency, higher real-world energy yield, and long-term reliability. We are able to provide such product performance, quality, and reliability to our customers due, in large part, to investing more in R&D than any other solar company ingeneration. In recent years, the world.
with relatively less maintenance or oversight compared to many other forms of generation. In addition to these economic benefits, solar energy has substantial environmental benefits. For example, PV solar power systems generate no greenhouse gas or other emissions and use minimal amounts of water compared to traditional energy generation assets. Worldwide solar markets continue to develop, aided by the above factors as well as demand elasticity resulting from declining industry average selling prices, both at the module and system level, which have made solar power one of the art Global Operations Center,most economically attractive sources of energy.
Module average selling prices in many global markets have declined in recent years and are expected to continue to decline to some degree in the future. In the aggregate, we believe manufacturers of solar cells and modules have significant installed production capacity, relative to global demand, and the ability for additional capacity expansion. We believe the solar industry may from time to time experience periods of structural imbalance between supply and demand (i.e., where production capacity exceeds global demand), and that such periods will continue to put pressure on pricing. Additionally, intense competition at the system level may result in an environment in which pricing falls rapidly, thereby further increasing demand for solar energy solutions but constraining the ability for project developers and diversified module manufacturers to sustain meaningful and consistent profitability. In light of such market realities, we are focusing on our teamstrategies and points of O&M experts provide a varietydifferentiation, which include our advanced module technology, our manufacturing process, our diversified capabilities, our financial viability, and the sustainability advantage of services to optimize system performanceour modules and comply with PPAs, other agreements, and regulations. We offer our O&M services to solar power plant owners that use either our solar modules or modules manufactured by third-party manufacturers.
systems.Global Markets
We have established and are continuingcontinue to develop a global business presence on six continents, as described below.presence. Energy markets are, by their nature, localized, with different drivers and market forces impacting electricity generation and demand in a particular region or for a particular application. Accordingly, our business is evolving worldwide and is shaped by the varying ways in which our PV solar energy solutionsofferings can be a compelling and economically viable solutionsolutions to energy needs in differentvarious markets. The following represent the key markets for our modules and applications.systems.
The Americas
United States.Multiple PV markets inwithin the United States, which accounted for 83%87% of our 20162019 net sales, exemplify several of the criteria criticalfavorable characteristics for a sustainable solar market:market, including (i) sizeable electricity demand, particularly around growing population centers and industrial areas,areas; (ii) high existing power prices,strong demand for renewable energy generation; and (iii) abundant solar resources. In those areas and applications in which these factors are more pronounced, our PV solar energy solutions compete favorably on an economic basis with more traditional forms of energy generation. The market penetration of PV solar is also impacted by certain statefederal and federalstate support programs, including the current 30% federal investment tax credit, as described below under “Support Programs.” We have significant experience and a market leadership position in developing engineering, constructing, and maintainingoperating utility-scale power plants in the United States, particularly in California, and other southwesternwestern states, and increasingly in southeastern states. Currently, our solar projects in the United States account for arepresent the majority of the advanced-stage pipeline of projects that we are either currently constructingactively developing or expect to construct.constructing. See Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Systems Project Pipeline” for more information about these projects.
6
Other Americas. We are developingOutside the United States, we have drawn on our businessindustry expertise and module technology advantages to make inroads in certain Central and South American markets. Accordingly, we continue to pursue module sale opportunities in Mexico and Brazil while monitoring opportunities in other countries with high growth potential.
Asia-Pacific
Australia. Australia is a promising region for PV solar energy with continued growth expected over the next several years. Much of this growth is being driven by several factors, including an increased demand for PPAs from Australian commercial and industrial companies, certain government programs, and continued procurement from local utilities as well as the emergence of a merchant power market. We continue to focus our efforts in the Americasregion on utility-scale project development, including Brazil, Mexico,our self-developed projects in Queensland, New South Wales, and certain Central American countries. For example,Victoria, while increasing our O&M services and third-party module sales. In June 2019, we recently completed the sale of our 87 MWAC Beryl project located in New South Wales.
Japan. Japan’s electricity markets have various characteristics, which make them attractive markets for PV solar energy. In particular, Japan has few domestic fossil fuel resources and relies heavily on fossil fuel imports. Following the Fukushima earthquake in 2011, the country introduced certain initiatives to limit its reliance on nuclear power. Accordingly, the Japanese government announced a long-term goal of dramatically increasing installed solar power capacity and provided various incentives for solar power installations. In recent years, we have partnered with local companies to develop, construct, and operate various PV solar power systems, which are expected to mitigate Japan’s dependence on fossil fuel imports and nuclear power. In 2019, we commenced construction of a 2638 MW solarAC project in Honduras and also commenced construction on an additional 25Kyoto prefecture, a 17 MWAC project in Ishikawa prefecture, and an 11 MWAC project in Ibaraki prefecture. We continue to operate the country.
59 MWAC Ishikawa project and provide O&M services to certain other projects we previously sold in 2018. We continue to pursue other utility-scale project development, O&M, and module sale opportunities in the region.Europe, the Middle East, and AfricaIndia
Europe. While PV solar adoption in the past was driven to a large degree by FiTs and other incentive programs in Germany, France, the United Kingdom (“U.K.”), Italy, and Spain, PV solar has entered its next phase in which growth will ultimately be determined by the degree to whichMost markets across Europe reflect strong demand for PV solar energy solutions candue to its ability to compete economically with more traditional forms of electricity generation, particularly in areas with high prevailing electricity prices, strong electricity demand, and strong solar resources.energy generation. In particular, France, Germany, France, andGreece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain are all running tenders in which utility-scale PV solar projects can bid for capacity. WhileSuch tenders and other recent market developments indicate the declining industry average selling pricespotential for further growth in the demand for PV solar systems has acceleratedenergy beyond the demand for solar energy solutions in some regions, theregion’s installed generation capacity for utility-scale PV solar in Europe remains limited dueof approximately 135 GWDC. We continue to market constraints and government regulations. We have been engaged in business development andpursue module sales activities in France,many of the U.K., and Germany and are actively evaluating additional sales opportunities in other markets, such as Turkey, where we are collaborating with certain local partners for the distribution of our modules or select project development opportunities.
countries mentioned above.The Middle East. The market potential for solar energy in the Middle East continues to be driven by a combination of strong economic fundamentals, aggressive tariff pricing, abundant solar resources, and robust policy. Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and The United Arab Emirates (“UAE”(the “UAE”), Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan have established utility-scale solar programs, which are at varying degrees of maturity. TheJordan and the UAE and Jordan lead the region with policy mechanisms designed to ramp up the shareamount of renewable energy in their generation portfolios. Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait are also promising markets with indicators of future potential for solar energy. While there are severalvarious motives for investing in solar energy, including energy security, diversification of generation portfolios, and the minimization of domestic consumption of hydrocarbons, the common factor is that the economics of PV solar energy have made it a compelling choice as aenergy generation source.
We have sold approximately 400 MWDC of modules in the region and continue to pursue additional module sales opportunities.7
companies. In 2015,addition, we successfully achieved commercial operation of 130 MW AC of projects in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. We continue to maintain our strong PV module presence in Indiathe region with over 1,300 MW approximately 2 GWDC of installed modules.
3
Diversified Capabilities
We are diversified across the solar value chain. Many of the efficiencies and capabilities that we deliver to our customers are not easily replicable for other industry participants that are not diversified in a similar manner. Accordingly, our operational model offers PV solar energy solutions that benefit from our wide range of capabilities, including advanced PV solar module manufacturing, project development, engineering and plant optimization, grid integration and plant control systems, construction services, and O&M services.
Financial Viability
We are committed to creating long-term shareholder value through a decision-making framework that delivers a balance of growth, profitability, and liquidity. This framework has enabled us to fund our Series 6 manufacturing and capacity expansion initiatives using cash flows generated by our operations despite substantial downward pressure on the price of solar modules and systems due to competition, demand fluctuations, and significant overcapacity in the industry. Our financial viability provides strategic optionality as we evaluate how to invest in our business and generate returns for our shareholders. Our financial viability and bankability also enable us to offer meaningful warranties, which provide us with a competitive advantage relative to many of our peers in the solar industry in the context of project financing and offering PV solar energy solutions to long-term owners. Furthermore, we expect our financial discipline and ability to manage operating costs to enhance our profitability as we continue to scale our business.
Sustainability
In addition to our financial commitments, we are also committed to minimizing the environmental impacts and enhancing the social and economic benefits of our products across their life cycle, from raw material sourcing through end-of-life module recycling. Accordingly, our modules and systems provide an ecologically leading solution to climate change, energy security, and water scarcity, which also enables our customers to achieve their sustainability objectives. On a lifecycle basis, our thin film module technology has the fastest energy payback time, smallest carbon footprint, and lowest water use of any PV solar technology on the market.
The energy payback time (which is the amount of time a system must operate to recover the energy required to produce it) of our module technology is facilitated by our specialized manufacturing process. In less than six months under high irradiance conditions, our systems produce more energy than was required to create them. This energy payback time represents a 50-fold energy return on investment over a theoretical 25-year system lifetime and an abundant net salesenergy gain to the electricity grid. Our module technology also has a carbon footprint that is up to six times lower than the carbon footprint of conventional crystalline silicon modules and profits remaina fraction of the carbon footprint of conventional energy sources. Furthermore, our module technology displaces up to 98% of greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants when replacing traditional forms of energy generation. Our modules also use up to 400 times less water per MW hour than conventional energy sources and up to 24 times less water than other PV solar modules. In addition, our industry-leading recycling process further enhances our sustainability advantage by recovering approximately 90% of the glass for reuse in new glass products and over 90% of the semiconductor material for reuse in new modules.
4
Offerings and Capabilities
We are focusing on markets and energy applications in which solar power can be a least-cost, best-fit energy solution, particularly in regions with high solar resources, significant current or projected electricity demand, and/or relatively high existing electricity prices. We differentiate our product offerings by geographic market and localize the solution, as needed. Our consultative approach to our customers’ solar energy needs and capabilities results in customized solutions to meet their economic goals. As a result, we have designed our product and service offerings according to the following business areas:
| • | PV Solar Modules. Our modules couple our leading-edge CdTe technology with the manufacturing excellence and quality control that comes from being one of the world’s most experienced producers of advanced PV solar modules. Our technology demonstrates a proven performance advantage over most monofacial crystalline silicon solar modules of equivalent efficiency rating by delivering higher real-world energy yield and long-term reliability. We are able to provide such product performance, quality, and reliability to our customers due, in large part, to our consistent and sustained investments in R&D activities. |
| • | Utility-Scale Power Plants. We have extensive, proven experience in the development, engineering, and construction of reliable grid-connected power systems for utility-scale generation. Our grid-connected systems support a diversified energy portfolio, reduce fossil-fuel consumption, mitigate the risk of fuel price volatility, and save costs, proving that centralized solar generation can deliver dependable and affordable solar electricity to the grid around the world. Our plant control systems provide reliability services, such as frequency control, voltage control, ramping capacity, and automated generation control, which enable expanded integration of PV solar power systems into the power grid. Such reliability services also help balance the grid during times of high renewable energy generation. Our solar energy systems also offer a meaningful value proposition by eliminating commodity price risks thereby providing a long-term fixed price with relatively low operating costs. When compared to the price of power derived from a conventional source of energy, a fixed price cannot be achieved unless the cost of hedging is included. Hedging costs of a commodity such as natural gas, along with the costs of credit support required for a long-term hedge, can significantly increase conventional energy costs. Additional benefits of our grid-connected power systems include reductions of fuel imports and improvements in energy security, enhanced peaking generation and faster time-to-power, and managed variability through accurate forecasting. |
| • | O&M Services. By leveraging our extensive experience in plant optimization and advanced diagnostics, we have developed one of the largest and most advanced O&M programs in the industry, including more than 10 GWDC of utility-scale PV solar power systems, while maintaining an average fleet system effective availability greater than 99%. Utilizing a state of the art global operations center, our team of O&M associates provide a variety of services to optimize system performance and comply with power purchase agreements (“PPA”), other project agreements, and regulations. Our products and services are engineered to enable the maximization of energy output and revenue for our customers while significantly reducing their unplanned maintenance costs. Plant owners benefit from predictable expenses over the life of the contract and reduced risk of energy loss. Our O&M program is compliant with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (“NERC”) standards and is designed to scale to accommodate the growing O&M needs of customers worldwide. We offer our O&M services to solar power plant owners that use either our solar modules or modules manufactured by third parties. |
Following an evaluation of the long-term sustainable cost structure, competitiveness, and risk-adjusted returns of our U.S. project development business, we have determined it is in the best interest of our stockholders to explore options for this business line. This exploration may result in, among other possibilities, a partnership with a third party who possesses complimentary competencies or a sale of all or a portion of our U.S. project development business. This exploration of options for our U.S. project development business is not subject to regulationany definitive timetable and variability based onthere can be no assurances that this process will result in any transaction.
5
Market Overview
Solar energy is one of the availabilityfastest growing forms of renewable energy with numerous economic and sizeenvironmental benefits that make it an attractive complement to and/or substitute for traditional forms of government subsidies and economic incentives. Support programs forenergy generation. In recent years, the price of PV solar power systems, and accordingly the cost of producing electricity from such systems, has dropped to levels that are competitive with or below the wholesale price of electricity in many markets. This rapid price decline has opened new possibilities to develop systems in many locations with limited or no financial incentives. Other technological developments in the industry, such as the advancement of energy storage capabilities, have further enhanced the prospects of solar energy as an alternative to traditional forms of energy generation. Furthermore, the fact that a PV solar power system requires no fuel provides a unique and valuable hedging benefit to owners of such systems relative to traditional energy generation depending on the jurisdiction, include FiTs, quotas (including renewable portfolio standards and tendering systems), and net energy metering programs.assets. Once installed, PV solar power systems can function for over 35 years
with relatively less maintenance or oversight compared to many other forms of generation. In addition to these support programs, financial incentives foreconomic benefits, solar energy has substantial environmental benefits. For example, PV solar electricitypower systems generate no greenhouse gas or other emissions and use minimal amounts of water compared to traditional energy generation include tax incentives, grants, loans, rebates,assets. Worldwide solar markets continue to develop, aided by the above factors as well as demand elasticity resulting from declining industry average selling prices, both at the module and system level, which have made solar power one of the most economically attractive sources of energy.
Module average selling prices in many global markets have declined in recent years and are expected to continue to decline to some degree in the future. In the aggregate, we believe manufacturers of solar cells and modules have significant installed production incentives. Although we expectcapacity, relative to become less impacted by,global demand, and less dependent on, support programs as we execute our long term strategic plan, support programsthe ability for additional capacity expansion. We believe the solar industry may from time to time experience periods of structural imbalance between supply and demand (i.e., where production capacity exceeds global demand), and that such periods will continue to playput pressure on pricing. Additionally, intense competition at the system level may result in an environment in which pricing falls rapidly, thereby further increasing demand for solar energy solutions but constraining the ability for project developers and diversified module manufacturers to sustain meaningful and consistent profitability. In light of such market realities, we are focusing on our strategies and points of differentiation, which include our advanced module technology, our manufacturing process, our diversified capabilities, our financial viability, and the sustainability advantage of our modules and systems.
Global Markets
We have established and continue to develop a global business presence. Energy markets are, by their nature, localized, with different drivers and market forces impacting electricity generation and demand in a particular region or for a particular application. Accordingly, our business is evolving worldwide and is shaped by the varying rolesways in acceleratingwhich our offerings can be compelling and economically viable solutions to energy needs in various markets. The following represent the adoptionkey markets for our modules and systems.
The Americas
United States. Multiple markets within the United States, which accounted for 87% of our 2019 net sales, exemplify favorable characteristics for a solar market, including (i) sizeable electricity demand, particularly around growing population centers and industrial areas; (ii) strong demand for renewable energy generation; and (iii) abundant solar resources. In those areas and applications in which these factors are more pronounced, our PV solar energy solutions compete favorably on an economic basis with traditional forms of energy generation. The market penetration of PV solar systems aroundis also impacted by certain federal and state support programs, including the world.
6
Other Americas. Outside the United States, we have drawn on our industry expertise and module technology advantages to make inroads in certain Central and South American markets. Accordingly, we continue to pursue module sale opportunities in Mexico and Brazil while monitoring opportunities in other countries with high growth potential.
Asia-Pacific
Australia. Australia is a promising region for PV solar energy with continued growth expected over the next several years. Much of this growth is being driven by several factors, including an increased demand for PPAs from Australian commercial and industrial companies, certain government programs, and continued procurement from local utilities as well as the emergence of a merchant power market. We continue to focus our efforts in the region on utility-scale project development, including our self-developed projects in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, while increasing our O&M services and third-party module sales. In June 2019, we completed the sale of our 87 MWAC Beryl project located in New South Wales.
Japan. Japan’s electricity markets have various characteristics, which make them attractive markets for PV solar energy. In particular, Japan has few domestic fossil fuel resources and relies heavily on fossil fuel imports. Following the Fukushima earthquake in 2011, the country introduced certain initiatives to limit its extension isreliance on nuclear power. Accordingly, the Japanese government announced a long-term goal of dramatically increasing installed solar power capacity and provided various incentives for solar power installations. In recent years, we have partnered with local companies to develop, construct, and operate various PV solar power systems, which are expected to contributemitigate Japan’s dependence on fossil fuel imports and nuclear power. In 2019, we commenced construction of a 38 MWAC project in Kyoto prefecture, a 17 MWAC project in Ishikawa prefecture, and an 11 MWAC project in Ibaraki prefecture. We continue to greater medium-term demand visibilityoperate the 59 MWAC Ishikawa project and provide O&M services to certain other projects we previously sold in 2018. We continue to pursue other utility-scale project development, O&M, and module sale opportunities in the United States. The positive impact ofregion.
Europe, the ITC has dependedMiddle East, and India
Europe. Most markets across Europe reflect strong demand for PV solar energy due to a large degree on the availability of tax equity for project financing, and any significant reduction in the availability of tax equity in the future could make itits ability to compete economically with more difficult to develop and construct projects requiring financing. The eventual step-down of the ITC to 10% underscores the need for the LCOE from solar systems to continue to decline and remain competitive with other sourcestraditional forms of energy generation.
The Middle East. The market potential for solar has not historically received significant state-level policy support. However, the adoption and implementation of the Rule has been impacted by litigation against the Rule initiated by states and other stakeholders which has not yet been resolved, and in February 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed implementation of the Rule while such legal challenges are pending. It is therefore premature to assess what the effects of the Rule will be on PV solar markets.
India. India continues to represent one of the volume of renewable electricity required to meet its RPS mandate, California’s RPS program is the most significant in the United States,largest and the California marketfastest growing markets for renewable energy has dominated the western United States region for the past several years. First enacted in 2002, California’s RPS statute has been amended several times to increase the overall percentage requirement as well as to accelerate the target date for program compliance. Pursuant to amendments enacted by the California Legislature in 2015, the California RPS program now requires utilities and other obligated load serving entities to procure 50% of their total retail electricity demand from eligible renewable resources by 2030. In 2016, approximately 45% of our total net sales were derived from our systems projects or third-party module sales to solar power systems in California.
7
companies. In addition, we continue to maintain our PV solar power systems for a period of time based on strategic opportunities.
Manufacturing Process
3
Diversified Capabilities
We are diversified across the solar value chain. Many of the efficiencies and capabilities that we deliver to our customers are not easily replicable for other industry participants that are not diversified in a similar manner. Accordingly, our operational model offers PV solar energy solutions that benefit from our wide range of capabilities, including advanced PV solar module manufacturing, project development, engineering and plant optimization, grid integration and plant control systems, construction services, and O&M services.
Financial Viability
We are committed to creating long-term shareholder value through a decision-making framework that delivers a balance of growth, profitability, and liquidity. This framework has enabled us to fund our Series 6 manufacturing and capacity expansion initiatives using cash flows generated by our operations despite substantial downward pressure on the price of solar modules and systems due to competition, demand fluctuations, and significant overcapacity in the industry. Our financial viability provides strategic optionality as we evaluate how to invest in our business and generate returns for our shareholders. Our financial viability and bankability also enable us to offer meaningful warranties, which provide us with a competitive advantage relative to many of our peers in the solar industry in the context of project financing and offering PV solar energy solutions to long-term owners. Furthermore, we expect our financial discipline and ability to manage operating costs to enhance our profitability as we continue to scale our business.
Sustainability
In addition to our financial commitments, we are also committed to minimizing the environmental impacts and enhancing the social and economic benefits of our products across their life cycle, from raw material sourcing through end-of-life module recycling. Accordingly, our modules and systems provide an ecologically leading solution to climate change, energy security, and water scarcity, which also enables our customers to achieve their sustainability objectives. On a lifecycle basis, our thin film module technology has the fastest energy payback time, smallest carbon footprint, and lowest water use of any PV solar technology on the market.
The energy payback time (which is the amount of time a system must operate to recover the energy required to produce it) of our module technology is facilitated by our specialized manufacturing process. In less than six months under high irradiance conditions, our systems produce more energy than was required to create them. This energy payback time represents a 50-fold energy return on investment over a theoretical 25-year system lifetime and an abundant net energy gain to the electricity grid. Our module technology also has a carbon footprint that is up to six times lower than the carbon footprint of conventional crystalline silicon modules and a fraction of the carbon footprint of conventional energy sources. Furthermore, our module technology displaces up to 98% of greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants when replacing traditional forms of energy generation. Our modules also use up to 400 times less water per MW hour than conventional energy sources and up to 24 times less water than other PV solar modules. In addition, our industry-leading recycling process further enhances our sustainability advantage by recovering approximately 90% of the glass for reuse in new glass products and over 90% of the semiconductor material for reuse in new modules.
4
Offerings and Capabilities
We are focusing on markets and energy applications in which solar power can be a least-cost, best-fit energy solution, particularly in regions with high solar resources, significant current or projected electricity demand, and/or relatively high existing electricity prices. We differentiate our product offerings by geographic market and localize the solution, as needed. Our consultative approach to our customers’ solar energy needs and capabilities results in customized solutions to meet their economic goals. As a result, we have designed our product and service offerings according to the following business areas:
| • | PV Solar Modules. Our modules couple our leading-edge CdTe technology with the manufacturing excellence and quality control that comes from being one of the world’s most experienced producers of advanced PV solar modules. Our technology demonstrates a proven performance advantage over most monofacial crystalline silicon solar modules of equivalent efficiency rating by delivering higher real-world energy yield and long-term reliability. We are able to provide such product performance, quality, and reliability to our customers due, in large part, to our consistent and sustained investments in R&D activities. |
| • | Utility-Scale Power Plants. We have extensive, proven experience in the development, engineering, and construction of reliable grid-connected power systems for utility-scale generation. Our grid-connected systems support a diversified energy portfolio, reduce fossil-fuel consumption, mitigate the risk of fuel price volatility, and save costs, proving that centralized solar generation can deliver dependable and affordable solar electricity to the grid around the world. Our plant control systems provide reliability services, such as frequency control, voltage control, ramping capacity, and automated generation control, which enable expanded integration of PV solar power systems into the power grid. Such reliability services also help balance the grid during times of high renewable energy generation. Our solar energy systems also offer a meaningful value proposition by eliminating commodity price risks thereby providing a long-term fixed price with relatively low operating costs. When compared to the price of power derived from a conventional source of energy, a fixed price cannot be achieved unless the cost of hedging is included. Hedging costs of a commodity such as natural gas, along with the costs of credit support required for a long-term hedge, can significantly increase conventional energy costs. Additional benefits of our grid-connected power systems include reductions of fuel imports and improvements in energy security, enhanced peaking generation and faster time-to-power, and managed variability through accurate forecasting. |
| • | O&M Services. By leveraging our extensive experience in plant optimization and advanced diagnostics, we have developed one of the largest and most advanced O&M programs in the industry, including more than 10 GWDC of utility-scale PV solar power systems, while maintaining an average fleet system effective availability greater than 99%. Utilizing a state of the art global operations center, our team of O&M associates provide a variety of services to optimize system performance and comply with power purchase agreements (“PPA”), other project agreements, and regulations. Our products and services are engineered to enable the maximization of energy output and revenue for our customers while significantly reducing their unplanned maintenance costs. Plant owners benefit from predictable expenses over the life of the contract and reduced risk of energy loss. Our O&M program is compliant with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (“NERC”) standards and is designed to scale to accommodate the growing O&M needs of customers worldwide. We offer our O&M services to solar power plant owners that use either our solar modules or modules manufactured by third parties. |
Following an evaluation of the long-term sustainable cost structure, competitiveness, and risk-adjusted returns of our U.S. project development business, we have determined it is in the best interest of our stockholders to explore options for this business line. This exploration may result in, among other possibilities, a partnership with a third party who possesses complimentary competencies or a sale of all or a portion of our U.S. project development business. This exploration of options for our U.S. project development business is not subject to any definitive timetable and there can be no assurances that this process will result in any transaction.
5
Market Overview
Solar energy is one of the fastest growing forms of renewable energy with numerous economic and environmental benefits that make it an attractive complement to and/or substitute for traditional forms of energy generation. In recent years, the price of PV solar power systems, and accordingly the cost of producing electricity from such systems, has dropped to levels that are competitive with or below the wholesale price of electricity in many markets. This rapid price decline has opened new possibilities to develop systems in many locations with limited or no financial incentives. Other technological developments in the industry, such as the advancement of energy storage capabilities, have further enhanced the prospects of solar energy as an alternative to traditional forms of energy generation. Furthermore, the fact that a PV solar power system requires no fuel provides a unique and valuable hedging benefit to owners of such systems relative to traditional energy generation assets. Once installed, PV solar power systems can function for over 35 years
with relatively less maintenance or oversight compared to many other forms of generation. In addition to these economic benefits, solar energy has substantial environmental benefits. For example, PV solar power systems generate no greenhouse gas or other emissions and use minimal amounts of water compared to traditional energy generation assets. Worldwide solar markets continue to develop, aided by the above factors as well as demand elasticity resulting from declining industry average selling prices, both at the module and system level, which have made solar power one of the most economically attractive sources of energy.
Module average selling prices in many global markets have declined in recent years and are expected to continue to decline to some degree in the future. In the aggregate, we believe manufacturers of solar cells and modules have significant installed production capacity, relative to global demand, and the ability for additional capacity expansion. We believe the solar industry may from time to time experience periods of structural imbalance between supply and demand (i.e., where production capacity exceeds global demand), and that such periods will continue to put pressure on pricing. Additionally, intense competition at the system level may result in an environment in which pricing falls rapidly, thereby further increasing demand for solar energy solutions but constraining the ability for project developers and diversified module manufacturers to sustain meaningful and consistent profitability. In light of such market realities, we are focusing on our Perrysburg, Ohiostrategies and Kulim, Malaysiapoints of differentiation, which include our advanced module technology, our manufacturing facilities.process, our diversified capabilities, our financial viability, and the sustainability advantage of our modules and systems.
Global Markets
We have established and continue to develop a global business presence. Energy markets are, by their nature, localized, with different drivers and market forces impacting electricity generation and demand in a particular region or for a particular application. Accordingly, our business is evolving worldwide and is shaped by the varying ways in which our offerings can be compelling and economically viable solutions to energy needs in various markets. The following represent the key markets for our modules and systems.
The Americas
United States. Multiple markets within the United States, which accounted for 87% of our 2019 net sales, exemplify favorable characteristics for a solar market, including (i) sizeable electricity demand, particularly around growing population centers and industrial areas; (ii) strong demand for renewable energy generation; and (iii) abundant solar resources. In those areas and applications in which these factors are more pronounced, our PV solar energy solutions compete favorably on an economic basis with traditional forms of energy generation. The market penetration of PV solar is also impacted by certain federal and state support programs, including the federal investment tax credit, as described below under “Support Programs.” We have significant experience and a market leadership position in developing and operating utility-scale power plants in the United States, particularly in California, other western states, and southeastern states. Currently, our solar projects in the United States represent the majority of the advanced-stage pipeline of projects that we are actively developing or constructing. See Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Systems Project Pipeline” for more information about these projects.
