Array Technologies, Inc. 10-K

Item 1A. Risk Factors In evaluating the Company, you should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below, as well as the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing at the end of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The occurrence of any of the following risks could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and/or growth prospects or cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements we have made in this report and those we may make from time to time. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing us. Other events that we do not currently anticipate or that we currently deem immaterial also may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows. Risks Related to Demand for our Products If demand for solar energy projects does not continue to grow or grows at a slower rate than we anticipate, our business will suffer. Our solution is utilized in large-scale ground-mounted solar energy projects. As a result, our future success depends on continued demand for solar energy solutions and the ability of solar equipment vendors to meet this demand. The solar industry is an evolving industry that has experienced substantial changes in recent years, and we cannot be certain that consumers and businesses will adopt solar energy as an alternative energy source at levels sufficient to grow our business. If demand for solar energy fails to develop sufficiently, demand for our products will decrease, which would have an adverse impact on our ability to increase our revenue and grow our business. The viability and demand for solar energy and the demand for our products are impacted by many factors outside of our control, including but not limited to, the retail price of electricity, availability of in-demand components like high voltage breakers, various policies related to the permitting and interconnection costs of solar plants, and the availability of incentives for solar energy and products, which makes it difficult to predict our future prospects. The viability and demand for solar energy, and in turn, our products, may be affected by many factors outside of our control. While we have been in existence since 1989, we have recently grown and expanded significantly. Our recent significant growth and expansion, combined with the rapidly evolving and competitive nature of our industry, makes it difficult to predict our future prospects. We have limited insight into emerging trends that may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. We have encountered and will continue to encounter risks and difficulties frequently experienced by growing companies in rapidly changing industries, including unpredictable and volatile revenues and increased 8 expenses as we continue to grow our business. Some of the factors outside of our control which may impact the viability and demand for solar energy include: • availability and scale and scope of government subsidies and incentives to support the development and deployment of solar energy solutions; • levels of investment by end-users of solar energy products, which tend to decrease when economic growth slows; • policies and backlog related to the permitting and interconnection costs of solar plants to which we supply our products; • the emergence, continuance or success of, or increased government support for, other alternative energy generation technologies and products; • the cost and availability of raw materials necessary to produce solar energy, including steel and polysilicon, and in-demand components like high voltage breakers; and • regional, national or global macroeconomic trends, which could affect the demand for new energy resources. If we are not able to mitigate these risks and overcome these difficulties successfully, our business and prospects will be materially and adversely affected. Competitive pressures within our industry may harm our business, result of operations, financial condition and prospects. The solar tracker industry is currently fragmented and we face intense competition in nearly all of the markets in which we compete. This may result in price competition being greater than expected, which could affect our margins. Some of our competitors are developing or are currently manufacturing products based on different solar power technologies that may ultimately have costs similar to or lower than our projected costs. Any failure by us to adopt new or enhanced technologies or processes, or to react to changes in existing technologies, could result in product obsolescence, the loss of competitiveness of our products, decreased revenue and a loss of market share to competitors. In addition, some of our competitors have longer operating histories, lower costs of goods sold, lower operating costs, greater name and brand recognition in specific markets in which we compete or intend to sell our products, greater market shares, access to larger customer bases, greater resources and significantly greater economies of scale than we do. Additionally, new competitors may decide to enter our market as a result of, among other factors, lower barriers to entry and lower R&D costs in comparison with the average costs in R&D in other energy industries. We may also face adverse effects from increased competition in the solar EPC market by EPCs subjecting their subcontractors, such as us, to flow-down contractual clauses which provide that a subcontractor’s obligations to an EPC are identical to the obligations the EPC has to the EPC’s end customer. This may result in higher contractual risk to us, such as “pay if paid” clauses that require EPCs to pay us only when the end customer pays the EPC, higher liquidated damages amounts, increased contractual liabilities above 100% of the contract value and more limited force majeure clauses, among others. As the solar energy market continues to grow, EPCs are also expected to increasingly seek second sources for their suppliers. Any of these factors may materially and adversely affect our business, result of operations, financial condition and prospects. We face competition from conventional and renewable energy sources. We face significant competition from providers of conventional and renewable energy alternatives such as coal, nuclear, natural gas and wind. We compete with conventional energy sources primarily based on price, predictability of price and energy availability and the ease with which customers can use electricity generated 9 by solar energy projects. If solar energy systems cannot offer a compelling value to customers based on these factors, then our business growth may be impaired. Conventional energy sources generally have substantially greater financial, technical, operational, and other resources than solar energy sources, and as a result may be able to devote more resources to the research, development, promotion, and product sales or respond more quickly to evolving industry standards and changes in market conditions than solar energy systems. Conventional and other renewable energy sources may be better suited than solar for certain locations or customer requirements and may also offer other value-added products or services that could help them compete with solar energy sources. In addition, the source of a majority of conventional energy electricity is non-renewable, which may in certain markets allow them to sell electricity more cheaply than electricity generated by solar generation facilities. Non-renewable generation is typically available for dispatch at any time, as it is not dependent on the availability of intermittent resources such as sunlight. A loss of one or more of our significant customers, their inability to perform under their contracts, or their default in payment, could harm our business and negatively impact revenue, results of operations, and cash flow. We are dependent on a relatively small number of customers for our sales, and a small number of customers have historically accounted for a material portion of our revenue. The loss of any one of the Company’s significant customers, their inability to perform under their contracts, or their default in payment, could have a materially adverse effect on the revenues and profits of the Company. Further, the Company’s trade accounts receivable are from companies within the solar industry, and, as such, the Company is exposed to normal industry credit risks. For the near future, we may continue to derive a significant portion of our net sales from a small number of customers. Accordingly, loss of a significant customer or a significant reduction in pricing or order volume from a significant customer could materially reduce net sales and operating results in any reporting period. A drop in the price of electricity sold may harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Decreases in the price of electricity, whether in organized electric markets or with contract counterparties, may negatively impact the owners of the solar energy projects or make the purchase of solar energy systems less economically attractive and would likely lower sales of our products. The price of electricity could decrease as a result of: • construction of a significant number of new, lower-cost power generation plants, including plants utilizing natural gas, renewable energy or other generation technologies; • relief of transmission constraints that enable distant, lower-cost generation to transmit energy less expensively or in greater quantities; • reductions in the price of natural gas or other fuels; • utility rate adjustment and customer class cost reallocation; • decreased electricity demand, including from energy conservation technologies and public initiatives to reduce electricity consumption; • development of smart-grid technologies that lower the peak energy requirements; • development of new or lower-cost customer-sited energy storage technologies that have the ability to reduce a customer’s average cost of electricity by shifting load to off-peak times; and • development of new energy generation technologies that provide less expensive energy. 10 If the cost of electricity generated by solar energy installations incorporating our systems is high relative to the cost of electricity from other sources, then our business, financial condition and results of operations may be harmed. Our results of operations may fluctuate across fiscal periods, which could make our future performance difficult to predict and could cause our results of operations for a particular period to fall below expectations, resulting in a decline in the price of our common stock. Our quarterly results of operations are difficult to predict and fluctuate significantly. Because we recognize revenue on projects as legal title to equipment is transferred from us to the customer, any delays in large projects from one quarter to another for any reason may cause our results of operations for a particular period to fall below expectations. We have experienced seasonal and quarterly fluctuations in the past as a result of seasonal fluctuations in our customers’ business. Our end-users’ ability to install solar energy systems is affected by weather, as for example during the winter months in Europe and the northeastern U.S. Such installation delays can impact the timing of orders for our products. Inclement weather may also affect our logistics and operations by causing delays in the shipping and delivery of our materials, components and products which may, in turn, cause delays in our customers’ solar projects. In addition, we have had customers experience project delays for reasons as varied as changes in government regulations, supply chain challenges, tax incentives and the interest rate environment. Any unexpected delay in a material project could materially adversely affect our financial performance in a fiscal period. Our financial performance, sales, working capital requirements and cash flow may fluctuate, and our past results of operations may not be good indicators of future performance. Any substantial decrease in revenues would have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and stock price for any given period. A further increase in interest rates, or a reduction in the availability of tax equity or project debt capital in the global financial markets could make it difficult for end customers to finance the cost of a solar energy