6
Other Americas. Outside the United States, we have drawn on our industry expertise and module technology advantages to make inroads in certain Central and South American markets. Accordingly, we continue to pursue module sale opportunities in Mexico and Brazil while monitoring opportunities in other countries with high growth potential.
Asia-Pacific
Australia. Australia is a promising region for PV solar energy with continued growth expected over the next several years. Much of this growth is being driven by several factors, including an increased demand for PPAs from Australian commercial and industrial companies, certain government programs, and continued procurement from local utilities as well as the emergence of a merchant power market. We continue to focus our efforts in the region on utility-scale project development, including our self-developed projects in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, while increasing our O&M services and third-party module sales. In June 2019, we completed the sale of our 87 MWAC Beryl project located in New South Wales.
Japan. Japan’s electricity markets have various characteristics, which make them attractive markets for PV solar energy. In particular, Japan has few domestic fossil fuel resources and relies heavily on fossil fuel imports. Following the Fukushima earthquake in 2011, the country introduced certain initiatives to limit its reliance on nuclear power. Accordingly, the Japanese government announced a long-term goal of dramatically increasing installed solar power capacity and provided various incentives for solar power installations. In recent years, we have partnered with local companies to develop, construct, and operate various PV solar power systems, which are expected to mitigate Japan’s dependence on fossil fuel imports and nuclear power. In 2019, we commenced construction of a 38 MWAC project in Kyoto prefecture, a 17 MWAC project in Ishikawa prefecture, and an 11 MWAC project in Ibaraki prefecture. We continue to operate the 59 MWAC Ishikawa project and provide O&M services to certain other projects we previously sold in 2018. We continue to pursue other utility-scale project development, O&M, and module sale opportunities in the region.
Europe, the Middle East, and India
Europe. Most markets across Europe reflect strong demand for PV solar energy due to its ability to compete economically with more traditional forms of energy generation. In particular, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain are all running tenders in which utility-scale PV solar projects can bid for capacity. Such tenders and other recent market developments indicate the potential for further growth in the demand for PV solar energy beyond the region’s installed generation capacity of approximately 135 GWDC. We continue to pursue module sales activities in many of the countries mentioned above.
The Middle East. The market potential for solar energy in the Middle East continues to be driven by a combination of strong economic fundamentals, aggressive tariff pricing, abundant solar resources, and robust policy. Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and The United Arab Emirates (the “UAE”) have established utility-scale solar programs, which are at varying degrees of maturity. Jordan and the UAE lead the region with policy mechanisms designed to ramp up the amount of renewable energy in their generation portfolios. While there are various motives for investing in solar energy, including energy security, diversification of generation portfolios, and the minimization of domestic consumption of hydrocarbons, the common factor is that the economics of PV solar energy have made it a compelling energy generation source. We have sold approximately 400 MWDC of modules in the region and continue to pursue additional module sales opportunities.
India. India continues to represent one of the largest and fastest growing markets for PV solar energy with an installed generation capacity of over 35 GWDC, another 12 GWDC of projects in development or construction, and over 20 GWDC of new procurement programs announced. In addition, the government has established aggressive renewable energy targets, which include increasing the country’s solar capacity to 100 GWAC by 2022. These targets, along with various policy and regulatory measures, help create significant and sustained demand for PV solar energy. Accordingly, we expect to continue selling modules to local integrators and operators of systems to address the region’s energy needs. We currently own and operate three projects with an aggregate capacity of 50 MWAC located in Telangana and Karnataka, for which we have secured rights to sell power under separate 25-year PPAs to state owned electricity distribution
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companies. In addition, we continue to maintain our strong module presence in the region with approximately 2 GWDC of installed modules.
Support Programs
Although we compete in many markets that do not require solar-specific government subsidies or support programs, our net sales and profits remain subject, in the near term, to variability based on the availability and size of government subsidies and economic incentives, such as quotas, renewable portfolio standards, and tendering systems. In addition to these support programs, financial incentives for PV solar energy generation may include tax and production incentives. Although we expect to become less impacted by and less dependent on these forms of government support over time, such programs continue to influence the demand for PV solar energy around the world.
In Europe, renewable energy targets, in conjunction with tenders for utility-scale PV solar and other support measures, have contributed to growth in PV solar markets. Renewable energy targets prescribe how much energy consumption must come from renewable sources, while incentive policies and competitive tender policies are intended to support new supply development by providing certainty to investors. Various European Union (“EU”) directives on renewable energy have set targets for all EU member states in support of the current goal of a 32% share of energy from renewable sources in the EU by 2030.
Tax incentive programs exist in the United States at both the federal and state level and can take the form of investment and production tax credits, accelerated depreciation, and sales and property tax exemptions and abatements. At the federal level, investment tax credits for business and residential solar systems have gone through several cycles of enactment and expiration since the 1980s. In 2015, the U.S. Congress extended the 30% federal energy investment tax credit (“ITC”) for both residential and commercial solar installations through 2019. Among other requirements, such credits require projects to have commenced construction by a certain date, which may be achieved by certain qualifying procurement activities. Accordingly, projects that commenced construction in 2019 were eligible for the 30% ITC. The credit will step down to 26% for projects that commence construction in 2020, 22% for projects that commence construction in 2021, and 10% for projects that commence construction thereafter. Over the next several years, we may advance the construction of various U.S. systems projects or procure the associated modules or BoS parts, by specified dates, for such projects to qualify for certain federal investment tax credits. The ITC has been an important economic driver of solar installations and qualifying procurement activities in the United States, and its extension has contributed to greater medium-term demand. The positive impact of the ITC depends to a large degree on the availability of tax equity for project financing, and any significant reduction in the availability of tax equity in the future could make it more difficult to develop and construct projects requiring financing.
The majority of states in the United States have also enacted legislation adopting Renewable Portfolio Standard (“RPS”) mechanisms. Under an RPS, regulated utilities and other load serving entities are required to procure a specified percentage of their total retail electricity sales to end-user customers from eligible renewable resources, such as solar energy generation facilities, by a specified date. Some programs may further require that a specified portion of the total percentage of renewable energy must come from solar generation facilities or other technologies. RPS mechanisms and other legislation vary significantly from state to state, particularly with respect to the percentage of renewable energy required to achieve the state’s RPS, the definition of eligible renewable energy resources, and the extent to which renewable energy credits qualify for RPS compliance.
Measured in terms of the volume of renewable electricity required to meet its RPS mandate, California’s RPS program is one of the most significant in the United States. In addition to serving as a template for other states, the California market for renewable energy has historically been a key region for First Solar and has led the western United States in renewable energy demand for the past several years. First enacted in 2002, California’s RPS statute has been amended several times to increase the overall percentage requirement as well as to accelerate the target date for program compliance. Pursuant to the passage of SB100 by the California legislature in 2018, the California RPS program now requires utilities and other obligated load serving entities to procure 60% of their total retail electricity demand from eligible renewable resources by 2030.
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Various proposed and contemplated environmental and tax policies may create regulatory uncertainty in the renewable energy sector, including the solar energy sector, and may lead to a reduction or removal of various clean energy programs and initiatives designed to curtail climate change. For more information about the risks associated with these potential government actions, see Item 1A. “Risk Factors – The reduction, elimination, or expiration of government subsidies, economic incentives, tax incentives, renewable energy targets, and other support for on-grid solar electricity applications, or other adverse public policies, such as tariffs or other trade remedies imposed on solar cells and modules, could negatively impact demand and/or price levels for our solar modules and systems and limit our growth or lead to a reduction in our net sales, thereby adversely impacting our operating results.”
Business Segments
We operate our business in two segments. Our modules segment involves the design, manufacture, and sale of CdTe solar modules, which convert sunlight into electricity. Third-party customers of our modules segment include integrators and operators of PV solar power systems. Our second segment is our systems segment, through which we provide power plant solutions, which include (i) project development, (ii) engineering, procurement, and construction (“EPC”) services, and (iii) O&M services. We may provide any combination of individual products and services within such capabilities (including, with respect to EPC services, by contracting with third parties) depending upon the customer and market opportunity. Our systems segment customers include utilities, independent power producers, commercial and industrial companies, and other system owners. As part of our systems segment, we transitionmay also temporarily own and operate certain of our systems for a period of time based on strategic opportunities or market factors. See Note 21. “Segment and Geographical Information” to manufacturingour consolidated financial statements for further information regarding our business segments.
Modules Business
Solar Modules
Since the inception of First Solar, our flagship module has used our advanced thin film semiconductor technology. In April 2018, we commenced commercial production of our Series 6 module technology, we expect to ramp down productionwhich represents the latest generation of our flagship module. Each Series 4 related modules over6 module is a glass laminate approximately 4ft x 6ft (123cm x 201cm) in size that encapsulates thin film semiconductor materials. At the next two years. Such temporary reduction in production capacity allows us to use our existing manufacturing infrastructure to more quickly deployend of 2019, our Series 6 modules had an average power output of approximately 430 watts. Our modules offer up to 8% more energy than monofacial crystalline silicon solar modules of equivalent nameplate capacity and generally include anti-reflective coated glass, which further enhances energy production. Our module semiconductor structure is a single-junction polycrystalline thin film that uses CdTe as the absorption layer. CdTe has absorption properties that are well matched to the solar spectrum and can deliver competitive wattage using approximately 1-2% of the amount of semiconductor material used to manufacture conventional crystalline silicon modules. Due to its minimal thickness, our thin-film CdTe semiconductor technology is also immune to best position us for long-term competitivenesscell cracking and growth.its resulting power output loss, a common failure often observed in crystalline silicon modules caused by adverse manufacturing, handling, weather, or other conditions.
Manufacturing Process
We havemanufacture our solar modules on integrated our CdTe manufacturing processes into aproduction lines in an automated, proprietary, and continuous production line withprocess, which includes the following three stages: (i) the deposition stage, (ii) the cell definition and treatment stage, and (iii) the assembly and test stage. In the deposition stage, panels of transparent oxide-coated glass are robotically loaded onto the production line where they are cleaned, laser etchlaser-mark identified with a serial number, heated, and coated with thin layers of CdTe and other semiconductor materials using our proprietary vapor transport deposition technology, after which the semiconductor-coated plates are cooled rapidly to increase glass strength. In the cell definition and treatment stage, we use high speedhigh-speed lasers to transform the large singlecontinuous semiconductor coating on the glass plate into a series of interconnected cells that deliver the desired current and voltage output. In this stage, we also treat the semiconductor film using proprietary chemistries and processes to improve the devicedevice’s performance, and we apply a metal sputtered back contact. Finally, inIn the assembly and test stage, we apply busbars, inter-layer material, and a rear glass
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cover sheet that is laminated to encapsulate the device. AWe then apply anti-reflective coating material to the substrate glass to further improve the module’s performance by increasing its ability to absorb sunlight. Finally, junction box andboxes, termination wires, and an under-mount frame (for Series 6 modules) are then applied to complete the assembly. The final assembly stage is the only stage in our production line that requires manual processing.
We maintain a robust quality and reliability assurance program that monitors critical process parameters and measures product performance to ensure that industry and more stringent internal standards are met. AcceptanceWe also conduct acceptance testing for electrical leakage, visual quality, and power measurement on a solar simulator are conducted prior to preparing a module being boxed for shipment. The quality and reliability tests complement production surveillance with an ongoing monitoring program, subjecting production modules to accelerated life stress testing to help ensure ongoing conformance to requirements of the International Electrotechnical Commission and Underwriters Laboratories Inc. These programs help assure delivery of power and performance in the field with a high level of product quality and reliability.
Research Development, and EngineeringDevelopment
Our R&D model differentiates us from much of our competition due to its vertical integration, from advanced research to product development, manufacturing, and applications. We continue to devote substantial resources to R&D with the primary objective of lowering the lifecycle cost of electricity generated by our PV solar power systems. We conduct our R&D activities primarily inefforts, which generally focus on continually improving the United States. Within our components business, we focus our R&D activities on, among other areas, continuing to increase the conversion efficiencywattage and energy yield of our solar modules andmodules. We also focus our R&D activities on continuously improving module durability and manufacturing efficiencies, including throughput improvement, volume ramp, and material cost reduction. Based on publicly available information, we are one of the leaders in R&D investment among PV solar module manufacturers, maintaining a rate of innovation that enables rapid wattage gains and cost reductions.
In the course of our R&D activities, we continuously explore various technologies in our efforts to sustain competitive differentiation in our modules. We typicallyprimarily conduct our R&D activities and qualify process and product improvements for full production at our Perrysburg, Ohio plant and then use a systematic process to propagate them to our other production lines. We believe that our systematic approach to technology change management provides continuous improvements and ensures uniform adoption across our production lines. In addition, our CdTe production lines are replicas or near replicas of each other and, as a result, a process or production improvement on one line can be rapidly and reliably deployed to other production lines.
We regularly produce research cells in our laboratories, some of which are tested for performance and certified by independent labs, such as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Cell efficiency measures the proportion of light converted to electricity in a single solar cell at standard test conditions. Our research cells are produced using laboratory equipment and methods and are not intended to be representative of our manufacturing capability. Our module conversion efficiency has improved on average more than half a percent every year for the last ten years. We currently hold two world records for CdTe PV cell efficiency, achieving an independently certified research cell efficiency of 22.1% and a full aperture area module efficiency of 18.6%. We believe that our record cells demonstrate a potential long-term module efficiency entitlement of over 19%20% that is achievable using our commercial-scale manufacturing equipment.
Customers
We are investing incontinue to focus on key geographic markets, particularly in areas with abundant solar resources and sizable electricity demand, and as part of such efforts, we are seeking to develop additional customer relationships which has reduced and is expected to continue to reducediversify our customer base. We also collaborate with providers of community solar solutions, which address the residential and geographic concentrationsmall business sectors to provide a broad range of customers with access to competitively priced solar energy regardless of the suitability of their rooftops. Community solar utilizes relatively small ground-mounted installations that provide clean energy to utilities, which
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then offer consumers the ability to buy into a specific community installation and dependence.benefit from the solar power generated by that resource. The demand for such offerings continues to build as states across the country are enacting community solar policies, and utilities are looking to diversify their energy generation portfolio in order to meet customer demand for affordable, clean energy. We also collaborate with providers of Community Choice Aggregation programs, which allow cities and counties to purchase power on behalf of residents and businesses to provide clean energy options at competitive prices. Our expertise in module technology and utility-scale generation, paired with community solar and/or Community Choice Aggregation, allows residential power consumers to “go solar,” including those who live in apartment buildings or whose home rooftops cannot accommodate solar panels.
Competition
The renewable energy, solar energy and solar modulerenewable energy sectors are highly competitive and continually evolving as participants in these sectors strive to distinguish themselves within their markets and compete within the larger electric power industry. We face intense competition for sales of solar modules, which has resulted in and may continue to result in reduced marginsaverage selling prices and loss of market share. With respect to our componentsmodules business, our primary sources of competition are crystalline silicon solar module manufacturers, as well as other thin-film module manufacturers. We believeIn addition, we expect to compete with future entrants into the PV solar industry and existing market participants that offer new or differentiated technological solutions. For example, many crystalline silicon modulecell and wafer manufacturers are currently transitioningcontinue to transition from lower efficiency Back Surface Field (“BSF”) multi-crystalline wafercells (the legacy technology (historicallyagainst which we have generally competed in our primary competitor)markets) to more efficient mono-crystalline wafer technology. Such transition is being facilitated by the emergence of new and low cost mono wafer suppliers, primarily from China, coupled with the gradual industry transition tohigher efficiency Passivated Emitter Rear Contact (“PERC”) cell technology. Asmono-crystalline cells at competitive cost structures. Additionally, while conventional solar modules, including the solar modules we produce, are monofacial, meaning their ability to produce energy is a result, we expect that in the future, our primary competition might transition from multi-crystalline tofunction of direct and diffuse irradiance on their front side, certain manufacturers of mono-crystalline PERC modules are pursuing the commercialization of bifacial modules that also capture diffuse irradiance on the back side of a module. We also face competition from semiconductor manufacturers and semiconductor equipment manufacturers or their customers that produce PV solar cells, solar modules, or turnkey production lines. Within the larger electric power industry, we compete with higher conversion efficiencies.companies that currently offer or are developing other renewable energy technologies (including wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, and tidal technologies), as well as traditional energy generation sources.
Certain of our existing or future competitors may be part of larger corporations that have greater financial resources and greater brand name recognition than we do and, as a result, may be better positioned to adapt to changes in the industry or the economy as a whole. Certain competitors may have direct or indirect access to sovereign capital, which could enable such competitors to operate at minimal or negative operating margins for sustained periods of time. Among PV solar module manufacturers, the principal methods of competition include sales price per watt, wattage (or conversion efficiency,efficiency), energy yield, reliability, warranty terms, and customer payment terms. If competitors reduce module pricing to levels near or below their manufacturing costs, or are able to operate at minimal or negative operating margins for sustained periods of time, our results of operations could be adversely affected. At December 31, 2016, the global PV industry consisted of more than 50 manufacturers of solar modules. In the aggregate, these manufacturers have significant installed production capacity, relative to global demand, and the ability for additional capacity expansion. We believe the solar industry may from time to time experience periods of structural imbalance between supply and demand (i.e., where production capacity exceeds global demand), and that such periods will put pressure on pricing, which could adversely affect our results of operations. We believeFor additional information, see Item 1A. “Risk Factors – Competition in solar markets globally and across the solar industryvalue chain is currentlyintense, and could remain that way for an extended period of time. An increased global supply of PV modules has caused and may continue to cause structural imbalances in suchwhich global PV module supply exceeds demand, which could have a period.material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.”
Raw Materials
Our CdTe module manufacturing process uses approximately 30 types of raw materials and components to construct a complete solar module. One critical raw material in our production process is CdTe. Of the other raw materials and components, the following are also critical to our manufacturing process: front glass coated with transparent conductive oxide, other semiconductor materials, organics such as photo resist, tempered back glass, frames, packaging components such as interlayer, cord plate/cord plate cap, junction box, lead wire, and solar connectors. Before we use these materials and components in our manufacturing process, a supplier must undergo a rigorous qualification process. Weprocedures, and we continually evaluate new suppliers and currently are qualifying several new suppliers and materials.as part of our cost reduction roadmaps. When possible, we attempt to use suppliers that can provide a
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raw material supply source that is near our manufacturing locations, reducing the cost and lead times for such materials. Several of our key raw materials and components are either single-sourced or sourced from a limited number of third-party suppliers.
We are committed to extended producer responsibility and take into account the environmental impact of our products over their entire life cycle. As part of such efforts, we previously established the solar industry’s first comprehensive module collection and recycling program. Our module recycling process is designed to enablemaximize the recovery of valuable materials, including the glass and encapsulated semiconductor material, for use in new modules or other products and minimizesenhances the environmental impacts associated withsustainability profile of our modules at the end of their useful lives.modules. Approximately 90% of each collected First Solar module can be recycled into materials for reuse. For certain legacy customer sales contracts that include moduleswere covered under this program, we agreeagreed to pay the costs for the collection and recycling of qualifying solar modules, and the end-users agreeend users agreed to notify us, disassemble their solar power systems, package the solar modules for shipment, and revert ownership rights over the modules back to us at the end of the modules’ service lives. We currently have recycling facilities operating at each of our manufacturing facilities in the United States, Malaysia, and Vietnam and at our former manufacturing facility location in Germany.
The European Union’sEU’s Waste ElectronicsElectrical and ElectricalElectronic Equipment (“WEEE”) Directive places the obligation of recycling (including collection, treatment, and environmentally sound disposal) of electrical and electronic equipment products upon producers and such directive is applicable to all PV solar modules in EU member states. For modules covered under our program that were previously sold into and installed in the EU, we continue to maintain a commitment to cover the estimated collection and recycling costs consistent with our historical program. In addition,Additionally, as a result of the transposition of the WEEE Directive by the EU member states, we have adjusted our recycling offerings, as required, in various EU member states to ensure compliance with specific EU member state WEEE regulations.
Solar Module Warranties
We provide a limited PV solar module warranty covering defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service conditions for generallyapproximately 10 years. We also typically warrant that modules installed in accordance with agreed-upon specifications will produce at least 97% of their labeled power output rating during the first year, with the warranty coverage reducing by 0.7% every year thereafter throughout the 25-year performance warranty period. In resolving claims under both the limited defect and power output warranties, we typically have the option of either repairing or replacing the covered modules or, under the limited power output warranty, providing additional modules to remedy the power shortfall. We also have the option to make a payment for the then-current market price of modules to resolve the claims. Such limited module warranties are standard for module sales and may be transferred from the original purchasers of the solar modules to subsequent purchasers upon resale.
Systems Business
Project Development
Project development activities include: site selectiongenerally include (i) selecting, securing, and securing rights to acquire or usemaintaining the site,project site; (ii) obtaining the requisite interconnection and transmission studies,studies; (iii) executing an interconnection agreement,agreement; (iv) obtaining environmental and land-use permits, maintaining effective site control,permits; and (v) entering into a PPA with an off-taker offor the power to be generated by the project. The sequence of such development activities varies by international location and, in certain locations, may begin by initially bidding for PPA or off-take agreements. These activities culminate in receiving the right to construct and operate a PV solar power system.
Depending on the market opportunity or geographic location, we may acquire projects in various stages of development or acquire project companies from developers in order to complete the development process, construct a system
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incorporating our modules, and sell the system to a long-term owner. We may also collaborate with local partners in connection with these project development activities. Depending on the type of project or geographic location, PPAs or FiTfeed-in-tariff (“FiT”) structures define the price and terms the utility customer or investorcustomer will pay for power produced from the project. Entering into a PPA generally provides the underlying economics needed to finalize development including permitting, beginning construction, arranging financing, and marketing the project for sale to a long-term owner. Depending primarily on the location, stage of development upon our acquisition of the project, andand/or other site attributes, the development cycle typically ranges from one to two years but canmay be as long as five years. We may be required to incur significant costs for preliminary engineering, permitting, legal, and other expenses before we can determine whether a project is feasible, economically attractive, or capable of being built. If there is a delay in obtaining any required regulatory approvals, we may be forced to incur additional costs write-down capitalizedor impair our project assets, and the righttermination rights of the off-taker under the PPA to terminate may be triggered.
Following an evaluation of the long-term sustainable cost structure, competitiveness, and risk-adjusted returns of our U.S. project development business, we have determined it is in the best interest of our stockholders to explore options for this business line. This exploration may result in, among other possibilities, a partnership with a third party who possesses complimentary competencies or a sale of all or a portion of our U.S. project development business. This exploration of options for our U.S. project development business is not subject to any definitive timetable and there can be no assurances that this process will result in any transaction.
EPC Services
EPC services generally include (i) engineering design and related services, (ii) BoS procurement, (iii) advanced development of grid integration solutions, and (iv) construction contracting and management. We provide the majority of our EPC services to our self-developed projects intended to be sold; however, we also provide EPC services to other system owners such as utilities, independent power producers, and commercial and industrial companies. Depending on the customer and market need, we may provide our full EPC services or subcontract with third parties to provide any combination of individual products and services within our EPC capabilities.
To further enhance the operational capabilities of utility-scale systems, we may also provide energy storage solutions using advanced battery technology. Such storage solutions enable system owners to better align the delivery of energy with periods of peak demand, thereby increasing a system’s overall value. Storage capabilities also allow PV solar plants to meet or exceed the peaking capabilities of fossil fuel-based plants at potentially lower costs. Our advanced plant control systems manage the operations of both the PV solar plant and its storage capabilities to ensure accurate delivery of requested power to the grid. As part of our storage solutions, we provide proprietary algorithms to design and simulate the optimal dispatch of a system depending on the customer and market needs, including site-specific weather conditions.
In September 2019, we announced our transition from an internal EPC service model in the United States to an external model, in which we expect to leverage the capabilities of third-party EPC services in providing power plant solutions to our systems segment customers. This transition is not expected to affect any projects currently under construction. The shift to an external EPC service model in the United States aligns with our typical model in international markets and is facilitated, in part, by our Series 6 module technology and its improved BoS compatibility.
O&M Services
Our typical O&M service arrangements involve the performance of standard activities associated with operating and maintaining a PV solar power system. We perform such activities pursuant to the scope of services outlined in the underlying contract. These activities are considered necessary to optimize system performance and comply with PPAs, other agreements, and regulations. Although the scope of our services may varyvaries by contract and jurisdiction, our O&M
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service arrangements generally include 24/7 system monitoring, certain PPA and other agreement compliance, NERC compliance, large generator interconnection agreement compliance, energy forecasting, performance engineering analysis, regular performance reporting, turn-key maintenance services including spare parts and corrective maintenance repair, warranty management, and environmental services. As part of our O&M services, we also typically provide an effective availability guarantee, which stipulates that a system will be available to generate a certain percentage of total possible energy during a specific period after adjusting for factors outside of our control as the service provider, such as weather, curtailment, outages, force majeure, and other conditions that may affect system availability.
Customers
In certain markets, the emergence of utility-owned generation has increased the number of potential project buyers as such utility customers benefit from a potentially low cost of capital available through rate-basing utility investments. Given their long-term ownership profile, utility-owned generation customers typically seek to partner with diversified companies that can provide a broad spectrum of utility-scale generation solutions, including reliable PV solar technology, project development and construction, and O&M services, thereby mitigating their long-term ownership risks.
The wholesale commercial and industrial market also represents a promising opportunity given our utility-scale PV solar power system expertise. The demand for corporate renewables continues to accelerate, with corporations worldwide committing to the RE100 campaign, a collaborative, global initiative of influential businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity. We believe we also have a competitive advantage in the commercial and industrial market due to many customers’ sensitivity to the experience, bankability, and financial viability of their suppliers and geographically diverse operating locations. With our strong development expertise, financial strength, and global footprint, we are well positioned to meet these needs. For example, our 150 MWAC Sun Streams 2 project is expected to provide energy for certain Microsoft Corporation data centers, and our recently sold 227 MWACMuscle Shoals, 122 MWACCove Mountain Solar 2, and 58 MWACCove Mountain Solar 1 projects are expected to provide energy for certain Facebook, Inc. data centers through PPAs with Tennessee Valley Authority and PacifiCorp. Since our first corporate related PPA with Apple Inc., we have contracted over 800 MWAC of PPAs associated with corporate customers to support their renewable energy goals.
Competition
With respect to our systems business, we face competition from other providers of renewable energy solutions, including developers of PV solar power systems and developers of other forms of renewable energy projects, such as wind, hydropower,hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, and tidal projects. We may also compete with other developers that integrate energy storage solutions with PV solar or wind projects, thereby enabling system owners to better align the delivery of energy with periods of peak demand. To the extent other solar module manufacturers become more vertically integrated, we expect to face increased competition from such companies as well. We also face competition from other EPC companies and joint venture type arrangements between EPC companies and solar companies. Certain current or potential future competitors may also have a low cost of capital and/or access to foreign capital. While theThe decline in PV module prices over the last several years has increased interest in solar electricityenergy worldwide, and there are limited barriers to entry in manycertain parts of the PV solar value chain, depending on the geographic market. Accordingly, competition at the system level can be intense, thereby exerting downward pressure on system-level profit margins industry-wide, to the extent competitors are willing and able to bid aggressively lowselling prices for new projects and PPAs, using low cost assumptions for modules, BoS components, installation, maintenance, and other costs. Please seeindustry-wide. See Item 1A. “Risk Factors – Competition at the system level can be intense, thereby potentially exerting downward pressure on system-level profit margins industry-wide, which could reduce our profitability and adversely affect our results of operations.”