system and could reduce the demand for our products. Many end-users depend on financing to fund the initial capital expenditure required to construct a solar energy project. As a result, a further increase in interest rates, or a reduction in the supply of project debt or tax equity financing, could reduce the number of solar projects that receive financing or otherwise make it difficult for our customers or their customers to secure the financing necessary to construct a solar energy project on favorable terms, or at all, and thus lower demand for our products which could limit our growth or reduce our net sales. In addition, we believe that a significant percentage of end-users construct solar energy projects as an investment, funding a significant portion of the initial capital expenditure with financing from third parties. A further increase in interest rates could lower an investor’s return on investment on a solar energy project, increase equity requirements or make alternative investments more attractive relative to solar energy projects, and, in each case, could cause these end-users to seek alternative investments. Risk Related to the Regulatory Environment Existing electric utility industry policies and regulations, and any subsequent changes, may present technical, regulatory and economic barriers to the purchase and use of solar energy systems that may significantly reduce or delay demand for our products or harm our ability to compete. Federal, state, local and foreign government regulations and policies concerning the broader electric utility industry, as well as internal policies and regulations promulgated by electric utilities and organized electric markets with respect to fees, practices, and rate design, heavily influence the market for electricity generation products and services. These regulations and policies often affect electricity pricing and the interconnection of generation facilities, and can be subject to frequent modifications by governments, regulatory bodies, utilities and market operators. For example, changes in fee structures, electricity pricing structures, and system 11 permitting, interconnection and operating requirements can deter purchases of renewable energy products, including solar energy systems, by reducing anticipated revenues or increasing costs or regulatory burdens for would-be system purchasers. The resulting reductions in demand for solar energy systems could harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. A significant recent development in renewable-energy pricing policies in the U.S. occurred when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) issued a final rule amending regulations that implement the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (“PURPA”) on July 16, 2020, which FERC upheld on rehearing on November 19, 2020. Among other requirements, PURPA mandates that electric utilities buy the output of certain renewable generators, including qualifying solar energy facilities, below established capacity thresholds. PURPA also requires that such sales occur at a utility’s “avoided cost” rate. FERC’s PURPA reforms include modifications (1) to how regulators and electric utilities may establish avoided cost rates for new contracts, (2) that reduce from 20 MW to 5 MW the capacity threshold above which a renewable-energy qualifying facility is rebuttably presumed to have non-discriminatory market access, thereby removing the requirement for utilities to purchase its output, (3) that require regulators to establish criteria for determining when an electric utility incurs a legally enforceable obligation to purchase from a PURPA qualifying facility, and (4) that reduce barriers for third parties to challenge PURPA eligibility. These new regulations took effect on February 16, 2021, but the net effect of these changes is uncertain, as they have only been effective for a short time, and some changes will not become fully effective until states and other jurisdictions implement the new authorities provided by FERC. In general, however, FERC’s PURPA reforms have the potential to reduce prices for the output from certain new renewable generation projects while also narrowing the scope of PURPA eligibility for new projects. These effects could reduce demand for PURPA-eligible solar energy systems and could harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. FERC is also taking steps to encourage the integration of new forms of generation into the electric grid and remove barriers to grid access, which could have positive impacts on the solar energy industry. Specifically, in June 2022, FERC initiated a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Improvements to Generator Interconnection Procedures and Agreements, which would require every public utility transmission provider to revise their standard small generator interconnection procedures and agreements contained in their open access transmission tariffs. The outcome of these proposals and their timing for implementation remain uncertain. Changes in other current laws or regulations applicable to us or the imposition of new laws, regulations or policies in the U.S., Europe or other jurisdictions in which we do business could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any changes to government, utility or electric market regulations or policies that favor electric utilities, non-solar generation, or other market participants, or that make construction or operation of new solar generation facilities more expensive or difficult, could reduce the competitiveness of solar energy systems and cause a significant reduction in demand for our products and services and adversely impact our growth. In addition, changes in our products or changes in export and import laws and implementing regulations may create delays in the introduction of new products in international markets, prevent our customers from deploying our products internationally or, in some cases, prevent the export or import of our products to certain countries altogether. Any such event could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The interruption of the flow of components and materials from international vendors could disrupt our