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Own and Operate
From time to time, we may temporarily own and operate, or retain interests in, certain of our PV solar power systems often with the intention to sell atfor a later date.period of time based on strategic opportunities or market factors. The ability to do so allows us to gainprovides certain potential benefits, including greater control ofover the sales process provideand offering a lower risk profile to a future buyer of a system, and improve our ability to drive higher eventual sale values.project buyers. As of December 31, 2016,2019, we owned and operated a number of systems in various geographic markets, including Chile, India, the United States, and the United States.Asia-Pacific region. As an owner and operator forof certain of these systems in the United States, we may be subject to the authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”), as well as various other local,federal, state, and federallocal regulatory bodies. For more information about risks related to owning and operating such systems, please see Item 1A. “Risk Factors – As an owner and operator of PV solar power systems that deliver electricity to the grid, certain of our affiliated entities may be regulated as public utilities under U.S. federal and state law, which could adversely affect the cost of doing business and limit our growth.growth.” For more information about the economics of such ownership and the impacts on our liquidity see Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Liquidity and Capital Resources.”
Intellectual Property
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to maintain and protect our proprietary technology and to conduct our business without infringing on the proprietary rights of others. We rely primarily on a combination of patents, trademarks, and trade secrets, as well as associate and third-party confidentiality agreements, to safeguard our intellectual property. We regularly file patent applications to protect inventions arising from our R&D activities and are currently pursuing patent applications in the United States and other countries. Our patent applications and any future patent applications mightmay not result in a patent being issued with the scope of the claims we seek, or at all, and any patents we may receive may be challenged, invalidated, or declared unenforceable. In addition, we have registered and/or have applied to register trademarks and service marks in the United States and a number of foreign countries for “First Solar” and “First Solar and Design.Solar.”
With respect to proprietary know-how that is not patentable and processes for which patents are difficult to enforce, we rely on, among other things, trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to safeguard our interests. We believe that many elements of our PV solar module manufacturing process,processes, including our unique materials sourcing, involve proprietary know-how, technology, or data that are not covered by patents or patent applications, including technical processes, equipment designs, algorithms, and procedures. We have taken security measures to protect these elements. Our R&D personnel have entered into confidentiality and proprietary information agreements with us. These agreements address intellectual property protection issues and require our associates to assign to us all of the inventions, designs, and technologies they develop during the course of their employment with us. We also require our customers and business partners to enter into confidentiality agreements before we disclose sensitive aspects of our modules, technology, or business plans.
We have not been subject to any material intellectual property infringement or misappropriation claims.
Environmental, Health, and Safety Matters
Our operations include the use, handling, storage, transportation, generation, and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. We are subject to various national,federal, state, local, and international laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment, including those governing the discharge of pollutants into the air and water; the use, management, and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes; occupational health and safety; and the cleanup of contaminated sites. Therefore, we could incur substantial costs, including cleanup costs, fines, and civil or criminal sanctions and costs arising from third-party property damage or personal injury claims as a result of violations of, or liabilities under, environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations or non-compliance with environmental permits required for our operations. We believe we are currently in substantial compliance with applicable environmental and occupational health and safety requirements and do not expect to incur material expenditures for environmental and occupational health and safety controls in the foreseeable future. However, future developments such as the implementation of new, more stringent laws and regulations, more aggressive enforcement policies, or the discovery of unknown environmental conditions may require expenditures that could have a material adverse effect on our business,
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financial condition, or results of operations. See Item 1A. “Risk Factors – Environmental obligations and liabilities could have a substantial negative impact on our business, financial condition, cash flows, and results of operations.operations.”
Corporate History
Associates
As of December 31, 2016,2019, we had approximately 5,4006,600 associates (our term for full and part-time employees), including approximately 4,1005,200 in our module manufacturingmodules business and approximately 400500 associates that work directly in our systems business. The remainder of our associates are in R&D, sales and marketing, and general and administrative positions. None of our associates are currently represented by labor unions or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. As we expand domestically and internationally, we may encounter either regional laws that mandate union representation or associates who desire union representation or a collective bargaining agreement. We believe that our relations with our associates are good.
Available Information
We maintain a website at www.firstsolar.com.www.firstsolar.com. We make available free of charge on our website our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements, and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such materials with, or furnish them to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).SEC. The information contained in or connected to our website is not incorporated by reference into this report. We use our website as one means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under the SEC’s Regulation FD. Such disclosures willare typically be included within the Investor Relations section of our website at investor.firstsolar.com.investor.firstsolar.com. Accordingly, investors should monitor such portions of our website in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, and public conference calls and webcasts.
Information about Our Executive Officers of the Registrant
Our executive officers and their ages and positions as of February 22, 2017,20, 2020 were as follows:
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Mark R. Widmar | Chief Executive Officer | |||
| Alexander R. Bradley | Chief Financial Officer | |||
| Georges Antoun | Chief Commercial Officer | |||
| Philip Tymen deJong | Chief Operations Officer | |||
| Raffi Garabedian | Chief Technology Officer | |||
| Paul Kaleta | Executive Vice President, | |||
| Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Communications | ||||
Mark R. Widmar was appointed Chief Executive Officer in July 2016. He joined First Solar in April 2011 as Chief Financial Officer and also served as First Solar’s Chief Accounting Officer from February 2012 through June 2015. From March 2015 to June 2016, Mr. Widmar also servesserved as the Chief Financial Officer and through June 2018, served as a director on the board of the general partner of 8point3 Energy Partners LP (“8point3”), the joint yieldco formed by First Solar and SunPower Corporation in 2015 to own and operate a portfolio of selected solar generation assets. From March 2015 to June 2016, Mr. Widmar served as the Chief Financial Officer of the general partner of 8point3 Energy Partners LP. Prior to joining First Solar, Mr. Widmar served as Chief Financial Officer of GrafTech International Ltd., a leading global manufacturer of advanced carbon and graphite materials, from May 2006 through March 2011. Prior to joining GrafTech, Mr. Widmar served as Corporate Controller of NCR Inc. from 2005 to 2006, and was a Business Unit Chief Financial Officer for NCR from November 2002 to his appointment as Controller. He also served as a Division Controller at
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Dell, Inc. from August 2000 to November 2002 prior to joining NCR.2002. Mr. Widmar also held various financial and managerial positions with Lucent Technologies Inc., Allied Signal, Inc., and Bristol Myers/Squibb, Inc. He began his career in 1987 as an accountant with Ernst & Young. Mr. Widmar holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Accountingbusiness accounting and a Masters of Business Administration from Indiana University.
Alexander R. Bradley was appointed interim Chief Financial Officer in July 2016 and confirmed as Chief Financial Officer in October 2016. Mr. Bradley previously served as Vice President, Treasury and Project Finance for First Solar. Mr. Bradley also servespreviously served as a director on thean officer and board formember of the general partner of 8point3 Energy Partners LP.from June 2016 to June 2018. From June 2015 to June 2016, Mr. Bradley served as a vice presidentVice President of operationsOperations of the general partner of 8point3 Energy Partners LP.8point3. Mr. Bradley has led or supported the structuring, sale, and financing of over $10 billion and approximately 2.7 GWDC of the Company’s worldwide development assets, including several of the largest PV power plant projects in North America. Mr. Bradley’s professional experience includes more than 10 years in investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, project finance, and business development in the United States and internationally. Prior to joining the CompanyFirst Solar in May 2008, Mr. Bradley worked at HSBC in investment banking and leveraged finance, in London and New York, covering the energy and utilities sector. He received his Master of Arts from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Georges Antoun was appointed Chief Commercial Officer in July 2016. He joined First Solar in July 2012 as Chief Operating Officer before being appointed as President, U.S. in July 2015. Mr. Antoun has over 2030 years of operational and technical experience, including leadership positions at several global technology companies. Prior to joining First Solar, Mr. Antoun served as Venture Partner at Technology Crossover Ventures (“TCV”), a private equity and venture firm that he joined in July 2011. Before joining TCV, Mr. Antoun was the Head of Product Area IP & Broadband Networks for Ericsson, based in San Jose, California. Mr. Antoun joined Ericsson in 2007, when Ericsson acquired Redback Networks, a telecommunications equipment company, where Mr. Antoun served as the Senior Vice President of World Wide Sales & Operations. After the acquisition, Mr. Antoun was promoted to Chief Executive Officer of the Redback Networks subsidiary. Prior to Redback Networks, Mr. Antoun spent five years at Cisco Systems, where he served as Vice President of Worldwide Systems Engineering and Field Marketing, Vice President of Worldwide Optical Operations, and Vice President of Carrier Sales. He has also held senior management positionsPrior to Cisco Systems, he was the Director of Systems Engineering at Newbridge Networks, a data and voice networking company, andcompany. Mr. Antoun started his career at Nynex (now Verizon Communications), where he was part of its Science and Technology Division. Mr. Antoun isalso served as a member of the board of directors of Ruckus Wireless, Inc. and Violin Memory, Inc., both publicly-traded companies. Mr. AntounHe earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineeringengineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a Master’s degree in Information Systems Engineeringinformation systems engineering from NYU Poly.
Philip Tymen deJong was appointed Chief Operating Officer in July 2015. Mr. deJong has comprehensive leadership responsibility for areas including manufacturing, EPC, operations and maintenance, quality and reliability, supply chain, and product management.information technology. Mr. deJong joined First Solar in January 2010 as Vice President, Plant Management and served in several Senior Vice President roles in manufacturing and operations prior to being appointed Senior Vice President, Manufacturing & EPC in January 2015. Prior to joining First Solar, Mr. deJong was Vice President of Assembly/Test Manufacturing for Numonyx Corporation. Prior to that, he worked for 25 years at Intel Corporation, holding various positions in engineering, manufacturing, wafer fabrication management, and assembly/test manufacturing. Mr. deJong holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering/Mechanical Engineeringindustrial engineering/mechanical engineering from Oregon State University and has completed advanced study at the University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management.
Raffi Garabedian has been the Chief Technology Officer of First Solar Inc. since May 2012 and managesleads the Company’s technology, PV module and power plant system products and roadmaps. Mr. Garabedian joined First Solar in June 2008 as Director of Disruptive Technologies. Prior to First Solar, Mr. Garabedian spent over 15 years in the MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) industry, developing new products ranging from automotive engine control sensors to fiber optic telecommunications switching systems. He was the founding CEO of Touchdown Technologies, Inc., which was acquired by Verigy, as well as Micromachines Inc., which was acquired by Kavlico. Mr. Garabedian is named on approximately 28 issued U.S. patents. Mr. Garabedian serves as a director on the boards of Covelant Metrology
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and Heliotrope Technologies. Mr. Garabedian earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineeringelectrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineeringelectrical engineering with a focus on semiconductor and microsystems technology from the University of California Davis.
Paul Kaleta joined First Solar in March 2014 as Executive Vice President & General Counsel. In February 2017, Mr. Kaleta was appointed as Corporate Secretary. Prior to joining First Solar, Mr. Kaleta was Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Shared Services & Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer for NV Energy, Inc., which was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway’s Energy Group in December 2013. Before that, he was Vice President and General Counsel for Koch Industries, Inc., one of the world’s largest privately held companies with diverse businesses worldwide, including refining, petrochemicals, and commodity trading, among others. He also served in a number of legal and other leadership roles for Koch companies. Before joining Koch, he was Vice President and General Counsel of Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation (now part of National Grid). In private practice, Mr. Kaleta was an equity partner in the Washington D.C. law firm Swidler Berlin LLP and an associate in the Washington D.C. office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He also served as a federal judicial clerk. Mr. Kaleta is the founding chair of the Southern Nevada Chapter of the “I Have a Dream Foundation” (now “Core Academy-powered by The Rogers Foundation”), a former member of the Client Advisory Councilclient advisory council of Lex Mundi, and has taught both energy law and business ethics and leadership, as an adjunct professor, among other industry professional and community activities. Mr. Kaleta holds a juris doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center and a bachelor'sBachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and English from Hamilton College.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
An investment in our stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following information, together with the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, before buying shares of our stock. If any of the following risks or uncertainties occur, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected and the trading price of our stock could decline.
Risks Related to Our Markets and Customers
Competition in solar markets globally and across the solar value chain is intense, and could remain that way for an extended period of time. An increased global supply of PV modules has caused and may continue to cause structural imbalances in which global PV module supply exceeds demand, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.operations.
In the aggregate, we believe manufacturers of solar modulescells and cellsmodules have significant installed production capacity, relative to global demand, and the ability for additional capacity expansion. For example, we estimate that in 2016,2019 over 20 GWDCof capacity was added by solar module manufacturers, particularlyprimarily but not exclusively in Asia. We believe the solar industry may from time to time experience periods of structural imbalance between supply and demand (i.e., where production capacity exceeds global demand), and that such periods will continue to put intense pressure on pricing. We believe the solar industry is currently in such a period. During the past several years, industry average salesselling prices per watt (“ASPs”) have declined in many markets, at times significantly, both at the module and system levels, as competitors have reduced ASPsprices to sell-throughsell inventories worldwide. In the U.S., for example, we believe that declines in ASPs have resulted, in substantial part, from solar module manufacturers undertaking actions to circumvent existing tariffs and duty structures. In addition, we believe that lower demand in the Chinese market, such as we believe occurred in the second half of 2016, was a key catalyst to the most recent decline in ASPs. There may be additional pressure on global demand and ASPsaverage selling prices in the future resulting from fluctuating demand in certain major solar markets, such as China. If our competitors reduce module pricing to levels near or below their manufacturing costs, or are able to operate at minimal or negative operating margins for sustained periods of time, or if demand for PV modules does not grow sufficiently to justify the current production supply, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
If PV solar and related technologies are not suitable for widespreadcontinued adoption at economically attractive rates of return or if sufficient additional demand for solar modules, related technologies, and systems does not develop or takes longer to develop than we anticipate, our net sales and profit may flatten or decline and we may be unable to sustain profitability.
In comparison to fossil fuel-based electricitytraditional forms of energy generation, the solar energy market continues to be at a relatively early stage of development. If utility-scale PV solar technology proves unsuitable for widespreadcontinued adoption at economically attractive rates of return or if additional demand for solar modules and systems fails to develop sufficiently or takes longer to develop than we anticipate, we may be unable to grow our business or generate sufficient net sales to sustain profitability. In addition, demand for solar modules, related technologies, and systems in our targeted markets may develop to a lesser extent than we anticipate. Many factors may affect the viability of widespreadcontinued adoption of utility-scale PV solar technology in our targeted markets, as well as the demand for solar modules and systems generally, including the following:
cost-effectiveness of the electricity generated by PV solar power systems compared to conventional energy sources, such as natural gas and coal (which fuel sourcessource may be subject to significant price fluctuations from time to time), and other non-solar renewable energy sources, such as wind, geothermal, hydroelectric,and hydroelectric;
changes in tax, trade remedies, and other suchpublic policy, as well as changes in economic, market, and other conditions that affect the price of, and demand for, conventional energy resources, non-solar renewable energy resources (e.g., wind and hydroelectric), and energy efficiency programs and products, including increases or decreases in the prices of natural gas, coal, oil, and other fossil fuels and in the prices of competing renewable resources;
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the extent of competition, barriers to entry, and overall conditions and timing related to the development of solar in new and emerging market segments such as commercial and industrial customers, community solar, community choice aggregators, and other customer segments;
availability, substance, and magnitude of support programs including federal, state, and local government subsidies, incentives, targets, and renewable portfolio standards, among other policies and programs, to accelerate the development of the solar industry;
performance, reliability, and availability of energy generated by PV solar power systems compared to conventional and other non-solar renewable energy sources and products, particularly conventional energy generation capable of providing 24-hour, non-intermittent baseload power;
the development, functionality, scale, cost, and timing of energy storage solutions; and
changes in the amount and priorities of capital expenditures by end-usersend users of solar modules and systems (e.g., utilities), which capital expenditures tend to decrease when the economy slows andor when interest rates increase, which may resultthereby resulting in redirection away from solar generation to development of competing forms of electric generation and to distribution (e.g., smart grid), transmission, and energy efficiency measures; and which otherwise may cause decreases in the market response to declining electricity demand and other pressing needs; andmeasures.
The reduction, elimination, or expiration of government subsidies, economic incentives, tax incentives, renewable energy targets, and other support for on-grid solar electricity applications, or other adverse public policies, such as tariffs or other trade remedies imposed on solar cells and modules, could reducenegatively impact demand and/or price levels for our solar modules and systems and limit our growth or lead to a reduction in our net sales, thereby adversely impacting our operating results.results.
Although we believe that solar energy will experience widespread adoption in those applications where it competes economically with traditional forms of energy without any support programs, in certain markets our net sales and profitprofits remain subject to variability based on the availability and size of government subsidies and economic incentives. Federal, state, and local governmental bodies in many countries have provided subsidies in the form of FiTs, rebates, tax incentives, and other incentives to end-users,end users, distributors, system integrators, and manufacturers of PV solar products. Many of these support programs expire, phase out over time, require renewal by the applicable authority, or may be amended. A summary of certain recent developments in the major government support programs that may impact our business appears under Item 1. “Business – Support Programs.” To the extent these support programs are reduced earlier than previously expected or are changed retroactively, or free-field or conversion land applications are disadvantaged, such changes could reducenegatively impact demand and/or price levels for our solar modules and systems, lead to a reduction in our net sales, and adversely impact our operating results. Another consideration in the U.S. market, and to a lesser extent in other global markets, is the effect of governmental land-use planning policies and environmental policies on utility-scale PV solar development. The adoption of restrictive land-use designations or environmental regulations that proscribe or restrict the siting of utility-scale solar facilities could adversely affect the marginal cost of such development.
In addition, the resultspolicies of the 2016 U.S. presidential electionadministration may create regulatory uncertainty in the renewable energy industry, including the solar energy industry, and our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected as a result.affected. Members of the current U.S. presidential administration, including representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy, have made public statements that indicate that the administration may not be supportive of various clean energy programs and initiatives designed to curtail climate change. For example, in June 2017, the U.S. President announced that the United States would withdraw from participation in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change andmitigation. In addition, the administration has indicated that it may be supportive of reducing the corporate tax rate and overturning or modifying policies of or regulations enacted by the prior administration that placed limitations on coalgas and gascoal electricity generation, mining, and/or exploration. IfAdditionally, in October 2017, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“U.S. EPA”) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, proposing to repeal the previous U.S. presidential administration’s Clean Power Plan (“CPP”), which established standards to limit carbon dioxide emissions from existing power generation facilities. In June 2019, the U.S. EPA issued the final Affordable Clean Energy (“ACE”) rule and repealed the CPP. Under the ACE rule,
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emissions from electric utility generation facilities would be regulated only through the use of various “inside the fence” or onsite efficiency improvements and emission control technologies. In contrast, the CPP allowed facility owners to reduce emissions with “outside the fence” measures, including those associated with renewable energy projects. While the ACE rule is currently subject to legal challenges and may be subject to future challenges, the ultimate resolution of such challenges, and the ultimate impact of the ACE rule, is uncertain. As a result of the new ACE rule and other policies or actions of the current U.S. administration and/or the U.S. Congress, takes action, or continues to publicly speak out about the need to take action, in furtherance of any such policies, we wouldmay be subject to significant risks, including the following:
Application of U.S. trade laws, or trade laws of other countries, may also impact, either directly or indirectly, our operating results. For example, in January 2018, following a petition filed by a U.S.-based manufacturer of solar cells under Sections 201 and 202 of the Trade Act of 1974 for global safeguard relief with the U.S. International Trade Commission (the “USITC”), requesting, among other things, the imposition of certain tariffs on crystalline silicon solar cells imported into the United States and the establishment of a minimum price per watt on imported crystalline silicon solar modules, the U.S. President proclaimed tariffs on imported crystalline silicon modules, and a tariff-rate quota on imported crystalline silicon cells, over a four-year period, with the tariff on modules, and the tariff on cells above the first 2.5 GWDC of imports, starting at 30% for the February 2018 to February 2019 period and declining by five percentage points in each subsequent 12-month period. Thin film solar cell products, such as our CdTe technology, are expressly excluded from the tariffs. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (the “USTR”) has also granted certain requests that particular types of solar products be excluded from the tariffs. Among these was an exclusion for bifacial solar modules that was issued on June 13, 2019. In a notice published on October 9, 2019, the USTR announced that
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it will withdraw the exclusion for bifacial solar modules, effective October 28, 2019. However, on December 5, 2019, the United States Court of International Trade overturned the announcement by issuing a preliminary injunction ordering the exclusion of bifacial solar modules from the tariffs. On January 27, 2020, the USTR announced a public comment process regarding the possible retention or withdrawal of the exclusion for bifacial solar modules, but such process has been challenged at the United States Court of International Trade. In addition, the USITC has reviewed developments regarding the relevant domestic industry (including its efforts to adjust to import competition) and provided a report to the U.S. President in February 2020. The USITC is also reviewing the probable effects of increasing the tariff-rate quota for solar cells from 2.5 GWDC to 4, 5, or 6 GWDC, and is scheduled to report its advice to the USTR in March 2020. Such reports could serve as a basis for the U.S. President to reduce, modify, or terminate the safeguard tariffs.
The United States has also imposed import tariffs in connection with other proceedings during 2018 and 2019. In March 2018, the U.S. President proclaimed tariffs on certain imported aluminum and steel articles, generally at rates of 10% and 25%, respectively, under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Currently, all countries except Argentina, Australia, Canada, and Mexico are covered by the aluminum tariff, and all countries except Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and South Korea are covered by the steel tariff. In addition, in May 2018, the U.S. President proclaimed absolute quotas for the import of aluminum articles from Argentina and the import of steel articles from Argentina, Brazil, and South Korea. In January 2020, the U.S. President announced the expansion of tariffs under Section 232 to cover certain derivative steel and aluminum articles. Separately, in a series of actions during 2018 and 2019 that followed an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, the United States imposed tariffs on various articles imported from China at a rate of 25%, including crystalline silicon solar cells and modules and various other articles. In August 2019, the U.S. President announced that the Section 301 tariff on various products, including crystalline silicon solar cells and modules, would increase to 30%, but such increase was later postponed in connection with U.S.-China negotiations. In December 2019, the United States and China announced a “Phase One” economic and trade agreement, whereby the U.S. Section 301 tariffs on various products, including crystalline silicon solar cells and modules, would remain at 25%, while Section 301 tariffs on certain other products would be lowered from 15% to 7.5%.
Internationally, in July 2018, the Indian government imposed a safeguard duty on solar cells and modules imported from various countries, including member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”), China, and Malaysia, for a two-year period, starting at 25% through July 2019 and declining by five percentage points in each subsequent six-month period. In addition, in March 2019, the Indian government issued technical guidelines related to the enlistment of approved models and manufacturers of PV solar modules. Pursuant to the regulations, after March 2020, all projects owned by the Indian government or from which energy would be supplied to the government would be required to procure eligible components from these enlisted manufacturers. The enlistment procedures have certain distinguishing criteria depending on whether a manufacturer is located inside or outside of India, which may restrict our ability to access the Indian market. Such tariffs and policies, or any other U.S. or global trade remedies or other trade barriers, may directly or indirectly affect U.S. or global markets for solar energy and our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
These examples show that established markets for PV solar development such as the U.S. market, face uncertainties arising from policy, regulatory, and governmental constraints. While the expected potential of the emerging markets we are targeting is significant, policy promulgation and market development are especially vulnerable to governmental inertia, political instability, the imposition of trade remedies and other trade barriers, geopolitical risk, fossil fuel subsidization, potentially stringent localization requirements, and limited available infrastructure.
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We may be unable to fully execute on our long termlong-term strategic plan,plans, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
We face numerous difficulties in executing on our long termlong-term strategic plan,plans, particularly in new foreign jurisdictions, including the following:
difficulty in accurately prioritizing geographic markets whichthat we can most effectively and profitably serve with our PV solar offerings, including miscalculations in overestimating or underestimating the addressable market demand;
difficulty in competing against companies who may have greater financial resources and/or a more effective or established localized business presence and/or an ability to operate with minimal or negative operating margins for sustained periods of time;
difficulty in overcoming the inertia involved in changing local electricity ecosystemscompeting successfully with emerging technologies, such as necessary to accommodate large-scale PV solar deploymentbifacial modules and integration;n-type mono-crystalline wafers and cells;
adverse public policies in countries we operate in and/or are pursuing, including local content requirements, the imposition of trade remedies, or capital investment requirements;
business climates, such as that in China, that may have the effect of putting foreign companies at a disadvantage relative to domestic companies;
unstable economic, social, and/or operating environments in foreign jurisdictions, including social unrest, currency, inflation, and interest rate uncertainties;
the possibility of applying an ineffective commercial approach to targeted markets, including product offerings that may not meet market needs;
difficulty in generating sufficient sales volumes at economically sustainable profitability levels;
difficulty in timely identifying, attracting, training, and retaining qualified sales, technical, and other personnel in geographies targeted for expansion;
difficulty in maintaining proper controls and procedures as we expand our business operations both in terms of complexity and geographical reach, including transitioning certain business functions to low-cost geographies, with any material control failure potentially leading to reputational damage and loss of confidence in our financial reporting accuracy;reporting;
difficulty in competing successfully for market share in overall solar markets as a result of the success of companies participating in the global rooftop PV solar market, which is a segment in which we do not have significant historical experience;
difficulty in establishing and implementing a commercial and operational approach adequate to address the specific needs of the markets we are pursuing;
difficulty in identifying effective local partners and developing any necessary partnerships with local businesses on commercially acceptable terms; and
difficulty in balancing market demand and manufacturing production in an efficient and timely manner, potentially causing usour manufacturing capacity to be manufacturing capacity constrained in some future periods or over-supplied in others.
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In addition, please see the Risk Factors entitled “Our substantial international operations subject us to a number of risks, including unfavorable political, regulatory, labor, and tax conditions in the United States and/or foreign countries,” and “The reduction, elimination, or expiration of government subsidies, economic incentives, tax incentives, renewable energy targets, and other support for on-grid solar electricity applications, or other adverse public policies, such as tariffs or other trade remedies imposed on solar cells and modules, could reducenegatively impact demand and/or price levels for our solar modules and systems and limit our growth or lead to a reduction in our net sales, thereby adversely impacting our operating results.”
The loss of any of our large customers, or their inability to perform under their contracts with us, could significantly reduce our net sales and negatively impact our results of operations.
Our customers include integrators and operators of systems, utilities, independent power producers, commercial and industrial companies, and other system owners, who may experience intense competition at the system level, thereby constraining the ability for such customers to sustain meaningful and consistent profitability. The loss of any of our large customers, their inability to perform under their contracts, or their default in payment could significantly reduce our net sales and/or adversely impact our operating results. While our contracts with customers typically have certain firm purchase commitments and may include provisions for the payment of amounts to us in certain events of contract termination, these contracts may be subject to amendments made by us or requested by our customers. These amendments may reduce the volume of modules to be sold under the contract, adjust delivery schedules, or otherwise decrease the expected revenue under these contracts. Although we believe that we can mitigate this risk, in part, by reallocating modules to other customers if the need arises, we may be unable, in whole or in part, to do so on similar terms or at all. We may also mitigate this risk by requiring some form of payment security from our customers, such as parent guarantees, bank guarantees, surety bonds, or commercial letters of credit. However, in the event the providers of such payment security fail to perform their obligations, our operating results could be adversely impacted.
We may be unable to profitably provide new solar offerings or achieve sufficient market penetration with such offerings.
We may expand our portfolio of offerings to include solutions that build upon our core competencies but for which we have not had significant historical experience, including variations in our traditional product offerings or other offerings related to commercial and industrial customers and community solar. We cannot be certain that we will be able to ascertain and allocate the appropriate financial and human resources necessary to grow these business areas. We could invest capital into growing these businesses but fail to address market or customer needs or otherwise not experience a satisfactory level of financial return. Also, in expanding into these areas, we may be competing against companies that previously have not been significant competitors, such as companies that currently have substantially more experience than we do in the rooftop,residential, commercial and industrial, or other targeted offerings. If we are unable to achieve growth in these areas, our overall growth and financial performance may be limited relative to our competitors and our operating results could be adversely impacted.
An increase in interest rates or tightening of the supply of capital in the global financial markets (including a reduction in total tax equity availability) could make it difficult for customers to finance the cost of a PV solar power system and could reduce the demand for our modules or systems and/or lead to a reduction in the average selling price for such offerings.offerings.
Many of our customers and our systems business depend on debt and/or equity financing to fund the initial capital expenditure required to develop, build, and/or purchase a PV solar power system. As a result, an increase in interest rates, or a reduction in the supply of project debt financing or tax equity investments, (including due to a change in tax related incentives that benefit tax equity investors), could reduce the number of solar projects that receive financing or otherwise make it difficult for our customers or our systems business to secure the financing necessary to develop, build, purchase, or install a PV solar power system on favorable terms, or at all, and thus lower demand for our solar modules, which could limit our growth or reduce our net sales. See the Risk Factor entitled “The reduction, elimination, or expiration of government subsidies, economic incentives, tax incentives, renewable energy targets, and other support for on-grid solar electricity applications, or other adverse public policies,
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such as tariffs or other trade remedies imposed on solar cells and modules, could reducenegatively impact demand and/or price levels for our solar modules and systems and limit our growth or lead to a reduction in our net sales, thereby adversely impacting our operating results” for additional information. In addition, we believe that a significant percentage of our end-userscustomers install systems as an investment, funding the initial capital expenditure through a combination of equity and debt. An increase in interest rates could lower an investor’s return on investment in a system, increase equity return requirements, or make alternative investments more attractive relative to PV solar power systems and, in each case, could cause these end-userscustomers to seek alternative investments.
Our future success depends on our ability to effectively balance manufacturing production with market demand, convert existing production facilities to support new product lines, decrease our manufacturing cost per watt, and, when necessary, continue to build new manufacturing plants over time in response to market demand, all of which are subject to risks and uncertainties.
Our future success depends on our ability to effectively balance manufacturing production with market demand, convert existing production facilities to support new product lines, decrease our manufacturing cost per watt, and increase our manufacturing capacity in a cost-effective and efficient manner. If we cannot do so, we may be adversely affectedunable to decrease our manufacturing cost per watt, maintain our competitive position, sustain profitability, expand our business, or create long-term shareholder value. Our ability to decrease our manufacturing cost per watt, expand production capacity, or convert existing production facilities to support new product lines is subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including the following:
failure to reduce manufacturing material, labor, or overhead costs;
an inability to increase production throughput or the average power output per module;
delays and cost overruns as a result of a number of factors, many of which may be beyond our control, such as our inability to secure successful contracts with equipment vendors;
our custom-built equipment taking longer and costing more to manufacture than expected and not operating as designed;
delays or denial of required approvals by any violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), the U.K. Bribery Act,relevant government authorities;
an inability to hire qualified staff;
failure to execute our expansion or conversion plans effectively;
difficulty in balancing market demand and manufacturing production in an efficient and timely manner, potentially causing our manufacturing capacity to be constrained in some future periods or over-supplied in others; and
incurring manufacturing asset write-downs, write-offs, and other foreign anti-bribery laws.
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We face intense competition from manufacturers of crystalline silicon solar modules; if global supply exceeds global demand, it could lead to a further reduction in the average selling price for PV solar modules, which prohibit improper paymentscould reduce our net sales and adversely affect our results of operations.
The solar and renewable energy industries are highly competitive and are continually evolving as participants strive to governmentdistinguish themselves within their markets and non-government persons and entities, and others (e.g.,compete with the FCPA andlarger electric power industry. Within the U.K. Bribery Act) extend their application to activities outside of their country of origin. Our policies mandate complianceglobal PV solar industry, we face intense competition from crystalline silicon solar module manufacturers. Existing or future solar module manufacturers might be acquired by larger companies with all applicable anti-bribery laws. We currently operate in, and pursuant to our long term strategic plan maysignificant capital resources, thereby further expand into, key parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree and, in certain circumstances, strict complianceintensifying competition with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices.us. In addition, duethe introduction of a low cost disruptive technology could adversely affect our ability to compete, which could reduce our net sales and adversely affect our results of operations.
Even if demand for solar modules continues to grow, the levelrapid manufacturing capacity expansion undertaken by many module manufacturers, particularly manufacturers of regulationcrystalline silicon cells and modules, has created and may continue to cause periods of structural imbalance in our industry, our operationwhich supply exceeds demand. See the Risk Factor entitled “Competition in certain jurisdictions, including India, China, South America,solar markets globally and across the Middle East, requires substantial government contact, either directly by us, or through intermediaries over whom we have less direct control, such as subcontractors, agents,
solar value chain is intense, and partners (such as joint venture partners), where norms can differ from U.S. standards. Although we have implemented policies, procedures,could remain that way for an extended period of time. An increased global supply of PV modules has caused and may continue to cause structural imbalances in certain cases, contractual arrangements designed to facilitate compliance with these anti-bribery laws, our officers, directors, associates, subcontractors, agents, and partners may take actions in violation of our policies, procedures, contractual arrangements, and anti-bribery laws. Any such violation, even if prohibited by our policies, could subject us and such persons to criminal and/or civil penalties or other sanctions,which global PV module supply exceeds demand, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations,” for additional information. In addition, we believe any significant decrease in the cost of silicon feedstock or polysilicon would reduce the manufacturing cost of crystalline silicon modules and lead to further pricing pressure for solar modules and potentially an oversupply of solar modules. We also believe many crystalline silicon cell and wafer manufacturers have substantially transitioned from lower efficiency BSF multi-crystalline cells (the legacy technology against which we have generally competed in our markets) to higher efficiency PERC mono-crystalline cells at competitive cost structures. As a result, we expect that in the near future, our primary competition will be mono-crystalline PERC based modules with higher conversion efficiencies. Additionally, while conventional solar modules, including the solar modules we produce, are monofacial, meaning their ability to produce energy is a function of direct and diffuse irradiance on their front side, certain manufacturers of mono-crystalline PERC solar modules are promoting bifacial modules that also capture diffuse irradiance on the back side of a module. Such technology can improve the overall energy production of a module relative to nameplate front-side efficiency when applied in certain applications and BoS configurations, which could potentially lower the overall levelized cost of electricity (“LCOE”), meaning the net present value of a system’s total life cycle costs divided by the quantity of energy that is expected to be produced over the system’s life, of a system when compared to systems using conventional solar modules, including the modules we produce. Additionally, we believe that our competitors are evaluating the possibility of transitioning from p-type to n-type mono-crystalline wafers and cells. If successful, such transition would further increase the efficiency and energy yield of their product. Finally, many of our competitors are promoting modules with larger overall area based on the use of larger silicon wafers. While the transition to such larger wafers would increase nameplate wattage, we believe the associated production cost would not improve significantly.
During any such period, our competitors could decide to reduce their sales prices in response to competition, even below their manufacturing costs, in order to generate sales, and may do so for a sustained period. Other competitors may have direct or indirect access to sovereign capital, which could enable such competitors to operate at minimal or negative operating margins for sustained periods of time. As a result, we may be unable to sell our solar modules or systems at attractive prices, or for a profit, during any period of excess supply of solar modules, which would reduce our net sales and adversely affect our results of operations. Additionally, we may decide to lower our average selling prices to certain customers in certain markets in response to competition, which could also reduce our net sales and adversely affect our results of operations.
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Problems with product quality or performance, including our Series 4 modules and Series 6 modules, may cause us to incur significant and/or unexpected contractual damages and/or warranty and related expenses, damage our market reputation, and prevent us from maintaining or increasing our market share.
We perform a variety of module quality and life tests under different conditions upon which we base our assessments of future module performance over the duration of the warranty. However, if our thin film solar modules, including our Series 4 modules and Series 6 modules, perform below expectations, we could experience significant warranty and related expenses, damage to our market reputation, and erosion of our market share. With respect to our modules, we provide a limited warranty covering defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service conditions for approximately 10 years. We also typically warrant that modules installed in accordance with agreed-upon specifications will produce at least 98% of their labeled power output rating during the first year, with the warranty coverage reducing by 0.5% every year thereafter throughout the approximate 25-year limited power output warranty period. As an alternative form of our standard limited module power output warranty, we also offer an aggregated or system-level limited module performance warranty. This system-level limited module performance warranty is designed for utility-scale systems and provides 25-year system-level energy degradation protection. This warranty represents a practical expedient to address the challenge of identifying, from the potential millions of modules installed in a utility-scale system, individual modules that may be performing below warranty thresholds by focusing on the aggregate energy generated by the system rather than the power output of individual modules. The system-level limited module performance warranty is typically calculated as a percentage of a system’s expected energy production, adjusted for certain actual site conditions, with the warranted level of performance declining each year in a linear fashion, but never falling below 80% during the term of the warranty. As a result of these warranty programs, we bear the risk of product warranty claims long after we have sold our solar modules and recognized net sales.
If any of the assumptions used in estimating our module warranties prove incorrect, we could be required to accrue additional expenses, which could adversely impact our financial position, operating results, and cash flows. Although we have taken significant precautions to avoid a manufacturing excursion from occurring, any manufacturing excursions, including any commitments made by us to take remediation actions in respect of affected modules beyond the stated remedies in our warranties, could adversely impact our reputation, financial position, operating results, and cash flows.
Although our module performance warranties extend for 25 years, our oldest solar modules manufactured during the qualification of our pilot production line have only been in use since 2001. Accordingly, our warranties are based on a variety of quality and life tests that enable predictions of durability and future performance. These predictions, however, could prove to be materially different from the actual performance during the warranty period, causing us to incur substantial expense to repair or replace defective solar modules or provide financial remuneration in the future. For example, our solar modules, including our Series 4 modules and Series 6 modules, could suffer various failure modes, including breakage, delamination, corrosion, or performance degradation in excess of expectations, and our manufacturing operations or supply chain could be subject to materials or process variations that could cause affected modules to fail or underperform compared to our expectations. These risks could be amplified as we implement design and process changes in connection with our efforts to improve our products and accelerate module wattage as part of our long-term strategic plans and as we transition to Series 6 module manufacturing. In addition, if we increase the number of installations in extreme climates, we may experience increased failure rates due to deployment into such field conditions. Any widespread product failures may damage our market reputation, cause our net sales to decline, require us to repair or replace the defective modules or provide financial remuneration, and result in us taking voluntary remedial measures beyond those required by our standard warranty terms to enhance customer satisfaction, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.
In resolving claims under both the limited defect and power output warranties, we typically have the option of either repairing or replacing the covered modules or, under the limited power output warranty, providing additional modules to remedy the power shortfall or making certain cash payments; however, historical versions of our module warranty did not provide a refund remedy. Consequently, we may be obligated to repair or replace the covered modules under such historical programs. As our manufacturing process may change from time-to-time in accordance with our technology roadmap, we may elect to stop production of older versions of our modules that would constitute compatible
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replacement modules. In some jurisdictions, our inability to provide compatible replacement modules could potentially expose us to liabilities beyond the limitations of our module warranties, which could adversely impact our reputation, financial position, operating results, and cash flows.
For PV solar power systems constructed for customers, we typically provide limited warranties for defects in engineering design, installation, and BoS part workmanship for a period of one to two years following the substantial completion of a system or a block within the system. In resolving claims under such BoS warranties, we have the option of remedying the defect through repair or replacement. As with our modules, these warranties are based on a variety of quality and life tests that enable predictions of durability and future performance. Any failures in BoS equipment or system construction beyond our expectations may also adversely impact our reputation, financial position, operating results, and cash flows.
In addition, our contracts with customers, including contracts for the sale of Series 6 modules, may include provisions with particular product specifications, minimum wattage requirements, and specified delivery schedules. These contracts may be terminated, or we may incur significant liquidated damages or other damages, if we fail to perform our contractual obligations. In addition, our costs to perform under these contracts may exceed our estimates, which could adversely impact our profitability. We have only recently commenced commercial production of our Series 6 modules and have limited experience satisfying our obligations under the related sales arrangements. Any failures to comply with our contracts for the sale of our modules, including our Series 6 modules, could adversely impact our reputation, financial position, operating results, and cash flows.
Our failure to further refine our technology, reduce module manufacturing and BoS costs, and develop and introduce improved PV products could render our solar modules or systems uncompetitive and reduce our net sales, profitability, and/or market share.
We need to continue to invest significant financial resources in R&D to continue to improve our module conversion efficiencies, lower the LCOE of our PV solar power systems, and otherwise keep pace with technological advances in the solar industry. However, R&D activities are inherently uncertain, and we could encounter practical difficulties in commercializing our research results. We seek to continuously improve our products and processes, including, for example, certain planned improvements to our Series 6 module manufacturing capabilities, and the resulting changes carry potential risks in the form of delays, performance, additional costs, or other unintended contingencies. In addition, our significant expenditures for R&D may not produce corresponding benefits. Other companies are developing a variety of competing PV technologies, including advanced multi-crystalline silicon cells, PERC or advanced p-type crystalline silicon cells, high-efficiency n-type crystalline silicon cells, bifacial solar modules, copper indium gallium diselenide thin films, amorphous silicon thin films, and new emerging technologies such as hybrid perovskites, which could produce solar modules or systems that prove more cost-effective or have better performance than our solar modules or systems.
In addition, other companies could potentially develop a highly reliable renewable energy system that mitigates the intermittent power generation drawback of many renewable energy systems, or offer other value-added improvements from the perspective of utilities and other system owners, in which case such companies could compete with us even if the LCOE associated with such new systems is higher than that of our systems. As a result, our solar modules or systems may be negatively differentiated or rendered obsolete by the technological advances of our competitors, which would reduce our net sales, profitability, and/or market share. In addition, we often forward price our products and services in anticipation of future cost reductions and technology improvements, and thus, an inability to further refine our technology and execute our module technology and cost reduction roadmaps could adversely affect our operating results.
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If our estimates regarding the future costs of collecting and recycling CdTe solar modules covered by our solar module collection and recycling program are incorrect, we could be required to accrue additional expenses and face a significant unplanned cash burden.
As necessary, we fund any incremental amounts for our estimated collection and recycling obligations on an annual basis based on the estimated costs of collecting and recycling covered modules, estimated rates of return on our restricted investments, and an estimated solar module life of 25 years less amounts already funded in prior years. We estimate the cost of our collection and recycling obligations based on the present value of the expected probability-weighted future cost of collecting and recycling the solar modules, which includes estimates for the cost of packaging materials; the cost of freight from the solar module installation sites to a recycling center; material, labor, and capital costs; the scale of recycling centers; and an estimated third-party profit margin and return on risk for collection and recycling services. We base these estimates on (i) our experience collecting and recycling our solar modules, (ii) the expected timing of when our solar modules will be returned for recycling, and (iii) the expected economic factors at the time the solar modules will be collected and recycled. If our estimates prove incorrect, we could be required to accrue additional expenses and could also face a significant unplanned cash burden at the time we realize our estimates are incorrect or end users return their modules, which could adversely affect our operating results. In addition, participating end users can return their modules covered under the collection and recycling program at any time. As a result, we could be required to collect and recycle covered CdTe solar modules earlier than we expect.
Our failure to protect our intellectual property rights may undermine our competitive position, and litigation to protect our intellectual property rights or defend against third-party allegations of infringement may be costly.
Protection of our proprietary processes, methods, and other technology is critical to our business. Failure to protect and monitor the use of our existing intellectual property rights could result in the loss of valuable technologies. We rely primarily on patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, and contractual restrictions to protect our intellectual property. We regularly file patent applications to protect certain inventions arising from our R&D and are currently pursuing such patent applications in various countries in accordance with our strategy for intellectual property in that jurisdiction. Our existing patents and future patents could be challenged, invalidated, circumvented, or rendered unenforceable. Our pending patent applications may not result in issued patents, or if patents are issued to us, such patents may not be sufficient to provide meaningful protection against competitors or against competitive technologies.
We also rely on unpatented proprietary manufacturing expertise, continuing technological innovation, and other trade secrets to develop and maintain our competitive position. Although we generally enter into confidentiality agreements with our associates and third parties to protect our intellectual property, such confidentiality agreements are limited in duration and could be breached and may not provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets or proprietary manufacturing expertise. Adequate remedies may not be available in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our trade secrets and manufacturing expertise. In addition, others may obtain knowledge of our trade secrets through independent development or legal means. The failure of our patents or confidentiality agreements to protect our processes, equipment, technology, trade secrets, and proprietary manufacturing expertise, methods, and compounds could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, effective patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret protection may be unavailable or limited in some foreign countries, especially any developing countries into which we may expand our operations. In some countries, we have not applied for patent, trademark, or copyright protection.
Third parties may infringe or misappropriate our proprietary technologies or other intellectual property rights, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results. Policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology can be difficult and expensive. Additionally, litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights, protect our trade secrets, or determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. We cannot ensure that the outcome of such potential litigation will be in our favor, and such litigation may be costly and may divert management attention and other resources away from our business. An adverse determination in any such litigation may impair our intellectual property rights and may harm our business, prospects, and reputation. In addition, we have no insurance coverage against such litigation costs and would have to bear all costs arising from such litigation to the extent we are unable to recover them from other parties.
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Some of our manufacturing equipment is customized and sole sourced. If our manufacturing equipment fails or if our equipment suppliers fail to perform under their contracts, we could experience production disruptions and be unable to satisfy our contractual requirements.
Some of our manufacturing equipment, including manufacturing equipment related to the production of our Series 6 modules, is customized to our production lines based on designs or specifications that we provide to equipment manufacturers, which then undertake a specialized process to manufacture the custom equipment. As a result, the equipment is not readily available from multiple vendors and would be difficult to repair or replace if it were to become delayed, damaged, or stop working. If any piece of equipment fails, production along the entire production line could be interrupted. In addition, the failure of our equipment manufacturers to supply equipment in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms could delay our expansion or conversion plans, otherwise disrupt our production schedule, and/or increase our manufacturing costs, all of which would adversely impact our operating results.
Several of our key raw materials and components are either single-sourced or sourced from a limited number of suppliers, and their failure to perform could cause manufacturing delays and impair our ability to deliver solar modules to customers in the required quality and quantities and at a price that is profitable to us.
Our failure to obtain raw materials and components that meet our quality, quantity, and cost requirements in a timely manner could interrupt or impair our ability to manufacture our solar modules or increase our manufacturing costs. Several of our key raw materials and components are either single-sourced or sourced from a limited number of suppliers. As a result, the failure of any of our suppliers to perform could disrupt our supply chain and adversely impact our operations. In addition, some of our suppliers are smaller companies that may be unable to supply our increasing demand for raw materials and components as we expand our business. We may be unable to identify new suppliers or qualify their products for use on our production lines in a timely manner and on commercially reasonable terms. A constraint on our production may result in our inability to meet our capacity plans and/or our obligations under our customer contracts, which would have an adverse impact on our business. Additionally, reductions in our production volume may put pressure on suppliers, resulting in increased material and component costs.
A disruption in our supply chain for CdTe could interrupt or impair our ability to manufacture solar modules and could adversely impact our profitability and long-term growth prospects.
A key raw material used in our module production process is a CdTe compound. Tellurium, one of the main components of CdTe, is mainly produced as a by-product of copper refining, and therefore, its supply is largely dependent upon demand for copper. Our supply of CdTe could be limited if any of our current suppliers or any of our future suppliers are unable to acquire an adequate supply of tellurium in a timely manner or at commercially reasonable prices. If our current suppliers or any of our future suppliers cannot obtain sufficient tellurium, they could substantially increase prices or be unable to perform under their contracts. Furthermore, if our competitors begin to use or increase their demand for tellurium, our requirements for tellurium increase, new applications for tellurium become available, or adverse trade laws or policies restrict our ability to obtain tellurium from foreign vendors or make doing so cost prohibitive, the supply of tellurium and related CdTe compounds could be reduced and prices could increase. As we may be unable to pass such increases in the costs of our raw materials through to our customers, a substantial increase in tellurium prices or any limitations in the supply of tellurium could adversely impact our profitability and long-term growth objectives.
If any future production lines are not built in line with committed schedules, it may adversely affect our future growth plans. If any future production lines do not achieve operating metrics similar to our existing production lines, our solar modules could perform below expectations and cause us to lose customers.
If we are unable to systematically replicate our production lines over time and achieve operating metrics similar to our existing production lines, our manufacturing capacity could be substantially constrained, our manufacturing costs per watt could increase, and our growth could be limited. Such factors may result in lower net sales and lower net income than we anticipate. For instance, future production lines could produce solar modules that have lower conversion
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efficiencies, higher failure rates, and/or higher rates of degradation than solar modules from our existing production lines, and we could be unable to determine the cause of the lower operating metrics or develop and implement solutions to improve performance.
Our substantial international operations subject us to a number of risks, including unfavorable political, regulatory, labor, and tax conditions in the United States and/or foreign countries.
We have significant manufacturing, development, construction, sales, and marketing operations both within and outside the United States and expect to continue to expand our operations worldwide. As a result, we are subject to the legal, political, social, tax, and regulatory requirements and economic conditions of many jurisdictions.
Risks inherent to international operations include, but are not limited to, the following:
difficulty in enforcing agreements in foreign legal systems;
difficulty in forming appropriate legal entities to conduct business in foreign countries and the associated costs of forming and maintaining those legal entities;
varying degrees of protection afforded to foreign investments in the countries in which we operate and irregular interpretations and enforcement of laws and regulations in such jurisdictions;
foreign countries may impose additional income and withholding taxes or otherwise tax our foreign operations, impose tariffs, or adopt other restrictions on foreign trade and investment, including currency exchange controls;
fluctuations in exchange rates may affect demand for our products and services and may adversely affect our profitability and cash flows in U.S. dollars to the extent that our net sales or our costs are denominated in a foreign currency and reputation.the cost associated with hedging the U.S. dollar equivalent of such exposures is prohibitive; the longer the duration of such foreign currency exposure, the greater the risk;
anti-corruption compliance issues, including the costs related to the mitigation of such risk;
risk of nationalization or other expropriation of private enterprises;
changes in general economic and political conditions in the countries in which we operate, including changes in government incentive provisions;
unexpected adverse changes in U.S. or foreign laws or regulatory requirements, including those with respect to environmental protection, import or export duties, and quotas;
opaque approval processes in which the lack of transparency may cause delays and increase the uncertainty of project approvals;
difficulty in staffing and managing widespread operations;
difficulty in repatriating earnings;
difficulty in negotiating a successful collective bargaining agreement in applicable foreign jurisdictions;
trade barriers such as export requirements, tariffs, taxes, local content requirements, anti-dumping regulations and requirements, and other restrictions and expenses, which could increase the effective price of our solar modules and make us less competitive in some countries; and
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difficulty of, and costs relating to, compliance with the different commercial and legal requirements of the overseas countries in which we offer and sell our solar modules.
Our business in foreign markets requires us to respond to rapid changes in market conditions in these countries. Our overall success as a global business depends, in part, on our ability to succeed in differing legal, regulatory, economic, social, and political conditions. We may not be able to develop and implement policies and strategies that will be effective in each location where we do business.
Risks Related to Our Systems Business
Project development or construction activities may not be successful; projects under development may not receive required permits, real property rights, PPAs, interconnection, and transmission arrangements; or financing or construction may not commence or proceed as scheduled, which could increase our costs and impair our ability to recover our investments.
The development and construction of solar energy generation facilities and other energy infrastructure projects involve numerous risks. We may be required to spend significant sums for land and interconnection rights, preliminary engineering, permitting, legal services, and other expenses before we can determine whether a project is feasible, economically attractive, or capable of being built. Success in developing a particular project is contingent upon, among other things:
obtaining financeable land rights, including land rights for the project site, transmission lines, and environmental mitigation;
entering into financeable arrangements for the purchase of the electrical output, capacity, ancillary services, and renewable energy attributes generated by the project;
receipt from governmental agencies of required environmental, land-use, and construction and operation permits and approvals;
receipt of tribal government approvals for projects on tribal land;
receipt of governmental approvals related to the presence of any protected or endangered species or habitats, migratory birds, wetlands or other jurisdictional water resources, and/or cultural resources;
negotiation of development agreements, public benefit agreements, and other agreements to compensate local governments for project impacts;
negotiation of state and local tax abatement and incentive agreements;
receipt of rights to interconnect the project to the electric grid or to transmit energy;
negotiation of satisfactory EPC agreements;
securing necessary rights of way for access and transmission lines;
securing necessary water rights for project construction and operation;
securing appropriate title coverage, including coverage for mineral rights, mechanics’ liens, etc.;
obtaining financing, including debt, equity, and funds associated with the monetization of tax credits and other tax benefits;
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payment of PPA, interconnection, and other deposits (some of which are non-refundable);
providing required payment and performance security for the development of the project, such as through the provision of letters of credit; and
timely implementation and satisfactory completion of construction.
Successful completion of a particular project may be adversely affected, delayed and/or rendered infeasible by numerous factors, including:
delays in obtaining and maintaining required governmental permits and approvals, including appeals of approvals obtained;
potential permit and litigation challenges from project stakeholders, including local residents, environmental organizations, labor organizations, tribes, and others who may oppose the project;
in connection with any such permit and litigation challenges, grants of injunctive relief to stop development and/or construction of a project;
discovery of unknown impacts to protected or endangered species or habitats, migratory birds, wetlands or other jurisdictional water resources, and/or cultural resources at project sites;
discovery of unknown title defects;
discovery of unknown environmental conditions;
unforeseen engineering problems;
construction delays and contractor performance shortfalls;
work stoppages;
cost over-runs;
labor, equipment, and material supply shortages, failures, or disruptions;
cost or schedule impacts arising from changes in federal, state, or local land-use or regulatory policies;
changes in electric utility procurement practices;
risks arising from potential transmission grid congestion, limited transmission capacity, and grid reliability constraints;
project delays that could adversely impact our ability to maintain interconnection rights;
additional complexities when conducting project development or construction activities in foreign jurisdictions (either on a stand-alone basis or in collaboration with local business partners), including operating in accordance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”) and applicable local laws and customs;
unfavorable tax treatment or adverse changes to tax policy;
adverse weather conditions;
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water shortages;
adverse environmental and geological conditions;
force majeure and other events out of our control;
climate change; and
change in law risks.
If we fail to complete the development of a solar energy project, fail to meet one or more agreed upon target construction milestone dates, fail to achieve system-level capacity, or fail to meet other contract terms, we may be subject to forfeiture of significant deposits under PPAs or interconnection agreements or termination of such agreements, incur significant liquidated damages, penalties, and/or other obligations under other project related agreements, and may not be able to recover our investment in the project. If we are unable to complete the development of a solar energy project, we may impair some or all of these capitalized investments, which would have an adverse impact on our net income in the period in which the loss is recognized.
We may be unable to acquire or lease land, obtain necessary interconnection and transmission rights, and/or obtain the approvals, licenses, permits, and electric transmission grid interconnection and transmission rights necessary to build and operate PV solar power systems in a timely and cost effective manner, and regulatory agencies, local communities, labor unions, tribes, or other third parties may delay, prevent, or increase the cost of construction and operation of the system we intend to build.