supply chain, including as a result of the imposition of additional duties, tariffs and other charges on imports and exports. We purchase our components through arrangements with various suppliers located across the globe. We depend on our suppliers to source materials and manufacture critical components for our products. Our reliance on these suppliers makes us vulnerable to possible capacity constraints and reduced control over component availability, delivery schedules and costs which could disrupt our ability to procure these components in a timely and cost-efficient manner. The suppliers rely on other suppliers to provide them with 12 raw materials and sub-components that are critical to manufacturing the components of our tracker products. Any shortages of components and materials would affect our ability to timely deliver our products to our customers consistent with our contractual obligations, which may result in liquidated damages or contractual disputes with our customers, harm our reputation and lead to a decrease in demand for our products. Our ability to deliver our products in a cost-efficient manner have in recent years and could continue to be adversely impacted by other factors not within our control, including, but not limited to, shortages in available cargo capacity, changes by carriers and transportation companies in policies and practices such as scheduling, pricing, payment terms and frequency of service, increases in the cost of fuel, sanctions and labor availability and cost. Further, our products are manufactured from steel and, as a result, our business is significantly affected by the price of steel. At times, pricing and availability of steel can be volatile due to numerous factors beyond our control, including general domestic and international economic conditions, global capacity, import levels, fluctuations in the costs of raw materials necessary to produce steel, sales levels, competition, consolidation of steel producers, labor costs, import duties and tariffs and foreign currency exchange rates. When steel prices are higher, the prices that we charge customers for our products may increase, which may decrease demand for our products. If we do not increase our prices due to an increase in the price of steel, we will experience lower profitability on our products. Conversely, if steel prices decline, customers may demand lower prices and our and our competitors’ responses to those demands could result in lower sale prices, lower volume, and consequently, negatively affect our profitability. In addition, as noted above, the IRA provides incremental tax credits for U.S. solar projects satisfying domestic content requirements. While the impact of these requirements on us will remain unclear pending the release of implementing regulations, if we are unable to provide our tracker products in a manner that satisfies applicable domestic content requirements and our competitors are able to do so, we might experience a decline in sales for U.S. projects. In addition, compliance with these requirements may increase our production costs. In light of the foregoing, our U.S. sales, profitability and results of operations in the U.S. may be adversely affected by the applicable domestic content requirements which must be satisfied in order for solar projects to be eligible for these incremental credits. Other events that could also cause disruptions to our supply chain includ e: • the imposition of additional trade law provisions or regulations; • the imposition of additional duties, tariffs and other charges or quotas on imports and exports, or other trade law provisions or regulations, such as anti-dumping and countervailing duties, and our ability to pass along such charges to our customers; • continued or renewed instability in the global supply of semiconductors, which has and could continue to impact the timely receipt of our self-powered controller; • foreign currency fluctuations; • inflationary pressure and its impact on labor, commodities and fuel prices; • natural disasters, severe weather, political instability, war, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict or the Israel-Hamas war, terrorist attacks, social unrest and economic instability in the regions in which our suppliers are located, or through which our components and materials travel; • shipping and transport disruptions; • public health issues and epidemic diseases, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and their effects (including measures taken by governmental authorities in response to their effects); • theft or other loss; 13 • restrictions on the transfer of funds; • the financial instability or bankruptcy of vendors; and • significant labor disputes, strikes, work stoppages or boycotts. Any significant disruption to our ability to procure our products, and our suppliers’ ability to procure materials to manufacture our products and components for our products could increase the cost or reduce or delay the supply of components and materials available to us and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and profitability. Further, if any of our suppliers were unable or unwilling to manufacture the components that we require for our products in sufficient volumes and at high quality levels or renew existing terms under supply agreements, we would need to identify, qualify and select acceptable alternative suppliers. An alternative supplier may not be available to us when needed or may not be in a position to satisfy our quality or production requirements on commercially reasonable terms, including price. Any significant interruption in manufacturing by our suppliers would require us to reduce our supply of products to our customers or increase our shipping costs to make up for such delays, which in turn could reduce our revenues and margins, harm our relationships with our customers, damage our reputation with other stakeholders involved with solar projects and cause us to forego potential revenue opportunities. Changes in the global trade environment, including the imposition of import tariffs, could adversely affect the amount or timing of our revenues, results of operations or cash flows. Escalating trade