In order to construct and operate our PV solar power systems, we need to acquire or lease land and rights of way, obtain interconnection rights, negotiate agreements with affected transmission systems, and obtain all necessary federal, state, county, local, and foreign approvals, licenses, and permits, as well as rights to interconnect the systems to the transmission grid and transmit energy generated from the system. We may be unable to acquire the land or lease interests needed, may not obtain or maintain satisfactory interconnection rights, may have difficulty reaching agreements with affected transmission systems and/or incur unexpected network upgrade costs, may not receive or retain the requisite approvals, permits, licenses, and interconnection and transmission rights, or may encounter other problems that could delay or prevent us from successfully constructing and operating such systems.
Many of our proposed projects are located on or require access through public lands administered by federal and state agencies pursuant to competitive public leasing and right-of-way procedures and processes. Our projects may also be located on tribal land pursuant to land agreements that must be approved by tribal governments and federal agencies. The authorization for the use, construction, and operation of systems and associated transmission facilities on federal, state, tribal, and private lands will also require the assessment and evaluation of mineral rights, private rights-of-way, and other easements; environmental, agricultural, cultural, recreational, and aesthetic impacts; and the likely mitigation of adverse impacts to these and other resources and uses. The inability to obtain the required permits and other federal, state, local, and tribal approvals, and any excessive delays in obtaining such permits and approvals due, for example, to litigation or third-party appeals, could potentially prevent us from successfully constructing and operating such systems in a timely manner and could result in the potential forfeiture of any deposit we have made with respect to a given project. Moreover, project approvals subject to project modifications and conditions, including mitigation requirements and costs, could affect the financial success of a given project. Changing regulatory requirements and the discovery of unknown site conditions could also affect the financial success of a given project.
In addition, local labor unions may increase the cost of project development in California and elsewhere. We may also be subject to labor unavailability and/or increased union labor requirements due to multiple simultaneous projects in a geographic region.
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Competition at the system level can be intense, thereby potentially exerting downward pressure on system-level profit margins industry-wide, which could reduce our profitability and adversely affect our results of operations.
The significant decline in PV solar module prices over the last several years continues to create a challenging environment for module manufacturers, but it has also helped drive demand for solar electricity worldwide. Aided by such lower module prices, our customers and potential customers have in many cases been willing and able to bid aggressively for new projects and PPAs, using low cost assumptions for modules, BoS parts, installation, maintenance, and other costs as the basis for such bids. Relatively low barriers to entry for solar project developers, including those we compete with, have led to, depending on the market and other factors, intense competition at the system level, which may result in an environment in which system-level pricing falls rapidly, thereby further increasing demand for solar energy solutions but constraining the ability for project developers, and diversified companies such as First Solar to sustain meaningful and consistent profitability. Accordingly, while we believe our system offerings and experience are positively differentiated in many cases from that of our competitors, we may fail to correctly identify our competitive position, we may be unable to develop or maintain a sufficient magnitude of new system projects worldwide at economically attractive rates of return, and we may not otherwise be able to achieve meaningful profitability under our long-term strategic plans.
Depending on the market opportunity, we may be at a disadvantage compared to potential system-level competitors. For example, certain of our competitors may have a stronger and/or more established localized business presence in a particular geographic region. Certain of our competitors may be larger entities that have greater financial resources and greater overall brand name recognition than we do and, as a result, may be better positioned to impact customer behavior or adapt to changes in the industry or the economy as a whole. Certain competitors may also have direct or indirect access to sovereign capital and/or other incentives, which could enable such competitors to operate at minimal or negative operating margins for sustained periods of time.
Additionally, depending on the geographic area, certain potential customers may still be in the process of educating themselves about the points of differentiation among various available providers of PV solar energy solutions, including a company’s proven overall experience and bankability, system design and optimization expertise, grid interconnection and stabilization expertise, and proven O&M capabilities. If we are unable over time to meaningfully differentiate our offerings at scale, or if available competitive pricing is prioritized over the value we believe is added through our system offerings and experience, from the viewpoint of our potential customer base, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Following an evaluation of the long-term sustainable cost structure, competitiveness, and risk-adjusted returns of our U.S. project development business, we have determined it is in the best interest of our stockholders to explore options for this business line. See Item 1. “Business – Business Segments – Systems Business – Project Development�� for additional information.
We may not be able to obtain long-term contracts for the sale of power produced by our projects at prices and on other terms favorable to attract financing and other investments; with regard to projects for which electricity is or will be sold on an open contract basis rather than under a PPA, our results of operations could be adversely affected to the extent prevailing spot electricity prices decline in an unexpected manner.
Obtaining long-term contracts for the sale of power produced by our projects at prices and on other terms favorable to us is essential for obtaining financing and commencing construction of our projects. We must compete for PPAs against other developers of solar and renewable energy projects. This intense competition for PPAs has resulted in downward pressure on PPA pricing for newly contracted projects. In addition, we believe the solar industry may experience periods of structural imbalance between supply and demand that put downward pressure on module pricing. This downward pressure on module pricing also creates downward pressure on PPA pricing for newly contracted projects. See the Risk Factor entitled “Competition at the system level can be intense, thereby potentially exerting downward pressure on system-level profit margins industry-wide, which could reduce our profitability and adversely affect our results of operations” for additional information. If falling PPA pricing results in forecasted project revenue that is insufficient
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to generate returns anticipated to be demanded in the project sale market, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Other sources of power, such as natural gas-fired power plants, have historically been cheaper than the cost of solar power, and certain types of generation projects, such as natural gas-fired power plants, can deliver power on a firm basis. The inability to compete successfully against other power producers or otherwise enter into PPAs favorable to us would negatively affect our ability to develop and finance our projects and negatively impact our revenue. In addition, the availability of PPAs is dependent on utility and corporate energy procurement practices that could evolve and shift allocation of market risks over time. In addition, PPA availability and terms are a function of a number of economic, regulatory, tax, and public policy factors, which are also subject to change. Furthermore, certain of our projects may be scheduled for substantial completion prior to the commencement of a long-term PPA with a major off-taker, in which case we would be required to enter into a stub-period PPA for the intervening time period or sell down the project. We may not be able to do either on terms that are commercially attractive to us. Finally, the electricity from certain of our projects is or is expected to be sold on an open contract basis for a period of time rather than under a PPA. If prevailing spot electricity prices relating to any such project were to decline in an unexpected manner, such project may decline in value and our results of operations could otherwise be adversely affected.
Even if we are able to obtain PPAs favorable to us, the ability of our off-take counterparties to fulfill their contractual obligations to us depends, in part, on their creditworthiness. These counterparties, such as our investor-owned utility counterparties in the state of California, which may have liability for damages associated with California’s recent wildfires, could suffer a deterioration of their creditworthiness or become, and in one case has become, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, or liquidation proceedings or otherwise. For example, in January 2019, PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company filed voluntary petitions for relief under chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California. If one or more of our counterparties becomes subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, or liquidation proceedings, or if the creditworthiness of any counterparty deteriorates, we could experience an underpayment or nonpayment under PPA agreements and our ability to attract debt or equity financing for our projects could be impaired.
Lack of transmission capacity availability, potential upgrade costs to the transmission grid, and other system constraints could significantly impact our ability to build PV solar power systems and generate solar electricity power sales.
In order to deliver electricity from our PV solar power systems to our customers, our projects generally need to connect to the transmission grid. The lack of available capacity on the transmission grid could substantially impact our projects and cause reductions in project size, delays in project implementation, increases in costs from transmission upgrades, and potential forfeitures of any deposit we have made with respect to a given project. In addition, there could be unexpected costs required to complete transmission and network upgrades that adversely impact the economic viability of our PV solar power systems. These transmission and network issues and costs, as well as issues relating to the availability of large equipment such as transformers and switchgear, could significantly impact our ability to interconnect our systems to the transmission grid, build such systems, and generate solar electricity sales.
Our systems business is largely dependent on us and third parties arranging financing from various sources, which may not be available or may only be available on unfavorable terms or in insufficient amounts.
The construction of large utility-scale solar power projects in many cases requires project financing, including non-recourse project specific debt financing in the bank loan market and institutional debt capital markets. Uncertainties exist as to whether our planned projects will be able to access the debt markets in a magnitude sufficient to finance their construction. If we, or purchasers of our projects, are unable to arrange such financing or if it is only available on unfavorable terms, we may be unable to fully execute our systems business plans. In addition, we generally expect to sell interests in our projects by raising project equity capital from tax-oriented, strategic industry, and other equity investors. Such equity sources may not be available or may only be available in insufficient amounts or on unfavorable terms, in which case our ability to sell interests in our projects may be delayed or limited, and our business, financial
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condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected. Uncertainty in or adverse changes to tax policy or tax law, including the amount of ITC or accelerated depreciation, and any limitations on the value or availability to potential investors of tax incentives that benefit solar energy projects such as the ITC and accelerated depreciation deductions, as well as the reduction of the U.S. corporate income tax rate to 21% under the Tax Act (which could reduce the value of these tax related incentives) may reduce project values or negatively affect our ability to timely secure equity investment for our projects.
Depending on prevailing conditions in the credit markets, interest rates and other factors, such financing may not be available or may only be available on unfavorable terms or in insufficient amounts. If third parties are limited in their ability to access financing to support their purchase of system construction services from us, we may not realize the cash flows that we expect from such sales, which could adversely affect our ability to invest in our business and/or generate revenue. See also the Risk Factor above entitled “An increase in interest rates or tightening of the supply of capital in the global financial markets (including a reduction in total tax equity availability) could make it difficult for customers to finance the cost of a PV solar power system and could reduce the demand for our modules or systems and/or lead to a reduction in the average selling price for such offerings.”
Developing solar power projects may require significant upfront investment prior to the signing of an EPC contract and commencing construction, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Solar power project development cycles, which span the time between the identification of a site location and the construction of a system, vary substantially and can take years to mature. As a result of these long project development cycles, we may need to make significant up-front investments of resources (including, for example, payments for land rights, large transmission and PPA deposits, or other payments, which may be non-refundable) in advance of the signing of EPC contracts, commencing construction, receiving cash proceeds, or recognizing any revenue. Our potential inability to enter into sales contracts with customers on favorable terms after making such upfront investments could cause us to forfeit certain nonrefundable payments or otherwise adversely affect our business and results of operations. Furthermore, we may become constrained in our ability to simultaneously fund our other business operations and these systems investments through our long project development cycles.
Our liquidity may also be adversely affected to the extent the project sales market weakens and we are unable to sell interests in our solar projects on pricing, timing, and other terms commercially acceptable to us. In such a scenario, we may choose to continue to temporarily own and operate certain solar projects for a period of time, after which interests in the projects may be sold to third parties.
Inaccurate estimates of costs under fixed-price EPC agreements in which we are acting as the general contractor for our customers in connection with the construction and installation of their PV solar power systems could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We have entered into fixed-price EPC contracts in which we act as the general contractor for our customers in connection with the installation of their PV solar power systems. All essential costs are estimated at the time of entering into the EPC contract for a particular project, and these are reflected in the overall fixed-price that we charge our customers for the project. These cost estimates are preliminary and may or may not be covered by contracts between us or the subcontractors, suppliers, and other parties to the project. In addition, we require qualified, licensed subcontractors to install many of our systems. Shortages of such skilled labor could significantly delay a project or otherwise increase our costs. Should actual results prove different from our estimates (including those due to unexpected increases in inflation, commodity prices, or labor costs) or we experience delays in execution and we are unable to commensurately increase the EPC sales price, we may not achieve our expected margins or we may be required to record a loss in the relevant period.
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We may be subject to unforeseen costs, liabilities, or obligations when providing O&M services. In addition, certain of our O&M agreements include provisions permitting the counterparty to terminate the agreement without cause.
We may provide ongoing O&M services to system owners under separate service agreements, pursuant to which we generally perform standard activities associated with operating a PV solar power system, including 24/7 monitoring and control, compliance activities, energy forecasting, and scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. Our costs to perform these services are estimated at the time of entering into the O&M agreement for a particular project, and these are reflected in the price we charge our customers, including certain agreements which feature fixed pricing. Should our estimates of O&M costs prove inaccurate (including any unexpected serial defects, unavailability of parts, or increases in inflation, labor, or BoS costs), our growth strategy and results of operations could be adversely affected. Because of the potentially long-term nature of these O&M agreements, the adverse impacts on our results of operations could be significant, up to our limitation of liability capped under the terms of the agreements. In addition, certain of our O&M agreements include provisions permitting the counterparty to terminate the agreement without cause or for convenience. The exercise of such termination rights, or the use of such rights as leverage to re-negotiate terms and conditions of an O&M agreement, including pricing terms, could adversely impact our results of operations. We may also be subject to substantial costs in the event we do not achieve certain thresholds under the effective availability guarantees included in our O&M agreements.
Our systems business is subject to regulatory oversight and liability if we fail to operate PV solar power systems in compliance with electric reliability rules.
The ongoing O&M services that we provide for system owners may subject us to regulation by the NERC, or its designated regional representative, as a “generator operator,” or “GOP,” under electric reliability rules filed with FERC. Our failure to comply with the reliability rules applicable to GOPs could subject us to substantial fines by NERC, subject to FERC’s review. In addition, the system owners that receive our O&M services may be regulated by NERC as “generator owners,” or “GOs,” and we may incur liability for GO violations and fines levied by NERC, subject to FERC’s review, based on the terms of our O&M agreements. Finally, as a system owner and operator, we may in the future be subject to regulation by NERC as a GO.
Risks Related to RegulationsOur Systems Business
The development and policiesconstruction of solar energy generation facilities and other energy infrastructure projects involve numerous risks. We may present technical, regulatory,be required to spend significant sums for land and economic barriersinterconnection rights, preliminary engineering, permitting, legal services, and other expenses before we can determine whether a project is feasible, economically attractive, or capable of being built. Success in developing a particular project is contingent upon, among other things:
obtaining financeable land rights, including land rights for the project site, transmission lines, and environmental mitigation;
entering into financeable arrangements for the purchase of the electrical output, capacity, ancillary services, and renewable energy attributes generated by the project;
receipt from governmental agencies of required environmental, land-use, and construction and operation permits and approvals;
receipt of tribal government approvals for projects on tribal land;
receipt of governmental approvals related to the purchasepresence of any protected or endangered species or habitats, migratory birds, wetlands or other jurisdictional water resources, and/or cultural resources;
negotiation of development agreements, public benefit agreements, and useother agreements to compensate local governments for project impacts;
negotiation of PV products or systems, which may significantly reduce demand for our modules, systems, or services.
receipt of rights to interconnect the project to the electric utility industry,grid or to transmit energy;
negotiation of satisfactory EPC agreements;
securing necessary rights of way for access and transmission lines;
securing necessary water rights for project construction and operation;
securing appropriate title coverage, including coverage for mineral rights, mechanics’ liens, etc.;
obtaining financing, including debt, equity, and funds associated with the monetization of tax credits and other tax benefits;
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payment of PPA, interconnection, and other deposits (some of which are non-refundable);
providing required payment and performance security for the development of the project, such as well as policies promulgated by electric utilities. These regulationsthrough the provision of letters of credit; and policies often relate to electricity pricing
timely implementation and technical interconnectionsatisfactory completion of customer-owned electricity generation. In the United States and inconstruction.
Successful completion of a number of other countries, these regulations and policies have been modified in the past andparticular project may be modified againadversely affected, delayed and/or rendered infeasible by numerous factors, including:
delays in obtaining and maintaining required governmental permits and approvals, including appeals of approvals obtained;
potential permit and litigation challenges from project stakeholders, including local residents, environmental organizations, labor organizations, tribes, and others who may oppose the future. These regulationsproject;
in connection with any such permit and policies could deter end-user purchaseslitigation challenges, grants of PV products injunctive relief to stop development and/or systemsconstruction of a project;
discovery of unknown impacts to protected or endangered species or habitats, migratory birds, wetlands or other jurisdictional water resources, and/or cultural resources at project sites;
discovery of unknown title defects;
discovery of unknown environmental conditions;
unforeseen engineering problems;
construction delays and investmentcontractor performance shortfalls;
work stoppages;
cost over-runs;
labor, equipment, and material supply shortages, failures, or disruptions;
cost or schedule impacts arising from changes in the R&D of PV technology. For example, without a mandatedfederal, state, or local land-use or regulatory exception for PV solar power systems, utility customers are often charged interconnection or standby fees for putting distributed power generation on thepolicies;
changes in electric utility grid. If these interconnection standby fees were applicable to PV solar power systems, it is likelyprocurement practices;
risks arising from potential transmission grid congestion, limited transmission capacity, and grid reliability constraints;
project delays that they would increase the cost of using such systems for end-users, which could make the systems less desirable, thereby adversely affecting our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, with respect to utilities that utilize a peak hour pricing policy or time-of-use pricing methods whereby the price of electricity is adjusted based on electricity supply and demand, electricity generated by PV solar power systems currently benefits from competing primarily with expensive peak hour electricity, rather than the less expensive average price of electricity. Modifications to the peak hour pricing policies of utilities, such as to a flat rate for all times of the day, would require PV solar power systems to achieve lower prices in order to compete with the price of electricity from other sources and would adversely impact our operating results.
additional complexities when conducting project development or construction activities in substantial complianceforeign jurisdictions (either on a stand-alone basis or in collaboration with local business partners), including operating in accordance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”) and applicable environmental requirements, future developments such as more aggressive enforcement policies, the implementation of new, more stringentlocal laws and regulations,customs;
unfavorable tax treatment or the discoveryadverse changes to tax policy;
adverse weather conditions;
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water shortages;
adverse environmental conditions may require expenditures that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.geological conditions;
climate change; and
change in our products, the physical properties of cadmium compounds used in our products, and the recycling or responsible disposal of our modules. Whilelaw risks.
If we believe that these factors and procedures are sufficient to protect our associates, end-users, and the general public from adverse health effects that may arise from cadmium exposure, we cannot ensure that human or environmental exposure to cadmium or cadmium compounds used in our products will not occur. Any such exposure could result in future third-party claims against us, damage to our reputation, and heightened regulatory scrutiny, which could limit or impair our ability to sell and distribute our products. The occurrence of future events such as these could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We may be unable to acquire or lease land, obtain necessary interconnection and transmission rights, and/or obtain the approvals, licenses, permits, and electric transmission grid interconnection and transmission rights necessary to build and operate PV solar power systems in such jurisdictions.
Many of our proposed projects are located on or require access through public lands administered by federal and state agencies pursuant to competitive public leasing and right-of-way procedures and processes. Our projects may also be located on tribal land pursuant to land agreements that must be approved by tribal governments and federal agencies. The authorization for the use, construction, and operation of systems and associated transmission facilities on federal, state, tribal, and private lands will also require the assessment and evaluation of mineral rights, private rights-of-way, and other easements; environmental, agricultural, cultural, recreational, and aesthetic impacts; and the likely mitigation of adverse impacts to these and other resources and uses. The inability to obtain the required permits and other federal, state, local, and tribal approvals, and any excessive delays in future periods. Our abilityobtaining such permits and approvals due, for example, to achieve similar growthlitigation or third-party appeals, could potentially prevent us from successfully constructing and operating such systems in future periods isa timely manner and could result in the potential forfeiture of any deposit we have made with respect to a given project. Moreover, project approvals subject to project modifications and conditions, including mitigation requirements and costs, could affect the financial success of a given project. Changing regulatory requirements and the discovery of unknown site conditions could also affected by current economic conditions. Our past results occurred in an environment where, among other things, capital was at times more accessible to our customers to financeaffect the financial success of a given project.
In addition, local labor unions may increase the cost of developing solarproject development in California and elsewhere. We may also be subject to labor unavailability and/or increased union labor requirements due to multiple simultaneous projects and economic incentives for solar power in certain markets were more favorable. Accordingly, you should not relya geographic region.
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Competition at the system level can be intense, thereby potentially exerting downward pressure on our results of operations for any prior period as an indication of our future performance.
The solar and renewable energy industries are highly competitive and are continually evolving as participants strive to distinguish themselves within their markets and compete with the larger electric power industry. Within the globalsignificant decline in PV solar industry, we face intense competition from crystalline silicon solarmodule prices over the last several years continues to create a challenging environment for module manufacturers, and other thin-film solar module manufacturers. Existing or future solar module manufacturers might be acquired by larger companies with significant capital resources, thereby further intensifying competition with us. In addition, the introduction of a low cost disruptive technology, such as commercially viable energy storage, could adversely affect our ability to compete, which could reduce our net sales and adversely affect our results of operations.
Depending on the solar industry is currently in suchmarket opportunity, we may be at a period. See the Risk Factor entitled “Competition in solar markets globally and across the solar value chain is intense, and could remain that way for an extended perioddisadvantage compared to potential system-level competitors. For example, certain of time. An increased global supply of PV modules has caused andour competitors may continue to cause structural imbalances in which global PV module supply exceeds demand, which could have a material adverse effect onstronger and/or more established localized business presence in a particular geographic region. Certain of our business,competitors may be larger entities that have greater financial condition,resources and results of operations,” for additional information. In addition,greater overall brand name recognition than we believe any significant decreasedo and, as a result, may be better positioned to impact customer behavior or adapt to changes in the cost of silicon feedstockindustry or polysilicon would reduce the manufacturing cost of crystalline silicon solar modules and lead to further pricing pressure for solar modules and potentially an oversupply of solar modules. We also believe the crystalline silicon module manufacturers are currently transitioning from multi-crystalline wafer technology (historically our primary competitor) to more efficient mono-crystalline wafer technology. Such transition is being facilitated by the emergence of new and low cost mono wafer suppliers, primarily from China, coupled with the gradual industry transition to Passivated Emitter Rear Contact (“PERC”) cell technology. Aseconomy as a result, we expect that in the future, our primary competition might transition from multi-crystalline to mono-crystalline PERC with higher conversion efficiencies.
Additionally, depending on the geographic area, certain potential customers may still be in the process of educating themselves about the points of differentiation among various available providers of PV solar energy solutions, including a result,company’s proven overall experience and bankability, system design and optimization expertise, grid interconnection and stabilization expertise, and proven O&M capabilities. If we are unable over time to meaningfully differentiate our offerings at scale, or if available competitive pricing is prioritized over the value we believe is added through our system offerings and experience, from the viewpoint of our potential customer base, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Following an evaluation of the long-term sustainable cost structure, competitiveness, and risk-adjusted returns of our U.S. project development business, we have determined it is in the best interest of our stockholders to explore options for this business line. See Item 1. “Business – Business Segments – Systems Business – Project Development�� for additional information.
We may not be unableable to sellobtain long-term contracts for the sale of power produced by our solar modulesprojects at prices and on other terms favorable to attract financing and other investments; with regard to projects for which electricity is or systemswill be sold on an open contract basis rather than under a PPA, our results of operations could be adversely affected to the extent prevailing spot electricity prices decline in an unexpected manner.
Obtaining long-term contracts for the sale of power produced by our projects at attractive prices orand on other terms favorable to us is essential for a profit, during any periodobtaining financing and commencing construction of excess supplyour projects. We must compete for PPAs against other developers of solar modules,and renewable energy projects. This intense competition for PPAs has resulted in downward pressure on PPA pricing for newly contracted projects. In addition, we believe the solar industry may experience periods of structural imbalance between supply and demand that put downward pressure on module pricing. This downward pressure on module pricing also creates downward pressure on PPA pricing for newly contracted projects. See the Risk Factor entitled “Competition at the system level can be intense, thereby potentially exerting downward pressure on system-level profit margins industry-wide, which wouldcould reduce our net salesprofitability and adversely affect our results of operations. Also, we may decide operations” for additional information. If falling PPA pricing results in forecasted project revenue that is insufficient
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to lower our average selling prices to certain customers in certain markets in response to competition, which could also reduce our net sales and adversely affect our results of operations.
Other sources of power, such as natural gas-fired power plants, have historically been cheaper than the cost of solar power, and certain types of generation projects, such as natural gas-fired power plants, can be difficult and expensive. Also, litigation may be necessarydeliver power on a firm basis. The inability to enforce our intellectual property rights, protect our trade secrets,compete successfully against other power producers or determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. We cannot ensure that the outcome of such potential litigation will be in our favor, and such litigation may be costly and may divert management attention and other resources away from our business. An adverse determination in any such litigation may impair our intellectual property rights and may harm our business, prospects, and reputation. In addition, we have no insurance coverage against such litigation costs andotherwise enter into PPAs favorable to us would have to bear all costs arising from such litigation to the extent we are unable to recover them from other parties.
Even if we are able to obtain PPAs favorable to us, the ability of our off-take counterparties to fulfill their contractual obligations to us depends, in part, on their creditworthiness. These counterparties, such as our investor-owned utility counterparties in the state of California, which may have liability for damages associated with California’s recent wildfires, could suffer a deterioration of their creditworthiness or become, and strategiesin one case has become, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, or liquidation proceedings or otherwise. For example, in January 2019, PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company filed voluntary petitions for relief under chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California. If one or more of our counterparties becomes subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, or liquidation proceedings, or if the creditworthiness of any counterparty deteriorates, we could experience an underpayment or nonpayment under PPA agreements and our ability to attract debt or equity financing for our projects could be impaired.
Lack of transmission capacity availability, potential upgrade costs to the transmission grid, and other system constraints could significantly impact our ability to build PV solar power systems and generate solar electricity power sales.
In order to deliver electricity from our PV solar power systems to our customers, our projects generally need to connect to the transmission grid. The lack of available capacity on the transmission grid could substantially impact our projects and cause reductions in project size, delays in project implementation, increases in costs from transmission upgrades, and potential forfeitures of any deposit we have made with respect to a given project. In addition, there could be unexpected costs required to complete transmission and network upgrades that adversely impact the economic viability of our PV solar power systems. These transmission and network issues and costs, as well as issues relating to the availability of large equipment such as transformers and switchgear, could significantly impact our ability to interconnect our systems to the transmission grid, build such systems, and generate solar electricity sales.
Our systems business is largely dependent on us and third parties arranging financing from various sources, which may not be available or may only be available on unfavorable terms or in insufficient amounts.
The construction of large utility-scale solar power projects in many cases requires project financing, including non-recourse project specific debt financing in the bank loan market and institutional debt capital markets. Uncertainties exist as to whether our planned projects will be effectiveable to access the debt markets in eacha magnitude sufficient to finance their construction. If we, or purchasers of our projects, are unable to arrange such financing or if it is only available on unfavorable terms, we may be unable to fully execute our systems business plans. In addition, we generally expect to sell interests in our projects by raising project equity capital from tax-oriented, strategic industry, and other equity investors. Such equity sources may not be available or may only be available in insufficient amounts or on unfavorable terms, in which case our ability to sell interests in our projects may be delayed or limited, and our business, financial
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condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected. Uncertainty in or adverse changes to tax policy or tax law, including the amount of ITC or accelerated depreciation, and any limitations on the value or availability to potential investors of tax incentives that benefit solar energy projects such as the ITC and accelerated depreciation deductions, as well as the reduction of the U.S. corporate income tax rate to 21% under the Tax Act (which could reduce the value of these tax related incentives) may reduce project values or negatively affect our ability to timely secure equity investment for our projects.
Depending on prevailing conditions in the credit markets, interest rates and other factors, such financing may not be available or may only be available on unfavorable terms or in insufficient amounts. If third parties are limited in their ability to access financing to support their purchase of system construction services from us, we may not realize the cash flows that we expect from such sales, which could adversely affect our ability to invest in our business and/or generate revenue. See also the Risk Factor above entitled “An increase in interest rates or tightening of the supply of capital in the global financial markets (including a reduction in total tax equity availability) could make it difficult for customers to finance the cost of a PV solar power system and could reduce the demand for our modules or systems and/or lead to a reduction in the average selling price for such offerings.”
Developing solar power projects may require significant upfront investment prior to the signing of an EPC contract and commencing construction, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Solar power project development cycles, which span the time between the identification of a site location whereand the construction of a system, vary substantially and can take years to mature. As a result of these long project development cycles, we may need to make significant up-front investments of resources (including, for example, payments for land rights, large transmission and PPA deposits, or other payments, which may be non-refundable) in advance of the signing of EPC contracts, commencing construction, receiving cash proceeds, or recognizing any revenue. Our potential inability to enter into sales contracts with customers on favorable terms after making such upfront investments could cause us to forfeit certain nonrefundable payments or otherwise adversely affect our business and results of operations. Furthermore, we may become constrained in our ability to simultaneously fund our other business operations and these systems investments through our long project development cycles.
Our liquidity may also be adversely affected to the extent the project sales market weakens and we are unable to sell interests in our solar projects on pricing, timing, and other terms commercially acceptable to us. In such a scenario, we may choose to continue to temporarily own and operate certain solar projects for a period of time, after which interests in the projects may be sold to third parties.
Inaccurate estimates of costs under fixed-price EPC agreements in which we are acting as the general contractor for our customers in connection with the construction and installation of their PV solar power systems could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We have entered into fixed-price EPC contracts in which we act as the general contractor for our customers in connection with the installation of their PV solar power systems. All essential costs are estimated at the time of entering into the EPC contract for a particular project, and these are reflected in the overall fixed-price that we charge our customers for the project. These cost estimates are preliminary and may or may not be covered by contracts between us or the subcontractors, suppliers, and other parties to the project. In addition, we require qualified, licensed subcontractors to install many of our systems. Shortages of such skilled labor could significantly delay a project or otherwise increase our costs. Should actual results prove different from our estimates (including those due to unexpected increases in inflation, commodity prices, or labor costs) or we experience delays in execution and we are unable to commensurately increase the EPC sales price, we may not achieve our expected margins or we may be required to record a loss in the relevant period.
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We may be subject to unforeseen costs, liabilities, or obligations when providing O&M services. In addition, certain of our O&M agreements include provisions permitting the counterparty to terminate the agreement without cause.
We may provide ongoing O&M services to system owners under separate service agreements, pursuant to which we generally perform standard activities associated with operating a PV solar power system, including 24/7 monitoring and control, compliance activities, energy forecasting, and scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. Our costs to perform these services are estimated at the time of entering into the O&M agreement for a particular project, and these are reflected in the price we charge our customers, including certain agreements which feature fixed pricing. Should our estimates of O&M costs prove inaccurate (including any unexpected serial defects, unavailability of parts, or increases in inflation, labor, or BoS costs), our growth strategy and results of operations could be adversely affected. Because of the potentially long-term nature of these O&M agreements, the adverse impacts on our results of operations could be significant, up to our limitation of liability capped under the terms of the agreements. In addition, certain of our O&M agreements include provisions permitting the counterparty to terminate the agreement without cause or for convenience. The exercise of such termination rights, or the use of such rights as leverage to re-negotiate terms and conditions of an O&M agreement, including pricing terms, could adversely impact our results of operations. We may also be subject to substantial costs in the event we do business.not achieve certain thresholds under the effective availability guarantees included in our O&M agreements.
Our systems business is subject to regulatory oversight and liability if we fail to operate PV solar power systems in compliance with electric reliability rules.
The ongoing O&M services that we provide for system owners may subject us to regulation by the NERC, or its designated regional representative, as a “generator operator,” or “GOP,” under electric reliability rules filed with FERC. Our failure to comply with the reliability rules applicable to GOPs could subject us to substantial fines by NERC, subject to FERC’s review. In addition, the system owners that receive our O&M services may be regulated by NERC as “generator owners,” or “GOs,” and we may incur liability for GO violations and fines levied by NERC, subject to FERC’s review, based on the terms of our O&M agreements. Finally, as a system owner and operator, we may in the future be subject to regulation by NERC as a GO.
Risks Related to Our Systems Business
Project development or construction activities may not be successful; projects under development may not receive required permits, real property rights, PPAs, interconnection, and transmission arrangements; or financing or construction may not commence or proceed as scheduled, which could increase our costs and impair our ability to recover our investments.investments.
The development and construction of solar energy generation facilities and other energy infrastructure projects involve numerous risks. We may be required to spend significant sums for land and interconnection rights, preliminary engineering, permitting, legal services, and other expenses before we can determine whether a project is feasible, economically attractive, or capable of being built. Success in developing a particular project is contingent upon, among other things:
obtaining financeable land rights, including land rights for the project site, transmission lines, and environmental mitigation;
entering into financeable arrangements for the purchase of the electrical output, capacity, ancillary services, and renewable energy attributes generated by the project;
receipt from governmental agencies of required environmental, land-use, and construction and operation permits and approvals;
receipt of tribal government approvals for projects on tribal land;
receipt of governmental approvals related to the presence of any protected or endangered species or habitats, migratory birds, wetlands or other jurisdictional water resources, and/or cultural resources;
negotiation of development agreements, public benefit agreements, and other agreements to compensate local governments for project impacts;
negotiation of state and local tax abatement and incentive agreements;
receipt of rights to interconnect the project to the electric grid or to transmit energy;
negotiation of satisfactory EPC agreements;
securing necessary rights of way for access and transmission lines;
securing necessary water rights for project construction and operation;
securing appropriate title coverage, including coverage for mineral rights, mechanics’ liens, etc.;
obtaining financing, including debt, equity, and funds associated with the monetization of tax credits and other tax benefits;
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payment of PPA, interconnection, and other deposits (some of which are non-refundable);
providing required payment and performance security for the development of the project, such as through the provision of letters of credit; and
timely implementation and satisfactory completion of construction.
Successful completion of a particular project may be adversely affected, delayed and/or rendered infeasible by numerous factors, including:
delays in obtaining and maintaining required governmental permits and approvals, including appeals of approvals obtained;
potential permit and litigation challenges from project stakeholders, including local residents, environmental organizations, labor organizations, tribes, and others who may oppose the project;
in connection with any such permit and litigation challenges, grants of injunctive relief to stop development and/or construction of a project;
discovery of unknown impacts to protected or endangered species or habitats, migratory birds, wetlands or other jurisdictional water resources, and/or cultural resources at project sites;
discovery of unknown title defects;
discovery of unknown environmental conditions;
unforeseen engineering problems;
construction delays and contractor performance shortfalls;
work stoppages;
cost over-runs;
labor, equipment, and materialsmaterial supply shortages, failures, or disruptions;
cost or schedule impacts arising from changes in federal, state, or local land-use or regulatory policies;
changes in electric utility procurement practices;
risks arising from potential transmission grid congestion, issues;limited transmission capacity, and grid reliability constraints;
project delays that could adversely impact our ability to maintain interconnection rights;
additional complexities when conducting project development or construction activities in foreign jurisdictions (either on a stand-alone basis or in collaboration with local business partners), including operating in accordance with the FCPAU.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”) and applicable local laws and customs;
unfavorable tax treatment or adverse changes to tax policy;
adverse weather conditions;
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water shortages;
adverse environmental and geological conditions; and
force majeure and other events out of our control.control;
climate change; and
change in law risks.
If we fail to complete the development of a solar energy project, fail to meet one or more agreed upon target construction milestone dates, fail to achieve system-level capacity, or fail to meet other contract terms, we may be subject to forfeiture of significant deposits under PPAs or interconnection agreements or termination of such agreements, incur significant liquidated damages, penalties, and/or other obligations under other project related agreements, and may not be able to recover our investment in the project. Some of these investments are included as assets on our consolidated balance sheets under the line item “Project assets and deferred project costs.” If we are unable to complete the development of a solar energy project, we may write-down or write-offimpair some or all of these capitalized investments, which would have an adverse impact on our net income in the period in which the loss is recognized.
We may be unable to acquire or lease land, obtain necessary interconnection and transmission rights, and/or obtain the approvals, licenses, permits, and electric transmission grid interconnection and transmission rights necessary to build and operate PV solar power systems in a timely and cost effective manner, and regulatory agencies, local communities, labor unions, tribes, or other third parties may delay, prevent, or increase the cost of construction and operation of the system we intend to build.
In order to construct and operate our PV solar power systems, we need to acquire or lease land and rights of way, obtain interconnection rights, negotiate agreements with affected transmission systems, and obtain all necessary local,federal, state, county, state, federal,local, and foreign approvals, licenses, and permits, as well as rights to interconnect the systems to the transmission grid and transmit energy generated from the system. We may be unable to acquire the land or lease interests needed, may not obtain or maintain satisfactory interconnection rights, may have difficulty reaching agreements with affected transmission systems and/or incur unexpected network upgrade costs, may not receive or retain the requisite approvals, permits, licenses, and interconnection and transmission rights, or may encounter other problems that could delay or prevent us from successfully constructing and operating such systems.
Many of our proposed projects are located on or require access through public lands administered by federal and state agencies pursuant to competitive public leasing and right-of-way procedures and processes. Other of our proposedOur projects aremay also be located on tribal land pursuant to land agreements that must be approved by tribal governments and federal agencies. The authorization for the use, construction, and operation of systems and associated transmission facilities on federal, state, tribal, state, and private lands will also require the assessment and evaluation of mineral rights, private rights-of-way, and other easements; environmental, agricultural, cultural, recreational, and aesthetic impacts; and the likely mitigation of adverse impacts to these and other resources and uses. The inability to obtain the required permits and other federal, tribal, state, local, and localtribal approvals, and potentially, any excessive delays in obtaining such permits and approvals due, for example, to litigation or third-party appeals, could potentially prevent us from successfully constructing and operating such systems in a timely manner and could result in the potential forfeiture of any deposit we have made with respect to a given project. Moreover, project approvals subject to project modifications and conditions, including mitigation requirements and costs, could affect the financial success of a given project. Changing regulatory requirements and the discovery of unknown site conditions could also affect the financial success of a given project.
In addition, local labor unions may increase the cost of, and/or lower the productivity of project development in California and elsewhere. We may also be subject to labor unavailability and/or increased union labor requirements due to multiple simultaneous projects in a geographic region.
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Competition at the system level can be intense, thereby potentially exerting downward pressure on system-level profit margins industry-wide, which could reduce our profitability and adversely affect our results of operations.operations.
The significant decline in PV solar module prices over the last several years continues to create a challenging environment for module manufacturers, but it has also increased interest inhelped drive demand for solar electricity worldwide by eroding one of the primary historical constraints to widespread solar market penetration, namely its affordability.worldwide. Aided by such lower module prices, our customers and potential customers have in many cases been willing and able to bid aggressively for new projects and PPAs, using low cost assumptions for modules, BoS components,parts, installation, maintenance, and other costs as the basis for such bids. Relatively low barriers to entry for solar project developers, and EPC companies, including those we compete with, have led to, depending on the market and other factors, intense competition at the system level. Intense competition at the system level, canwhich may result in an environment in which system-level pricing falls rapidly, thereby further increasing demand for solar energy solutions but constraining the ability for project developers, EPC companies, and/or vertically-integrated solarand diversified companies such as First Solar to sustain meaningful and consistent profitability. Accordingly, while we believe our system offerings and experience are positively differentiated in many cases from that of our competitors, we may fail to correctly identify our competitive position, we may be unable to develop or maintain a sufficient magnitude of new system projects worldwide at economically attractive rates of return, and we may not otherwise be able to achieve meaningful profitability under our long termlong-term strategic plan.plans.
Depending on the market opportunity, we may be at a disadvantage compared to potential system-level competitors. For example, certain of our competitors may have a stronger and/or more established localized business presence in a particular geographic region. Certain of our competitors may be larger entities that have greater financial resources and greater overall brand name recognition than we do and, as a result, may be better positioned to impact customer behavior or adapt to changes in the industry or the economy as a whole. Certain competitors may also have direct or indirect access to sovereign capital and/or other incentives, which could enable such competitors to operate at minimal or negative operating margins for sustained periods of time.
Additionally, large-scale solar systems are still in their relatively early stages of existence, and, depending on the geographic area, certain potential customers may still be in the process of educating themselves about the points of differentiation among various available providers of PV solar energy solutions, including a company’s proven overall experience and bankability, system design and optimization expertise, grid interconnection and stabilization expertise, and proven O&M capabilities. If we are unable over time to meaningfully differentiate our offerings at scale, or if available competitive pricing is prioritized over the value we believe is added through our system offerings and experience, from the viewpoint of our potential customer base, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Following an evaluation of the long-term sustainable cost structure, competitiveness, and risk-adjusted returns of our U.S. project development business, we have determined it is in the best interest of our stockholders to explore options for this business line. See Item 1. “Business – Business Segments – Systems Business – Project Development�� for additional information.
We may not be able to obtain long-term contracts for the sale of power produced by our projects at prices and on other terms favorable to attract financing and other investments; with regard to projects for which electricity is or will be sold on an open-contractopen contract basis rather than under a PPA, our results of operations could be adversely affected to the extent prevailing spot electricity prices decline in an unexpected manner.
Obtaining long-term contracts for the sale of power produced by our projects at prices and on other terms favorable to us is essential for obtaining financing and commencing construction of our projects. We must compete for PPAs against other developers of solar and renewable energy projects. This intense competition for PPAs has resulted in downward pressure on PPA pricing for newly contracted projects. In addition, we believe the solar industry is currently experiencing a periodmay experience periods of structural imbalance between supply and demand that is puttingput downward pressure on module pricing. This downward pressure on module pricing also creates downward pressure on PPA pricing for newly contracted projects. See the Risk Factor entitled “Competition at the system level can be intense, thereby potentially exerting downward pressure on system-level profit margins industry-wide, which could reduce our profitability and adversely affect our results of operations” for additional information. If falling PPA pricing results in projectedforecasted project revenue that is insufficient
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to generate returns anticipated to be demanded in the project sale market, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Other sources of power, such as natural gas-fired power plants, have historically been cheaper than the cost of solar power, and certain types of generation projects, such as natural gas-fired power plants, can deliver power on a firm basis. The inability to compete successfully against other power producers or otherwise enter into PPAs favorable to us would negatively affect our ability to develop and finance our projects and negatively impact our revenue. In addition, the availability of PPAs is dependent on utility and corporate energy procurement practices that could evolve and shift allocation of market risks over time. In addition, PPA availability and terms are a function of a number of economic, regulatory, tax, and public policy factors, which are also subject to change. Also,Furthermore, certain of our projects may be scheduled for substantial completion prior to the commencement of a long-term PPA with a major off-taker, in which case we would be required to enter into a stub-period PPA for the intervening time period or sell down the project. We may not be able to do either on terms that are commercially attractive to us. Finally, the electricity from certain of our projects is or is expected to be sold on an open-contractopen contract basis for a period of time rather than under a PPA. If prevailing spot electricity prices relating to any such project were to decline in an unexpected manner, such project may decline in value and our results of operations could otherwise be adversely affected.
Even if we are able to obtain PPAs favorable to us, the ability of our off-take counterparties to fulfill their contractual obligations to us depends, in part, on their creditworthiness. These counterparties, such as our investor-owned utility counterparties in the state of California, which may have liability for damages associated with California’s recent wildfires, could suffer a deterioration of their creditworthiness or become, and in one case has become, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, or liquidation proceedings or otherwise. For example, in January 2019, PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company filed voluntary petitions for relief under chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California. If one or more of our counterparties becomes subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, or liquidation proceedings, or if the creditworthiness of any counterparty deteriorates, we could experience an underpayment or nonpayment under PPA agreements and our ability to attract debt or equity financing for our projects could be impaired.
Lack of transmission capacity availability, potential upgrade costs to the transmission grid, and other systemssystem constraints could significantly impact our ability to build PV solar power systems and generate solar electricity power sales.
In order to deliver electricity from our PV solar power systems to our customers, our projects generally need to connect to the transmission grid. The lack of available capacity on the transmission grid could substantially impact our projects and cause reductions in project size, delays in project implementation, increases in costs from transmission upgrades, and potential forfeitures of any deposit we have made with respect to a given project. In addition, there could be unexpected costs required to complete transmission and network upgrades that adversely impact the economic viability of our PV solar power systems. These transmission and network issues and costs, as well as issues relating to the availability of large equipment such as transformers and switch gear,switchgear, could significantly impact our ability to interconnect our systems to the transmission grid, build such systems, and generate solar electricity sales.
Our systems business is largely dependent on us and third parties arranging financing from various sources, which may not be available or may only be available on unfavorable terms or in insufficient amounts.
The construction of large utility-scale solar power projects in many cases requires project financing, including non-recourse project specific debt financing in the bank loan market and institutional debt capital markets. Uncertainties exist as to whether our planned projects will be able to access the debt markets in a magnitude sufficient to finance their construction. If we, or purchasers of our projects, are unable to arrange such financing or if it is only available on unfavorable terms, we may be unable to fully execute our systems business plan.plans. In addition, we generally expect to sell interests in our projects by raising project equity capital from tax-oriented, strategic industry, and other equity investors. Such equity sources may not be available or may only be available in insufficient amounts or on unfavorable terms, in which case our ability to sell interests in our projects may be delayed or limited, and our business, financial
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condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected. Uncertainty in or adverse changes to tax policy or tax law, including the amount of ITC or accelerated depreciation, and marginalany limitations on the value or availability to potential investors of tax incentives that benefit solar energy projects such as the ITC and accelerated depreciation deductions, as well as the reduction of the U.S. corporate income tax rate to 21% under the Tax Act (which could reduce the value of these tax related incentives) may reduce project valuevalues or negatively affect our ability to timely secure equity investment for our projects. Even if such financing sources are available, the counterparty to many of our fixed-price EPC contracts, which own the project we are constructing, are often special purpose vehicles that do not have significant assets other than their interests in the project and have pledged all or substantially all of these assets to secure the project-related debt and certain other sources of financing. If the owner defaults on its payments or other obligations to us, we may face difficulties in collecting payment of amounts due to us for the costs previously incurred or for the amounts previously expended or committed to be expended to purchase equipment or supplies (including intercompany purchases of PV modules), or for termination payments we are entitled to under the terms of the related EPC contract. If we are unable to collect the amounts owed to us, or are unable to complete the project because of an owner default, we may be required to record a charge against earnings related to the project, which could result in a material loss.
Developing solar power projects may require significant upfront investment prior to the signing of an EPC contract and commencing construction, or the signing of a module sale agreement, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Our liquidity may also be adversely affected to the extent the project sales market weakens and we are unable to sell interests in our solar projects on pricing, timing, and other terms commercially acceptable to us. In such a scenario, we may choose to continue to temporarily own and operate certain solar projects for a period of time, after which interests in the projects may be sold to third parties.
We may enterhave entered into fixed-price EPC contracts in which we act as the general contractor for our customers in connection with the installation of their PV solar power systems. All essential costs are estimated at the time of entering into the EPC contract for a particular project, and these are reflected in the overall fixed-price that we charge our customers for the project. These cost estimates are preliminary and may or may not be covered by contracts between us or the subcontractors, suppliers, and other parties to the project. In addition, we require qualified, licensed subcontractors to install many of our systems. Shortages of such skilled labor could significantly delay a project or otherwise increase our costs. Should actual results prove different from our estimates (including those due to unexpected increases in inflation, commodity prices, or labor costs) or we experience delays in execution and we are unable to commensurately increase the EPC sales price, we may not achieve our expected margins or we may be required to record a loss in the relevant fiscal period.
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We may be subject to unforeseen costs, liabilities, or obligations when providing O&M services. In addition, certain of our O&M agreements include provisions permitting the counterparty to terminate the agreement without cause.
We may provide ongoing O&M services to system owners under separate service agreements, pursuant to which we generally perform standard activities associated with operating a PV solar power system, including 24/7 monitoring and control, compliance activities, energy forecasting, and scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. Our costs to perform these services are estimated at the time of entering into the O&M agreement for a particular project, and these are reflected in the price we charge our customers, including certain agreements which feature fixed pricing. Should our estimates of O&M costs prove inaccurate (including any unexpected serial defects, unavailability of parts, or increases in inflation, labor, or BoS costs), our growth strategy and results of operations could be adversely affected. Because of the potentially long-term nature of these O&M agreements, the adverse impacts on our results of operations could be significant, particularly ifup to our costs are notlimitation of liability capped under the terms of the agreements. In addition, certain of our O&M agreements include provisions permitting the counterparty to terminate the agreement without cause or for convenience. The exercise of such termination rights, or the use of such rights as leverage to re-negotiate terms and conditions of thean O&M agreement, including pricing terms, could adversely impact our results of operations. We may also be subject to substantial costs in the event we do not achieve certain thresholds under the effective availability guarantees included in our O&M agreements.
Our systems business is subject to regulatory oversight and liability if we fail to operate our PV solar power systems in compliance with electric reliability rules.
The ongoing O&M services that we provide for system owners may subject us to regulation by the NERC, or its designated regional representative, as a “generator operator,” or “GOP,” under electric reliability rules filed with FERC. Our failure to comply with the reliability rules applicable to GOPs could subject us to substantial fines by NERC, subject to FERC’s review. In addition, the system owners that receive our O&M services may be regulated by NERC as “generator owners,” or “GOs”“GOs,” and we may incur liability for GO violations and fines levied by NERC, subject to FERC’s review, based on the terms of our O&M agreements. Finally, as a system owner and operator, we may in the future be subject to regulation by NERC as a GO.
Risks Related to Regulations
Existing regulations and policies, changes thereto, and new regulations and policies may present technical, regulatory, and economic barriers to the purchase and use of PV solar products or systems, which may significantly reduce demand for our modules, systems, or services.
The market for electricity generation products is heavily influenced by federal, state, local, and foreign government regulations and policies concerning the electric utility industry, as well as policies promulgated by electric utilities. These regulations and policies often relate to electricity pricing and interconnection of customer-owned electricity generation. In the United States and in a number of other countries, these regulations and policies have been modified in the past and may be modified again in the future. These regulations and policies could deter end-user purchases of PV solar products or systems and investment in the R&D of PV solar technology. For example, without a mandated regulatory exception for PV solar power systems, system owners are often charged interconnection or standby fees for putting distributed power generation on the electric utility grid. To the extent these interconnection standby fees are applicable to PV solar power systems, it is likely that they would increase the cost of such systems, which could make the systems less desirable, thereby adversely affecting our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, with respect to utilities that utilize a peak-hour pricing policy or time-of-use pricing methods whereby the price of electricity is adjusted based on electricity supply and demand, electricity generated by PV solar power systems currently benefits from competing primarily with expensive peak-hour electricity, rather than the less expensive average price of electricity. Modifications to the peak-hour pricing policies of utilities, such as to a flat rate for all times of the day, would require PV solar power systems to have lower prices in order to compete with the price of electricity from other sources, which could adversely impact our operating results.
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Our modules, systems, and services are often subject to oversight and regulation in accordance with national and local ordinances relating to building codes, safety, environmental protection, utility interconnection and metering, and other matters, and tracking the requirements of individual jurisdictions is complex. Any new government regulations or utility policies pertaining to our modules, systems, or services may result in significant additional expenses to us or our customers and, as a result, could cause a significant reduction in demand for our modules, systems, or services. In addition, any regulatory compliance failure could result in significant management distraction, unplanned costs, and/or reputational damage.
We could be adversely affected by any violations of the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act, and other foreign anti-bribery laws.
The FCPA generally prohibits companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to non-U.S. government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Other countries in which we operate also have anti-bribery laws, some of which prohibit improper payments to government and non-government persons and entities, and others (e.g., the FCPA and the U.K. Bribery Act) extend their application to activities outside their country of origin. Our policies mandate compliance with all applicable anti-bribery laws. We currently operate in, and may further expand into, key parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree and, in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. In addition, due to the level of regulation in our industry, our operations in certain jurisdictions, including China, India, South America, and the Middle East, require substantial government contact, either directly by us or through intermediaries over whom we have less direct control, such as subcontractors, agents, and partners (such as joint venture partners), where norms can differ from U.S. standards. Although we have implemented policies, procedures, and, in certain cases, contractual arrangements designed to facilitate compliance with these anti-bribery laws, our officers, directors, associates, subcontractors, agents, and partners may take actions in violation of our policies, procedures, contractual arrangements, and anti-bribery laws. Any such violation, even if prohibited by our policies, could subject us and such persons to criminal and/or civil penalties or other sanctions potentially by government prosecutors from more than one country, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows, and reputation.
Environmental obligations and liabilities could have a substantial negative impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our operations involve the use, handling, generation, processing, storage, transportation, and disposal of hazardous materials and are subject to extensive environmental laws and regulations at the national, state, local, and international levels. These environmental laws and regulations include those governing the discharge of pollutants into the air and water, the use, management, and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes, the cleanup of contaminated sites, and occupational health and safety. As we expand our business into foreign jurisdictions worldwide, our environmental compliance burden may continue to increase both in terms of magnitude and complexity. We have incurred and may continue to incur significant costs in complying with these laws and regulations. In addition, violations of, or liabilities under, environmental laws or permits may result in restrictions being imposed on our operating activities or in our being subject to substantial fines, penalties, criminal proceedings, third-party property damage or personal injury claims, cleanup costs, or other costs. Such solutions could also result in substantial delay or termination of projects under construction within our systems business, which could adversely impact our results of operations. While we believe we are currently in substantial compliance with applicable environmental requirements, future developments such as more aggressive enforcement policies, the implementation of new, more stringent laws and regulations, or the discovery of presently unknown environmental conditions may require expenditures that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our solar modules contain CdTe and other semiconductor materials. Elemental cadmium and certain of its compounds are regulated as hazardous materials due to the adverse health effects that may arise from human exposure. Based on existing research, the risks of exposure to CdTe are not believed to be as serious as those relating to exposure to elemental cadmium. In our manufacturing operations, we maintain engineering controls to minimize our associates’ exposure to cadmium or cadmium compounds and require our associates who handle cadmium compounds to follow certain safety
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procedures, including the use of personal protective equipment such as respirators, chemical goggles, and protective clothing. Relevant studies and third-party peer reviews of our technology have concluded that the risk of exposure to cadmium or cadmium compounds from our end-products is negligible. In addition, the risk of exposure is further minimized by the encapsulated nature of these materials in our products, the physical properties of cadmium compounds used in our products, and the recycling or responsible disposal of our modules. While we believe that these factors and procedures are sufficient to protect our associates, end users, and the general public from adverse health effects that may arise from cadmium exposure, we cannot ensure that human or environmental exposure to cadmium or cadmium compounds used in our products will not occur. Any such exposure could result in future third-party claims against us, damage to our reputation, and heightened regulatory scrutiny, which could limit or impair our ability to sell and distribute our products. The occurrence of future events such as these could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The use of cadmium or cadmium compounds in various products is also coming under increasingly stringent governmental regulation. Future regulation in this area could impact the manufacturing, sale, collection, and recycling of solar modules and could require us to make unforeseen environmental expenditures or limit our ability to sell and distribute our products. For example, European Union Directive 2011/65/EU on the Restriction of the Use of Hazardous Substances (“RoHS”) in electrical and electronic equipment (the “RoHS Directive”) restricts the use of certain hazardous substances, including cadmium and its compounds, in specified products. Other jurisdictions, such as China, have adopted similar legislation or are considering doing so. Currently, PV solar modules are explicitly excluded from the scope of RoHS (Article 2), as adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in June 2011. The next general review of the RoHS Directive is scheduled for 2021, involving a broader discussion of the existing scope. A scope review focusing on additional exclusions was proposed by the European Commission in 2017 under the EU’s co-decision process which allows the European Parliament and the European Council to amend the European Commission’s proposal on exclusions. The co-decision procedure was completed in 2017 and the existing exclusion of PV modules was maintained. In preparation for the next RoHS revision, the European Commission has started a number of pre-regulatory studies and assessments relating to the addition of new substances to the existing RoHS framework, as well as the revision and optimization of the exemption process. It is unclear to what extent the existing scope exclusions will be discussed or maintained in future directives. If PV modules were to be included in the scope of future RoHS revisions without an exemption or exclusion, we would be required to redesign our solar modules to reduce cadmium and other affected hazardous substances to the maximum allowable concentration thresholds in the RoHS Directive in order to continue to offer them for sale within the EU. As such actions would be impractical, this type of regulatory development would effectively close the EU market to us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
As an owner and operator of PV solar power systems that deliver electricity to the grid, certain of our affiliated entities may be regulated as public utilities under U.S. federal and state law, which could adversely affect the cost of doing business and limit our growth.
As an owner and operator of PV solar power systems that deliver electricity to the grid, certain of our affiliated entities may be considered public utilities for purposes of the Federal Power Act, as amended (the “FPA”), and public utility companies for purposes of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 2005 (“PUHCA 2005”), and are subject to regulation by the FERC, as well as various local and state regulatory bodies. Some of our affiliated entities may be exempt wholesale generators or qualifying facilities under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, as amended (“PURPA”), and as such are exempt from regulation under PUHCA 2005. In addition, our affiliated entities may be exempt from most provisions of the FPA, as well as state laws regarding the financial or organizational regulation of public utilities. We are not directly subject to FERC regulation under the FPA. However, we are considered to be a “holding company” for purposes of Section 203 of the FPA, which regulates certain transactions involving public utilities, and such regulation could adversely affect our ability to grow the business through acquisitions. Likewise, investors seeking to acquire our public utility subsidiaries or acquire ownership interests in our securities sufficient to give them control over us and our public utility subsidiaries may require prior FERC approval to do so. Such approval could result in transaction delays or uncertainties.
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Public utilities under the FPA are required to obtain FERC acceptance of their rate schedules for wholesale sales of electricity and to comply with various regulations. The FERC may grant our affiliated entities the authority to sell electricity at market-based rates and may also grant them certain regulatory waivers, such as waivers from compliance with FERC’s accounting regulations. These FERC orders reserve the right to revoke or revise market-based sales authority if the FERC subsequently determines that our affiliated entities can exercise market power in the sale of generation products, the provision of transmission services, or if it finds that any of the entities can create barriers to entry by competitors. In addition, if the entities fail to comply with certain reporting obligations, the FERC may revoke their power sales tariffs. Finally, if the entities were deemed to have engaged in manipulative or deceptive practices concerning their power sales transactions, they would be subject to potential fines, disgorgement of profits, and/or suspension or revocation of their market-based rate authority. If our affiliated entities were to lose their market-based rate authority, such companies would be required to obtain the FERC’s acceptance of a cost-of-service rate schedule and could become subject to the accounting, record-keeping, and reporting requirements that are imposed on utilities with cost-based rate schedules, which would impose cost and compliance burdens on us and have an adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition to the risks described above, we may be subject to additional regulatory regimes at state or foreign levels to the extent we own and operate PV solar power systems in such jurisdictions.
Other Risks
We are subject to litigation risks, including securities class actions and stockholder derivative actions, which may be costly to defend and the outcome of which is uncertain.
From time to time, we are subject to legal claims, with and without merit, that may be costly and which may divert the attention of our management and our resources in general. In addition, our projects may be subject to litigation or other adverse proceedings that may adversely impact our ability to proceed with construction or sell a given project. The results of complex legal proceedings are difficult to predict. Moreover, many of the complaints filed against us do not specify the amount of damages that plaintiffs seek, and we therefore are unable to estimate the possible range of damages that might be incurred should these lawsuits be resolved against us. Even if we are able to estimate losses related to these actions, the ultimate amount of loss may be materially higher than our estimates. Certain of these lawsuits assert types of claims that, if resolved against us, could give rise to substantial damages, and an unfavorable outcome or settlement of one or more of these lawsuits, or any future lawsuits, may result in a significant monetary judgment or award against us or a significant monetary payment by us, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. Even if these lawsuits, or any future lawsuits, are not resolved against us, the costs of defending such lawsuits and of any settlement may be significant. These costs may exceed the dollar limits of our insurance policies or may not be covered at all by our insurance policies. Because the price of our common stock has been, and may continue to be, volatile, we can provide no assurance that additional securities or other litigation will not be filed against us in the future. See Note 14. “Commitments and Contingencies – Legal Proceedings” to our consolidated financial statements for more information on our legal proceedings, including our securities class action and derivative actions.
We may not realize the anticipated benefits of past or future business combinations or acquisition transactions, and integration of these business combinations may disrupt our business and management.
We have made several acquisitions in prior years and in the future we may acquire additional companies, project pipelines, products, equity interests, or technologies or enter into joint ventures or other strategic initiatives. We may not realize the anticipated benefits of such business combinations or other investments,acquisitions, and each transaction has numerous risks. These risks, which may include the following:
difficulty in assimilating the operations and personnel of the acquired or partner company;
difficulty in effectively integrating the acquired products or technologies with our current products or technologies;
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difficulty in achieving profitable commercial scale from acquired technologies;
difficulty in maintaining controls, procedures, and policies during the transition and integration;
disruption of our ongoing business and distraction of our management and associates from other opportunities and challenges due to integration issues;
difficulty integrating the acquired or partner company’s accounting, management information, and other administrative systems;
difficulty managing joint ventures with our partners, potential litigation with joint venture partners, and reliance upon joint ventures whichthat we do not control; for example, our ability to effectively manage 8point3 Energy Partners, LP (the “YieldCo” or the “Partnership”), the limited partnership formed with SunPower Corporation (“SunPower” and together with First Solar, the “Sponsors”);
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, as a result of insufficient capital resources or otherwise;
incurring acquisition-related costs or amortization costs for acquired intangible assets that could impact our operating results;
potential impairment of our relationships with our associates, customers, partners, distributors, or third-party providers of products or technologies;
potential failure of the due diligence processes to identify significant issues with product quality, legal and financial liabilities, among other things;
potential inability to assert that internal controls over financial reporting are effective;
potential inability to obtain, or obtain in a timely manner, approvals from governmental authorities, which could delay or prevent such acquisitions; and
potential delay in customer purchasing decisions due to uncertainty about the direction of our product offerings.
Mergers and acquisitions of companies are inherently risky, and ultimately, if we do not complete the integration of acquired businesses 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.
In addition, we may seek to dispose of our interests in acquired companies, project pipelines, products, or technologies. We may not be able to achieve the full strategic and financial benefits expected to result from the formation of 8point3 Energy Partners LP, on a timely basisrecover our initial investment in such interests, in part or at all.
Our future success depends on our ability to retain our key associates and to successfully integrate them into our management team.
We are dependent on the services of our executive officers and other members of our senior management team. The loss of one or more of these key associates or any other member of our senior management team could have a material adverse effect on our business. We may not be able to retain or replace these key associates and may not have adequate succession plans in place. Several of our current key associates including our executive officers are subject to employment conditions or arrangements that contain post-employment non-competition provisions. However, these arrangements permit the associates to terminate their employment with us upon little or no notice and the enforceabilitynotice.
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If we are unable to attract, train, and retain key personnel, our business may be materially and adversely affected; any regulatory compliance failure with respect to applicable labor laws and regulations, including the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, could have an adverse effect on us.affected.
Our future success depends, to a significant extent, on our ability to attract, train, and retain management, operations, sales, training, and technical personnel, including personnel in foreign jurisdictions. Recruiting and retaining capable personnel, particularly those with expertise in the PV solar industry across a variety of technologies, are vital to our success. There is substantial competition for qualified technical personnel, and while we continue to benchmark our organization against the broad spectrum of business in our market space to remain economically competitive, there can be no assurances that we will be able to attract and retain our technical personnel. If we are unable to attract and retain qualified associates, or otherwise experience unexpected labor disruptions within our business, we may be materially and adversely affected.
We may be exposed to infringement or misappropriation claims by third parties, which, if determined adversely to us, could cause us to pay significant damage awards or prohibit us from the manufacture and sale of our solar modules or the use of our technology.
Our success depends largely on our ability to use and develop our technology and know-how without infringing or misappropriating the intellectual property rights of third parties. The validity and scope of claims relating to PV solar technology patents involve complex scientific, legal, and factual considerations and analysis and, therefore, may be highly uncertain. We may be subject to litigation involving claims of patent infringement or violation of intellectual property rights of third parties. The defense and prosecution of intellectual property suits, patent opposition proceedings, and related legal and administrative proceedings can be both costly and time consuming and may significantly divert the efforts and resources of our technical and management personnel. An adverse determination in any such litigation or proceedings to which we may become a party could subject us to significant liability to third parties, require us to seek licenses from third parties, which may not be available on reasonable terms, or at all, or pay ongoing royalties, require us to redesign our solar modules, or subject us to injunctions prohibiting the manufacture and sale of our solar modules or the use of our technologies. Protracted litigation could also result in our customers or potential customers deferring or limiting their purchase or use of our solar modules until the resolution of such litigation.
Currency translation and transaction risk may negatively affect our results of operations.
Although our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar, we conduct certain business and incur costs in the local currency of most countries in which we operate. As a result, we are subject to currency translation and transaction risk. For example, certain of our net sales in 20162019 were denominated in foreign currencies, such as Euros, Australian dollars,dollar and Indian rupees,Euro, and we expect to continue to have net sales denominated in foreign currencies in the future. In addition, our operating expenses for our manufacturing plants located outside the United States and our operations for our systems business in foreign countries will generally be denominated in local currencies. Joint ventures or other business arrangements with strategic partners outside of the United States have involved, and are expected in the future tomay involve, significant investments denominated in local currencies. Changes in exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar could affect our results of operations and result in exchange gains or losses. We cannot accurately predict the impact of future exchange rate fluctuations on our results of operations.
We could also expand our business into emerging markets, many of which have an uncertain regulatory environment relating to currency policy. Conducting business in such emerging markets could cause our exposure to changes in exchange rates to increase, due to the relatively high volatility associated with emerging market currencies and potentially longer payment terms for our proceeds.
Our ability to hedge foreign currency exposure is dependent on our credit profile with the banks that are willing and able to do business with us. Deterioration in our credit position or a significant tightening of the credit market conditions could limit our ability to hedge our foreign currency exposures; and therefore, result in exchange gains or losses.
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Our largest stockholder has significant influence over us and itshis interests may conflict with or differ from interests of other stockholders.
Our largest stockholder, Lukas T. Walton (the “Significant Stockholder”), owned approximately 22%21% of our outstanding common stock atas of December 31, 2016.2019. As a result, the Significant Stockholder has substantial influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of our directors and the approval of significant corporate transactions such as mergers, tender offers, and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets. The interests of the Significant Stockholder could conflict with or differ from interests of other stockholders. For example, the concentration of ownership held by the Significant Stockholder could delay, defer, or prevent a change of control of our company or impede a merger, takeover, or other business combination, which other stockholders may view favorably.
If our goodwill, long-lived assets or project related assets become impaired, we may be required to record a significant chargecharges to earnings.
We may be required to record a significant chargecharges to earnings should we determine that our goodwill, long-lived assets or project related assets are impaired. Such a chargecharges may have a material impact on our financial position and results of operations. During the year ended December 31, 2016, we recorded significant impairment charges associated with the end of our crystalline silicon module manufacturing operations and expected transition to Series 6 module manufacturing as discussed further in Note 4 “Restructuring and Asset Impairments” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Unanticipated changes in our tax provisions,provision, the enactment of new tax legislation, or exposure to additional income tax liabilities could affect our profitability.
We are subject to income taxes in the jurisdictions in which we operate. OurIn December 2017, the United States enacted the Tax Act. The changes included in the Tax Act are broad and complex, and the final effects of the Tax Act may differ from the amounts provided elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, possibly materially, due to, among other things, changes in regulations related to the Tax Act, any legislative action to address questions that arise because of the Tax Act, any changes in accounting standards for income taxes or related interpretations in response to the Tax Act, or actions we may take as a result of the Tax Act. Additionally, longstanding international tax liabilities are affectedlaws that determine each country’s jurisdictional tax rights in cross-border international trade continue to evolve as a result of the base erosion and profit shifting reporting requirements recommended by the amounts we charge forOECD. As these and other tax laws and regulations change, our modules, systems, services, licenses, funding,business, financial condition, and intercompany transactions. results of operations could be adversely affected.
We are subject to potential tax examinations in various jurisdictions, and taxing authorities may disagree with our interpretations of U.S. and foreign tax laws and may assess additional taxes. We regularly assess the likely outcomes of these examinations in order to determine the appropriateness of our tax provision; however, the outcome of tax examinations cannot be predicted with certainty. Therefore, the amounts ultimately paid upon resolution of such examinations could be materially different from the amounts previously included in our income tax provision, which could have a material impact on our results of operations and cash flows.
In addition, our future effective tax rate could be adversely affected by changes to our operating structure, losses of tax holidays, changes in the jurisdictional mix of earnings inamong countries with tax holidays or differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in tax laws, and the discovery of new information in the course of our tax return preparation process. A number of proposals for broad reform of the corporate tax systemAny changes in the United States are under evaluation by various legislative and administrative bodies, but it is not possible to accurately determine the overall impact of such proposals on our effective tax rate at this time. Changes in tax laws or regulations, including multijurisdictional changes enacted in response to the guidelines provided by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to address base erosion and profit sharing, may also increase tax uncertaintymaterially and adversely affectimpact our results of operations.
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Cyber-attacks or other breaches of our information systems, or those of third parties with which we do business, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our operations rely on our computer systems, hardware, software, and networks, as well as those of the third parties with which we do business, to securely process, store, and transmit proprietary, confidential, and other information, including intellectual property. SuchWe also rely heavily on these information systems to operate our manufacturing lines and PV solar power plants. These information systems may be compromised by cyber attacks,cyber-attacks, computer viruses, and other events that could be materially disruptive to our business operations and could put the security of our information, and that of the third parties with which we do business, at risk of misappropriation or destruction. In recent years, such cyber incidents have become increasingly frequent and sophisticated, targeting or otherwise affecting a wide range of companies. While we have instituted security measures to minimize the likelihood and impact of a cyber incident, there is no assurance that these measures, or those of the third parties with which we do business, will be adequate in the future. If these measures fail, valuable information may be lost,lost; our manufacturing, development, construction, O&M, and other operations may be disrupted,disrupted; we may be unable to fulfill our customer obligations; and our reputation may suffer. For example, any cyber incident affecting our automated manufacturing lines could adversely affect our ability to produce solar modules or otherwise affect the quality and performance of the modules produced. We may also be subject to litigation, regulatory action, remedial expenses, and financial losses beyond the scope or limits of our insurance coverage. These consequences of a failure of security measures could, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Changes in, or any failure to comply with, privacy laws, regulations, and standards may adversely affect our business.
Personal privacy and data security have become significant issues in the United States, Europe, and in many other jurisdictions in which we operate. The regulatory framework for privacy and security issues worldwide is rapidly evolving and is likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. For example, in 2015 the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor framework, which provided U.S. companies with a streamlined means of complying with the European Union’s Data Protection Directive regarding the treatment of customers’ and employees’ personal information and other privacy matters, and upon which we relied for the transfer of personal data from the EU to the U.S., was invalid. As a result of such invalidation, we have been required to implement data transfer agreements between certain of our U.S. and EU based entities. Furthermore, federal, state, or foreign government bodies or agencies have in the past adopted, and may in the future adopt, laws and regulations affecting data privacy, all of which may be subject to invalidation by relevant foreign judicial bodies. Industry organizations also regularly adopt and advocate for new standards in this area.
In the United States, these include rules and regulations promulgated or pending under the authority of federal agencies, and state attorneys general, and legislatures, and consumer protection agencies. Internationally, many jurisdictions in which we operate have established their own data security and privacy legal framework with which we, or ourrelevant suppliers, and customers must comply, including but not limited to,comply. For example, the Data Protection Directive established in the European Union and data protection legislation of the individual member states subject to such directive. The Data Protection Directive will be replaced in 2018 with the pending European General Data Protection Regulation, a broad-based data privacy regime enacted by the European Parliament, which will imposebecame effective in May 2018, imposes new requirements on how we collect, process, transfer, and store personal data, and also imposes additional obligations, potential penalties, and risk upon our business. Additionally, the California Consumer Privacy Act, which becomes effective in January 2020, imposes similar data privacy requirements. In many jurisdictions, enforcement actions and consequences for noncompliance are also rising. In addition to government regulation, privacy advocates and industry groups may propose new and different self-regulatory standards that either legally or contractually apply to us. AnyAlthough we have implemented policies, procedures, and, in certain cases, contractual arrangements designed to facilitate compliance with applicable privacy and data security laws and standards, any inability or perceived inability to adequately address privacy and security concerns, even if unfounded, or comply with applicable privacy and data security laws, regulations, and policies, could result in additional costfines, costs, and liabilityliabilities to us, damage our reputation, inhibit sales, and adversely affect our business.
Our credit agreements contain covenant restrictions that may limit our ability to operate our business.
We may be unable to respond to changes in business and economic conditions, engage in transactions that might otherwise be beneficial to us, and obtain additional financing, if needed, because the senior secured credit facility made available under our amended and restated credit agreement with several financial institutions as lenders and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as administrative agent (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) and certain of our project financing
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arrangements contain, and other future debt agreements may contain, covenant restrictions that limit our ability to, among other things:
incur additional debt, assume obligations in connection with letters of credit, or issue guarantees;
create liens;
enter into certain transactions with our affiliates;
sell certain assets; and
declare or pay dividends, make other distributions to stockholders, or make other restricted payments.
Under our Revolving Credit Facility and certain of our project financing arrangements, we are also subject to certain financial covenants. Our ability to comply with covenants under our credit agreements is dependent on our future performance or the performance of specifically financed projects, which will be subject to many factors, some of which are beyond our control, including prevailing economic conditions. In addition, our failure to comply with these covenants could result in a default under these agreements and any of our other future debt agreements, which if not cured or waived, could permit the holders thereof to accelerate such debt and could cause cross-defaults under our other facility agreements and the possible acceleration of debt under such other facility agreements, as well as cross-defaults under certain of our key project and operational agreements and could also result in requirements to post additional security instruments to secure future obligations. In addition, we cannot assure you thatcertain events that occur within the Company, or in the industry or the economy as a whole, will notmay constitute material adverse effects under these agreements. If it is determined that a material adverse effect has occurred, the lenders can, under certain circumstances, restrict future borrowings or accelerate the due date of outstanding loan balances.amounts. If any of our debt is accelerated, we may not have sufficient funds available to repay such debt and may experience cross-defaults under our other debt agreements or project and key operational agreements, which could materially and negativelyadversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 2. Properties
As of December 31, 2016,2019, our principal properties consisted of the following:
| Nature | Primary Segment(s) Using Property | Location | Held | |||
| Corporate headquarters | Tempe, Arizona, United States | Lease | ||||
| Manufacturing plant, R&D facility, and administrative offices (1) | Modules | Perrysburg, Ohio, United States | Own | |||
| Administrative offices | Systems | San Francisco, California, United States | Lease | |||
| Santa Clara, California, United States | Lease | |||||
| Manufacturing plant and administrative offices | Modules | Kulim, Kedah, Malaysia | Lease land, own buildings | |||
| Administrative offices | Modules & Systems | Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia | Lease | |||
| Manufacturing plant | Modules | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | Lease land, own buildings | |||
| Manufacturing plant (2) | Modules | Frankfurt/Oder, Germany | Own | |||
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——————————
| (1) |
| (2) |
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
See Note 1614. “Commitments and Contingencies” under the heading “LegalContingencies – Legal Proceedings” ofto our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2016 included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information regarding legal proceedings and related matters.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
None.
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related StockholderMatters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Our common stock has beenis listed on The NASDAQ Global SelectNasdaq Stock Market LLC under the symbol “FSLR” since November 17, 2006. Prior to this time, there was no public market for our common stock. The following table sets forth the range of high and low closing prices per share as reported on The NASDAQ Global Select Market for the periods indicated:FSLR.
| High | Low | |||||||
| Fiscal year 2016 | ||||||||
| First quarter | $ | 73.21 | $ | 60.99 | ||||
| Second quarter | $ | 67.48 | $ | 44.23 | ||||
| Third quarter | $ | 49.24 | $ | 34.00 | ||||
| Fourth quarter | $ | 42.25 | $ | 29.21 | ||||
| Fiscal year 2015 | ||||||||
| First quarter | $ | 62.52 | $ | 39.83 | ||||
| Second quarter | $ | 64.75 | $ | 46.98 | ||||
| Third quarter | $ | 53.48 | $ | 40.81 | ||||
| Fourth quarter | $ | 66.99 | $ | 42.68 | ||||
Dividend Policy
We have never paid and it is our present intention for the foreseeable futuredo not expect to pay dividends on our common stock. Ourstock for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, our Revolving Credit Facility imposes restrictions on our ability to declare or pay dividends. The declaration and payment of dividends is subject to the discretion of our board of directors and depends on various factors, including the continued applicability of the above-referenced restrictions under our Revolving Credit Facility, our net income, financial condition, cash requirements, and future prospects as well as the restrictions under our Revolving Credit Facility and other factors considered relevant by our board of directors. We expect to prioritize our working capital requirements, capacity expansion and other capital expenditure needs, project development and construction, and merger and acquisition opportunities prior to returning capital to our shareholders.
Stock Price Performance Graph
The following graph compares the five-year cumulative total return on our common stock relative to the cumulative total returns of the S&P 500 Index and the GuggenheimInvesco Solar ETF, which represents a peer group of solar companies. InFor purposes of the stock price performance graph, included below, an investment of $100 (with reinvestment of all dividends) is assumed to have been made in our common stock, the S&P 500 Index, and the GuggenheimInvesco Solar ETF on December 31, 2011,2014, and its relative performance is tracked through December 31, 20162019. No cash dividends have been declared on shares of our common stock. This performance graph is not “soliciting material,” is not deemed filed with the SEC, and is not to be incorporated by reference in any filing by us under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, whether made before or after the date hereof, and irrespective of any general incorporation language in any such filing. The stock price performance shown onin the graph represents past performance and shouldis not be considered an indicationnecessarily indicative of future stock price performance.
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COMPARISON OF FIVE-YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*
Among First Solar, the S&P 500 Index,
and the Invesco Solar ETF
——————————| * | $100 invested on December 31, |
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliate Purchases
None.
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Item 6. Selected Financial Data
The following tables set forth our selected financial data for the periods and at the dates indicated. The selected financial data from the consolidated statements of operations and consolidated statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015,2019, 2018, and 20142017 and the selected financial data from the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 20162019 and 20152018 have been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The selected financial data from the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012 and selected financial data from the consolidated statements of operations and consolidated statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 20132016 and 20122015 and the selected financial data from the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015 have been derived from audited consolidated financial statements not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The information presented below should also be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto and Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto.
| Years Ended | Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 31, 2016 | December 31, 2015 | December 31, 2014 | December 31, 2013 | December 31, 2012 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (In thousands, except per share amounts) | (In thousands, except per share amounts) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 2,951,328 | $ | 3,578,995 | $ | 3,391,187 | $ | 3,309,616 | $ | 3,354,920 | $ | 3,063,117 | $ | 2,244,044 | $ | 2,941,324 | $ | 2,904,563 | $ | 4,112,650 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | 703,979 | 919,267 | 824,941 | 864,632 | 847,820 | 549,212 | 392,177 | 548,947 | 638,418 | 1,132,762 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating (loss) income | (502,590 | ) | 516,664 | 421,999 | 370,407 | (42,933 | ) | (161,785 | ) | 40,113 | 177,851 | (568,151 | ) | 730,159 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net (loss) income | (357,964 | ) | 546,421 | 395,964 | 350,718 | (106,909 | ) | (114,933 | ) | 144,326 | (165,615 | ) | (416,112 | ) | 593,406 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net (loss) income per share: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basic | $ | (3.48 | ) | $ | 5.42 | $ | 3.96 | $ | 3.74 | $ | (1.23 | ) | $ | (1.09 | ) | $ | 1.38 | $ | (1.59 | ) | $ | (4.05 | ) | $ | 5.88 | |||||||||||||||
| Diluted | $ | (3.48 | ) | $ | 5.37 | $ | 3.90 | $ | 3.67 | $ | (1.23 | ) | $ | (1.09 | ) | $ | 1.36 | $ | (1.59 | ) | $ | (4.05 | ) | $ | 5.83 | |||||||||||||||
| Cash dividends declared per common share | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | 206,753 | $ | (325,209 | ) | $ | 735,516 | $ | 856,126 | $ | 762,209 | $ | 174,201 | $ | (326,809 | ) | $ | 1,340,677 | $ | 206,753 | $ | (325,209 | ) | |||||||||||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | 144,520 | (156,177 | ) | (387,818 | ) | (537,106 | ) | (383,732 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities | (136,393 | ) | 101,207 | (46,907 | ) | 101,164 | (89,109 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities | (362,298 | ) | (682,714 | ) | (626,802 | ) | 144,520 | (156,177 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | 74,943 | 255,228 | 192,045 | (136,393 | ) | 101,207 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 31, 2016 | December 31, 2015 | December 31, 2014 | December 31, 2013 | December 31, 2012 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (In thousands) | (In thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 1,347,155 | $ | 1,126,826 | $ | 1,482,054 | $ | 1,325,072 | $ | 901,294 | $ | 1,352,741 | $ | 1,403,562 | $ | 2,268,534 | $ | 1,347,155 | $ | 1,126,826 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Marketable securities | 607,991 | 703,454 | 509,032 | 439,102 | 102,578 | 811,506 | 1,143,704 | 720,379 | 607,991 | 703,454 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total assets | 6,867,213 | 7,316,331 | 6,720,991 | 6,876,586 | 6,356,975 | 7,515,689 | 7,121,362 | 6,864,501 | 6,824,368 | 7,360,392 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total long-term debt | 188,388 | 289,415 | 213,473 | 223,323 | 562,572 | 471,697 | 466,791 | 393,540 | 188,388 | 289,415 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total liabilities | 1,654,526 | 1,767,844 | 1,729,504 | 2,408,516 | 2,783,681 | 2,418,922 | 1,908,959 | 1,765,804 | 1,606,019 | 1,741,996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total stockholders’ equity | 5,212,687 | 5,548,487 | 4,991,487 | 4,468,070 | 3,573,294 | 5,096,767 | 5,212,403 | 5,098,697 | 5,218,349 | 5,618,396 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition andResults of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Unless expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, the terms “First Solar,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to First Solar, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. In addition to historical consolidated financial information, the following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions as described under the “Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” that appears earlier in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated by these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those discussed under Item 1A. “Risk Factors,” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion and analysis does not address certain items in respect of the year ended December 31, 2017 in reliance on amendments to disclosure requirements adopted by the SEC in 2019. See Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 for comparative discussions of our results of operations and liquidity and capital resources for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017.
Executive Overview
We are a leading global provider of comprehensive PV solar energy solutions. We design, manufacture, and sell PV solar modules with an advanced thin-filmthin film semiconductor technology and also develop design, construct, and sell PV solar power systems that primarily use the modules we manufacture. Additionally, we provide O&M services to system owners that use solar modules manufactured by us or by third-party manufacturers.owners. We have substantial, ongoing R&D efforts focused on module and system-levelvarious technology innovations. We are the world’s largest thin-filmthin film PV solar module manufacturer and one of the world’s largest PV solar module manufacturers. Our mission is to create enduring value by enabling a world powered by clean, affordable solar energy.
Certain highlights of our financial results and other key operational developments for the year ended December 31, 20162019 include the following:
Net sales for 2016 decreased2019 increased by 18%36% to $3.0$3.1 billion compared to $3.6$2.2 billion in 2015.2018. The decreaseincrease in net sales was primarily attributable to an increase in third-party module sales, the sale of majority interests in the North StarSun Streams, Sunshine Valley, and Lost HillsBeryl projects, and ongoing construction activities at the Phoebe and GA Solar 4 projects, partially offset by the sale of the Mashiko and certain Indian projects in 2015,2018 and the completion of substantially all construction activities onat the Imperial Solar Energy Center WestCalifornia Flats, Willow Springs, and Decaturvarious other projects in 2015, the completion of substantially all construction activities on the Silver State South and McCoy projects in the first half of 2016, and lower revenue from “module plus” transactions, which are transactions in which we sell both our modules plus selected BoS parts. This decrease in revenue was partially offset by an increase in the volume of modules sold to third parties, higher revenue from the commencement of construction of the Taylor and Butler projectsFlorida in late 2015,2018 and the commencement of construction of the East Pecos project in early 2016.
2019.Gross profit decreased 1.8increased 0.4 percentage points to 23.9%17.9% during 20162019 from 25.7%17.5% during 2015,2018 primarily as a result of higher gross profit on third-party module sales, improved utilization of our manufacturing facilities, and a reduction to our product warranty liability due to revised module return rates, partially offset by the mix of lower gross profit projects sold andor under construction higher inventory write-downs,during the period and the reductionsettlement of a tax examination with the state of California in 2018, which affected our module collectionestimates of sales and recycling obligationuse taxes due for certain projects.
| • | During 2019, we commenced commercial production of Series 6 modules at our second manufacturing facility in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and our manufacturing facility in Lake Township, Ohio, bringing our total installed Series 6 nameplate production capacity across all our facilities to 5.5 GWDC. We produced 5.7 GWDC of Series 4 and Series 6 modules during 2019, which represented a 111% increase from 2018. The increase in production was primarily driven by the incremental Series 6 production capacity added at our manufacturing facilities as described above. We expect to produce approximately 5.7 GWDC of solar modules during 2020, substantially all of which will be Series 6 modules. |
In September 2019, we announced our transition from an internal EPC service model in 2015 resulting from certain recycling technology advancements, partially offset by the higher gross margins on modules salesUnited States to third parties.
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In January 2020, we entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) to settle a class action lawsuit filed in 2012 in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona (hereafter “Arizona District Court”) against the Company and certain of our current and former officers and directors. Pursuant to the MOU, we agreed to pay a total of $350 million to settle the claims brought on behalf of all persons who purchased or otherwise acquired the Company’s shares during a specified period, in exchange for mutual releases and a dismissal with prejudice of the complaint upon court approval of the settlement. The proposed settlement contains no admission of liability, wrongdoing, or responsibility by any of the parties.
Market Overview
The solar industry continues to be characterized by intense pricing competition, both at the module and system levels. In particular, module average selling prices in the United States and several other keymany global markets have experienced an accelerated declinedeclined in recent months,years and module average selling prices are expected to continue to decline to some degree in the short and medium terms according to market forecasts.future. In the aggregate, we believe manufacturers of solar modulescells and cellsmodules have significant installed production capacity, relative to global demand, and the ability for additional capacity expansion. We believe the solar industry may from time to time experience periods of structural imbalance between supply and demand (i.e., where production capacity exceeds global demand), and that such periods will continue to put pressure on pricing. We believe the solar industry is currently in such a period. Additionally, intense competition at the system level may result in an environment in which pricing falls rapidly, thereby further increasing demand for solar energy solutions but constraining the ability for project developers; EPC companies;developers, and vertically-integrated solar companies such as First Solardiversified module manufacturers to sustain meaningful and consistent profitability. In light of such market realities, we are executing our long term strategic plan, under which we are focusing on our competitive strengths. Such strengthsstrategies and points of differentiation, which include our advanced module technology, our manufacturing process, our diversified capabilities, our financial viability, and system technologies as well asthe sustainability advantage of our vertically-integrated business model that enables us to provide utility-scale PV solar energy solutions to key markets with current electricity needs.modules and systems.
Lower industry module and system pricing while currently challenging for certain solar manufacturers (particularly manufacturers with high cost structures), is expected to continue to contribute to diversification in global market diversificationelectricity generation and volume elasticity.further demand for solar energy solutions as such solutions compete economically with traditional forms of energy generation. Over time, declining average selling prices are consistent with the erosion of one of the primary historical constraints to widespread solar market penetration, its affordability. In the near term, however, declining average selling prices are expected tomay adversely affect our results of operations relative to prior years.the extent we have not already entered into contracts for future module or system sales. If competitors reduce pricing to levels below their costs,costs; bid aggressively low prices for module sale agreements EPC agreements, and PPAs,or PPAs; or are able to operate at minimal or negative operating margins for sustained periods of time, our results of operations could be further adversely affected. In certain markets in California and elsewhere, an oversupply imbalance at the grid level may further contribute to reduced short-to-mediumreduce short-
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to-medium term demand for new solar installations relative to prior years, lower PPA pricing, and lower margins on module and systemssystem sales to such markets. However, we believe the effects of such imbalance can be mitigated by modern solar power plants that offer a flexible operating profile, thereby promoting greater grid stability and enabling a higher penetration of solar energy. We continue to mitigateaddress these uncertainties, in part, by executing on our module technology improvements, including our transition to Series 6 module manufacturing, continuing the development of key markets, partnering with grid operators and utility companies, and implementing certain other cost reduction initiatives, including both manufacturing and BoS costs.initiatives.
We continue to face intense competition from manufacturers of crystalline silicon solar modules and other typesdevelopers of solar modules and PV solar power systems.projects. Solar module manufacturers compete with one another on price and on several module value attributes, including wattage (or conversion efficiency,efficiency), energy yield, and reliability, and with respect to PV solar powerdevelopers of systems compete on various factors such as net present value, return on equity, and LCOE, meaning the net present value of total life cycle costs of the system divided by the quantity of energy which is expected to be produced over the system’s life. As noted above, competition on the basis of selling price per watt has intensified in recent months, resulting in sharp declines in module average selling prices in several key markets. In addition, we believeLCOE. Many crystalline silicon cell and wafer manufacturers have begun transitioningcontinue to transition from lower efficiency Back Surface Field (“BSF”)BSF multi-crystalline cells (the legacy technology against which we have generally competecompeted in our markets) to higher efficiency PERC multi-crystalline and mono-crystalline cells at potentially competitive cost structures. Additionally, while conventional solar modules, including the solar modules we produce, are monofacial, meaning their ability to produce energy is a function of direct and diffuse irradiance on their front side, certain manufacturers of mono-crystalline PERC modules are promoting bifacial modules that also capture diffuse irradiance on the back side of a module. The cost effective manufacture of bifacial PERC modules has been enabled, in part, by the expansion of inexpensive crystal growth and diamond wire saw capacity in China. Bifaciality compromises nameplate efficiency, but by converting both front and rear side irradiance, such technology may improve the overall energy production of a module relative to nameplate efficiency when applied in certain applications, which, after considering the incremental BoS and other costs, could potentially lower the overall LCOE of a system when compared to systems using conventional solar modules, including the modules we produce.
We believe we are among the lowest cost PV module manufacturers in the solar industry on a module cost per watt basis, based on publicly available information. This cost competitiveness is reflectedallows us to compete favorably in the price at which we sell ourmarkets where pricing for modules and fully integrated PV solar power systems and enables our systems to compete favorably.is highly competitive. Our cost competitiveness is based in large part on our module wattage (or conversion efficiency,efficiency), proprietary manufacturing technology (which enables us to produce a CdTe module in less than 3.5a matter of hours using a continuous and highly automated industrial manufacturing process, as opposed to a batch process), and our focus on operational excellence. In addition, our CdTe modules use approximately 1-2% of the amount of the semiconductor material that is used to manufacture traditionalconventional crystalline silicon solar modules. The cost of polysilicon is a significant driver of the manufacturing cost of crystalline silicon solar modules, and the timing and rate of change in the cost of silicon feedstock and polysilicon could lead to changes in solar module pricing levels. Polysilicon costs have had periods of decline over the past severalIn recent years, and polysilicon consumption per cell has been reduced through various initiatives, such as the adoption of diamond waferwire saw technology, contributingwhich have contributed to a declinedeclines in our relative manufacturing cost competitiveness over traditionalconventional crystalline silicon module manufacturers.
In terms of energy yield, in many climates our CdTe solar modules provide a significantan energy production advantage over most conventionalmonofacial crystalline silicon solar modules (including BSF and PERC technologies) of equivalent efficiency rating. For example, our CdTe solar modules provide a superior temperature coefficient, which results in stronger system performance in typical high insolation climates as the majority of a system’s generation, on average, occurs when module temperatures are well above 25°C (standard test conditions). In addition, our CdTe solar modules provide a superior spectral response in humid environments where atmospheric moisture alters the solar spectrum relative to laboratory standards. Our CdTe solar modules also provide a better shading response than conventional crystalline silicon solar modules, which may lose up to three times as much power as CdTe solar modules when shading occurs. As a result of these and other factors, our PV solar power systemsmodules typically produce more annual energy in real world field conditions than competing systemsconventional modules with the same nameplate capacity.
While our modules and PV solar power systems are generally competitive in cost, reliability, and performance attributes, there can be no guarantee such competitiveness will continue to exist in the future to the same extent or at all. Any declines in the competitiveness of our products could result in additional margin compression, further declines in the average selling prices of our modules and systems, erosion in our market share for modules and systems, decreases in the rate of net sales growth, and/or declines in overall net
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sales. We continue to focus on enhancing the competitiveness of our solar modules and PV solar power systems by accelerating progress along our module technology and cost reduction roadmaps, continuing to make technological advances at the system level, using innovative installation techniques and know-how, and leveraging volume procurement around standardized hardware platforms. Such procurement efforts include the use of high-quality, conventional BoS components as we have phased out the use of our proprietary trackers and fixed mounting structures to further reduce system costs and streamline our operations.roadmaps.
Certain Trends and Uncertainties
We believe that our operations may be favorably or unfavorably impacted by the following trends and uncertainties that may affect our financial condition and results of operations. See Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussiondiscussions of other risks that may affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.operations, and cash flows.
Our long termlong-term strategic plan isplans are focused on our goal to create long-term shareholder value through a long-term roadmap to achieve our technology,balance of growth, profitability, and cost leadership objectives.liquidity. In executing our long term strategic plan,such plans, we are focusing on providing utility-scale PV solar energy solutions using our modules in key geographic markets that we believe have a compelling need for mass-scale PV electricity, including markets throughout the Americas, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, and the Middle East. As part of our long termcertain other strategic plan,markets. Additionally, we are focusing on opportunities in which our PV solar energy solutions can compete directly with fossil fuel offeringstraditional forms of energy generation on an LCOE or similar basis, or complement such generation offerings. Such opportunities include the retirement and replacement of fossil fuel electricity offerings. Executionfuel-based generation resources with utility-scale PV solar energy solutions. For example, cumulative global retirements of coal generation plants are expected to approximate 900 GWDCby 2040, representing a significant increase in the long term strategic plan entails a prioritization ofpotential market opportunities worldwide relative to our core strengths and a corresponding allocation of resources around the globe. for solar energy.
This prioritization involves a focus on our core module and utility-scale offerings and exists within a current market environment that includes rooftop and distributed generation solar, particularly in the United States. While it is unclear how rooftop and distributed generation solar might impact our core utility-scale based offerings inover the next several years, we believe that utility-scale solar will continue to be a compelling solar offering for companies with technology and cost leadership and will continue to represent an increasing portion of the overall electricity generation mix. However, our module offerings in certain international markets may be driven, in part, by future demand for rooftop and distributed generation solar solutions.
Our ability to provide utility-scale offerings on economically attractive terms depends, in part, on market factors outside our control, such as interest rate fluctuations, domestic or international trade policies, and government support programs. Adverse changes in these factors could increase the cost of utility-scale systems, which could reduce demand for such systems and limit the number of potential buyers.
We are closely evaluatingevaluate and managingmonitor the appropriate level of resources required as we pursue the most advantageous and cost effective projects and partnerships in our targetkey markets. We have dedicated, and intend to continue to dedicate, significant capital and human resources to reduce the total installed cost of PV solar energy to optimize the design and logistics around our PV solar energy solutions, and to ensure that our solutions integrate well into the overall electricity ecosystem of each specific market. We expect that, over time, an increasing portionthe majority of our consolidated net sales, operating income, and cash flows maywill come from solar offerings in the key geographic markets described above as we execute on our long term strategic plan.above. The timing, execution, and financial impacts of our long termlong-term strategic planplans are subject to risks and uncertainties, as described in Item 1A. “Risk Factors,” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We are focusing our resources in those markets and energy applications in which solar power can be a least-cost, best-fit energy solution, particularly in regions with high solar resources, significant current or projected electricity demand, and/or relatively high existing electricity prices. As part of these efforts, we continue to optimize resources globally, including business development, sales personnel,prices, strong demand for renewable energy generation, and other supporting professional staff in target markets.high solar resources.
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energy generation by shifting the delivery of energy generated by such systems to periods of greater demand. Storage solutions continue to evolve in terms of technology and cost, and cumulative global deployments of storage capacity are expected to exceed 900 GWDCby 2040, representing a significant increase in the potential market for renewable energy. We will also continue to monitor and adapt to changing dynamics in the market set of potential buyers of solar project assets.projects. Market environments with few potential project buyers and a higher cost of capital would generally exert downward pressure on the potential revenue from the uncontracted solar project assetsprojects we are developing, whereas, conversely, market environments with many potential project buyers and a lower cost of capital would likely have a favorable impact on the potential revenue from such uncontracted solar project assets.projects.
We continually evaluate forecasted global demand, competition, and our addressable market and seek to effectively balance manufacturing capacity with market demand and the nature and extent of our competition. To the extentDuring 2019, we makecommenced commercial production of Series 6 modules at our second manufacturing facility in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and our manufacturing facility in Lake Township, Ohio, a short distance from our plant in Perrysburg, Ohio. These additional manufacturing plants, and any other potential investments to add or otherwise modify our existing manufacturing capacity in response to market demand and competition, such investments wouldmay require significant internal and possibly external sources of liquiditycapital, and wouldmay be subject to certain risks and uncertainties described in Item 1A. Risk“Risk Factors,” including those entitleddescribed under the headings “Our future success depends on our ability to effectively balance manufacturing production with market demand, convert existing production facilities to support new product lines, such asdecrease our transition to Series 6 module manufacturing cost per watt, and, when necessary, continue to build new manufacturing plants over time in response to suchmarket demand, and add production lines in a cost-effective manner, all of which are subject to risks and uncertainties” and “If any future production lines are not built in line with our committed schedules, it may impair anyadversely affect our future growth plans. If any future production lines do not achieve operating metrics similar to our existing production lines, our solar modules could perform below expectations and cause us to lose customers.”
Systems Project Pipeline
The following tables summarize, as of February 22, 2017,20, 2020, our approximately 2.01.3 GW systems businessAC advanced-stage project pipeline. As of December 31, 2016, for the Projects Sold/Under Contract in our advanced-stage project pipeline of 275 MW, we have not recognized any significant amount of revenue. The remaining revenue to be recognized subsequent to December 31, 2016 for the Projects Sold/Under Contract is expected to be approximately $0.8 billion. The majority of such revenue is expected to be recognized through the later of the substantial completion or closing dates of the projects. The remaining revenue to be recognized does not have a direct correlation to expected remaining module shipments for such Projects Sold/Under Contract as expected module shipments do not represent total systems revenues and do not consider the timing of when all revenue recognition criteria are met, including the timing of module installation. The actual volume of modules installed in our Projects Sold/Under Contractprojects will be greater than the project size in MWAC as module volumes required for a project are based upon MWDC, which will be greater than the MWAC size pursuant to a DC-AC ratio typically ranging from 1.21.1 to 1.3.1.4. Such ratio varies across different projects due to various systemmany factors, including PPA pricing and the location, design, factors.and costs of the system. Projects are typically removed from our advanced-stage project pipeline tables below once we have substantially completedcomplete construction of the project and after substantially all of the associated project revenue has beenis recognized. Projects,A project, or portionsa portion of projects,a project, may also be removed from the tables below in the event an EPC-contracted or partner-developed project does not obtain permitting or financing, an unsold or uncontracteda project is not able to be sold or contracted due to the changing economics of the project or other factors or we decide to temporarily own and operate, or retain interests in, such projectsa project based on strategic opportunities or market factors.
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Accordingly, we removed such project from the tables below as First Solar, to spend significant sums and devote substantial resources toour arrangement with the customer now represents a project before a determination can be made whether the project is feasible, economically attractive, or capable of being built. For more information about the risks associated with project development, see Item 1A. “Risk Factors – Project development or construction activities may not be successful; projects under development may not receive required permits, real property rights, PPAs, interconnection, and transmission arrangements; or financing or construction may not commence or proceed as scheduled, which could increase our costs and impair our ability to recover our investments.” In light of significant uncertainties and risks related to the land use rights and obtaining the required permits and approvals, among other factors, and our experience developing over 6 GW of solar energy projects, we made the determination that it would not be prudent to continue development of the Tribal Solar project. We therefore notified SCE that we were unwilling to pay the excess costs related to certain transmission upgrades and new transmission facilities, and the PPA was terminated pursuant to its terms. Accordingly, SCE has released to us the full amount of the performance security, and we have ceased development activities related to the Tribal Solar project. As of December 31, 2016, we estimated that the Tribal Solar project was 2% completed and had a likely substantial completion date, if any, in 2021.third-party module sale.
Projects Sold/Under Contractunder Sales Agreements
The following table includes uncompleted sold projects, projects under sales contracts subject to conditions precedent, and EPC agreements including partner developed projects that we will be or are constructing.)
agreements:
| As of December 31, 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Project/Location | Project Size in MW AC (1) | PPA Contracted Partner | EPC Contract/Partner Developed Project | Expected Year Revenue Recognition Will Be Completed By | Percentage Complete | Percentage of Revenue Recognized | Project Size in MWAC | PPA Contracted Partner | Customer | Expected Year Revenue Recognition Will Be Completed | % of Revenue Recognized as of December 31, 2019 | |||||||
| Moapa, Nevada | 250 | LADWP | (2) | 2017 | 99% | —% | ||||||||||||
| Helios, Honduras | 25 | ENEE (3) | Grupo Terra | 2017 | 7% | |||||||||||||
| GA Solar 4, Georgia | 200 | Georgia Power Company | Origis Energy USA | 2020 | 67% | |||||||||||||
| Sun Streams, Arizona | 150 | SCE | (1) | 2020 | 94% | |||||||||||||
| Sunshine Valley, Nevada | 100 | SCE | (1) | 2020 | 96% | |||||||||||||
| Seabrook, South Carolina | 72 | South Carolina Electric and Gas Company | Dominion Energy | 2020 | 94% | |||||||||||||
| Japan (multiple locations) | 52 | TEPCO Energy | (2) | 2020 | —% | |||||||||||||
| Windhub A, California | 20 | SCE | (1) | 2020 | 96% | |||||||||||||
| Total | 275 | 594 | ||||||||||||||||
Projects with Executed PPAPPAs Not Sold/Not Contractedunder Sales Agreements
| Project/Location | Project Size in MW AC (1) | Fully Permitted | PPA Contracted Partner | Expected or Actual Substantial Completion Year | Percentage Complete as of December 31, 2016 | |
| California Flats, California | 280 | No | PG&E/Apple Inc. (4) | 2018 | 45% | |
| India (multiple locations) | 250 | No | (5) | 2016/2017 | 69% | |
| Rosamond, California | 150 | Yes | SCE | 2018 | 11% | |
| Sun Streams, Arizona | 150 | Yes | SCE | 2019 | 4% | |
| Luz del Norte, Chile | 141 | Yes | (6) | 2016 | 100% | |
| American Kings Solar, California | 126 | No | SCE | 2020 | 5% | |
| Willow Springs, California | 100 | Yes | SCE | 2018 | 16% | |
| Sunshine Valley, Nevada | 100 | Yes | SCE | 2019 | 2% | |
| Switch Station 1, Nevada | 100 | Yes | Nevada Power Company | 2017 | 45% | |
| Switch Station 2, Nevada | 79 | Yes | Nevada Power Company / Sierra Pacific Power Company | 2017 | 6% | |
| Ishikawa, Japan | 59 | Yes | Hokuriku Electric Power Company | 2018 | 13% | |
| Manildra, Australia | 49 | Yes | EnergyAustralia | 2018 | 1% | |
| Japan (multiple locations) | 41 | No | Tokyo Electric Power Company | 2019/2020 | 7% | |
| Little Bear, California | 40 | No | Marin Clean Energy (7) | 2020 | 4% | |
| Miyagi, Japan | 40 | No | Tohoku Electric Power Company | 2018/2019 | 10% | |
| Cuyama, California | 40 | Yes | PG&E | 2017 | 30% | |
| Total | 1,745 | |||||
| Project/Location | Project Size in MWAC | PPA Contracted Partner | Fully Permitted | Expected or Actual Substantial Completion Year | % Complete as of December 31, 2019 | ||||||
| Sun Streams 2, Arizona | 150 | Microsoft Corporation | Yes | 2020/2021 | 10% | ||||||
| Luz del Norte, Chile | 141 | (3) | Yes | 2016 | 100% | ||||||
| American Kings Solar, California | 123 | SCE | Yes | 2020 | 27% | ||||||
| Sun Streams PVS, Arizona | 65 | APS | No | 2022 | 3% | ||||||
| Ishikawa, Japan | 59 | Hokuriku Electric Power Company | Yes | 2018 | 100% | ||||||
| Japan (multiple locations) | 55 | (4) | Yes | 2021/2022 | 17% | ||||||
| Miyagi, Japan | 40 | Tohoku Electric Power Company | Yes | 2021 | 42% | ||||||
| India (multiple locations) | 40 | (5) | Yes | 2017 | 100% | ||||||
| Total | 673 | ||||||||||
——————————
| (1) |
| (2) | Contracted but not specified |
| (3) | Approximately 70 MWAC of the plant’s capacity is |
| (4) | Chubu Electric Power Company – 38 MWAC and Hokuriku Electric Power Company – 17 MWAC |
| (5) | Gulbarga Electricity Supply Co. – 20 MW |
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Results of Operations
The following table sets forth our consolidated statements of operations as a percentage of net sales for the years ended December 31, 20162019, 2015,2018, and 2014:2017:
| Years Ended December 31, | Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |||||||||||||
| Net sales | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | ||||||
| Cost of sales | 76.1 | % | 74.3 | % | 75.7 | % | 82.1 | % | 82.5 | % | 81.3 | % | ||||||
| Gross profit | 23.9 | % | 25.7 | % | 24.3 | % | 17.9 | % | 17.5 | % | 18.7 | % | ||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 6.7 | % | 7.9 | % | 6.9 | % | ||||||||||||
| Research and development | 4.2 | % | 3.6 | % | 4.2 | % | 3.2 | % | 3.8 | % | 3.0 | % | ||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 8.9 | % | 7.1 | % | 7.5 | % | ||||||||||||
| Production start-up | — | % | 0.5 | % | 0.2 | % | 1.5 | % | 4.0 | % | 1.4 | % | ||||||
| Litigation loss | 11.9 | % | — | % | — | % | ||||||||||||
| Restructuring and asset impairments | 27.7 | % | — | % | — | % | — | % | — | % | 1.3 | % | ||||||
| Operating (loss) income | (17.0 | )% | 14.4 | % | 12.4 | % | (5.3 | )% | 1.8 | % | 6.0 | % | ||||||
| Foreign currency loss, net | (0.5 | )% | (0.2 | )% | — | % | ||||||||||||
| Foreign currency income (loss), net | 0.1 | % | — | % | (0.3 | )% | ||||||||||||
| Interest income | 0.9 | % | 0.6 | % | 0.5 | % | 1.6 | % | 2.7 | % | 1.2 | % | ||||||
| Interest expense, net | (0.7 | )% | (0.2 | )% | (0.1 | )% | (0.9 | )% | (1.2 | )% | (0.9 | )% | ||||||
| Other income (expense), net | 1.4 | % | (0.2 | )% | (0.1 | )% | ||||||||||||
| Income tax (expense) benefit | (2.0 | )% | 0.2 | % | (0.9 | )% | ||||||||||||
| Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates, net of tax | 5.8 | % | 0.6 | % | (0.1 | )% | ||||||||||||
| Other income, net | 0.6 | % | 1.8 | % | 0.8 | % | ||||||||||||
| Income tax benefit (expense) | 0.2 | % | (0.2 | )% | (12.6 | )% | ||||||||||||
| Equity in earnings, net of tax | — | % | 1.5 | % | 0.1 | % | ||||||||||||
| Net (loss) income | (12.1 | )% | 15.3 | % | 11.7 | % | (3.8 | )% | 6.4 | % | (5.6 | )% | ||||||
Segment Overview
We operate our business in two segments. Our componentsmodules segment involves the design, manufacture, and sale of CdTe solar modules which convert sunlight into electricity,to third parties, and our systems segment includes the development, construction, operation, and maintenance, of PV solar power systems, which primarily use our solar modules.
| 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | ||||||||||
| Solar module revenue | $ | 675,453 | $ | 227,461 | $ | 228,319 | ||||||
| Solar power system revenue | 2,275,875 | 3,351,534 | 3,162,868 | |||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 2,951,328 | $ | 3,578,995 | $ | 3,391,187 | ||||||
Net sales
We generally price and sell our solar modules on a per watt basis. During 2019, Cypress Creek Renewables, Longroad Energy, and NextEra Energy each accounted for more than 10% of nameplate power. During 2016, a significant portion ofour modules business net sales, for our components business included modules installed in our PV solar power systems described below under “Net Sales – Systems Business.” Other than the modules included in our systems, we soldand the majority of our solar modules were sold to integrators and operators of systems in India, the United States and the UAE.
dollars and Euro. We recognize revenue for module sales at a point in time following the transfer title and risk of losscontrol of the modules to the customer, and recognize revenuewhich typically occurs upon shipment or delivery depending on the terms of the underlying sales contracts. Pricing is typically fixed or determinable at the time of shipment, and our customers generally do not have extended payment terms or rights of return under these contracts. The revenue recognition policies for our components businessmodule sales are further described further in Note 22. “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2016 included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.statements.
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Systems Business
During 2016, Southern Power Company2019, EDP Renewables, ConnectGen, and NextEraInnergex Renewable Energy Inc. each accounted for more than 10% of our components business’systems business net sales, which includesand the solar modules used inmajority of our systems projects.
The following table shows net sales by reportable segment for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015,2019, 2018, and 2014:2017:
| Years Ended | Change | Years Ended | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Dollars in thousands) | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2016 over 2015 | 2015 over 2014 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2019 over 2018 | 2018 over 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Components | $ | 1,484,300 | $ | 1,389,579 | $ | 1,102,674 | $ | 94,721 | 7 | % | $ | 286,905 | 26 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Modules | $ | 1,460,116 | $ | 502,001 | $ | 806,398 | $ | 958,115 | 191 | % | $ | (304,397 | ) | (38 | )% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Systems | 1,467,028 | 2,189,416 | 2,288,513 | (722,388 | ) | (33 | )% | (99,097 | ) | (4 | )% | 1,603,001 | 1,742,043 | 2,134,926 | (139,042 | ) | (8 | )% | (392,883 | ) | (18 | )% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 2,951,328 | $ | 3,578,995 | $ | 3,391,187 | $ | (627,667 | ) | (18 | )% | $ | 187,808 | 6 | % | $ | 3,063,117 | $ | 2,244,044 | $ | 2,941,324 | $ | 819,073 | 36 | % | $ | (697,280 | ) | (24 | )% | ||||||||||||||||||||||