tensions, particularly between the U.S. and China, have led to increased tariffs and trade restrictions, including tariffs applicable to certain materials and components for our products or for products used in solar energy projects more broadly, such as module supply and availability. More specifically, in March 2018, the U.S. imposed a 25% tariff on steel imports and a 10% tariff on aluminum imports pursuant to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 and has imposed additional tariffs on steel and aluminum imports pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. To the extent we continue to use overseas suppliers of steel and aluminum, these tariffs could result in interruptions in the supply chain and impact costs and our gross margins. Additionally, in January 2018, the U.S. adopted a tariff on imported solar modules and cells pursuant to Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974. The tariff was initially set at 30%, with a gradual reduction over four years to 15%. While this tariff does not apply directly to the components we import, it may indirectly affect us by impacting the financial viability of solar energy projects, which could in turn reduce demand for our products. On February 4, 2022, President Biden extended the safeguard tariff for an additional four years, starting at a rate of 14.75% and reducing that rate each year to 14% in 2026, and directed the U.S. Trade Representative to conclude agreements with Canada and Mexico on trade in solar products. On July 7, 2022, the U.S. and Canada entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding in which the U.S. agreed to suspend application of the safeguard tariff to Canadian crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells imported as of February 1, 2022. While this tariff does not apply directly to the components we import, it may indirectly affect us by impacting the financial viability of solar energy projects, which could in turn reduce demand for our products. Furthermore, in July 2018, the U.S. adopted a 10% tariff on a long list of products imported from China under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, including, inverters and power optimizers, which became effective on September 24, 2018. In June 2019, the U.S. Trade Representative increased the rate of such tariffs from 10% to 25%. While these tariffs are not directly applicable to our products, they could impact the solar energy projects in which our products are used, which could lead to decreased demand for our products. In June 2022, the U.S. President authorized the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to provide a 24-month antidumping and countervailing duty (“AD/CVD”) tariff exemption for imported solar panels from certain Southeast Asian countries. The U.S. Department of Commerce (“USDOC”) previously issued regulations implementing the AD/CVD moratorium in the event that it found circumvention with respect to such Southeast Asian countries. In August 2023, the USDOC issued final affirmative circumvention rulings, finding that solar panels completed in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam using parts and components produced in China circumvent pre-existing AD/CVD orders on China. At this time, it is expected that duties will apply to such 14 solar panels unless they are imported, used, and installed by certain dates in June 2024. While we do not sell solar modules, the degree of our exposure is dependent on, among other things, the impact of the investigation on the projects that are also intended to use our products, with such impact being largely out of our control. We have seen a number of projects in our order book delayed as a result of the USDOC investigation. The repeal of the 24-month exemption, and any affirmative determinations made once the exemption expires in any event, would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. More broadly, legislation has been proposed that would make it easier for domestic companies to obtain affirmative determinations in antidumping and countervailing duties investigations. The proposed USICA/America COMPETES Act, if enacted, could result in future successful petitions that limit imports from Asia and other regions. Additionally, in October 2023, a coalition of U.S. aluminum extruders and a labor union filed AD/CVD cases on aluminum extrusions from fifteen countries. The USDOC has initiated investigations based on the petitions. Certain components in our trackers, including certain clamps, U-joints, and bearing housings are made using extruded aluminum. Our operating results could be adversely impacted if the USDOC imposes duties on such imports. We continue to monitor developments in the investigation and work to mitigate its impact on our supply chain, but if we are unable to do so, these antidumping and countervailing duties could negatively impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Tariffs and the possibility of additional tariffs in the future like those described above have created uncertainty in the industry. If the price of solar systems in the U.S. increases, the use of solar systems could become less economically feasible and could reduce our gross margins or reduce the demand of solar systems manufactured and sold, which in turn may decrease demand for our products. Additionally, existing or future tariffs may negatively affect key customers, suppliers, and manufacturing partners. Such outcomes could adversely affect the amount or timing of our revenues, results of operations or cash flows, and continuing uncertainty could cause sales volatility, price fluctuations or supply shortages or cause our customers to advance or delay their purchase of our products. It is difficult to predict what further trade-related actions governments may take, which may include additional or increased tariffs and trade restrictions, and we may be unable to quickly and effectively react to such actions. We may not be able to convert our orders in backlog into revenue. Backlog can be subject to large variations from quarter to quarter and comparisons of backlog from period to period are not necessarily indicative of future revenue. The contracts comprising our backlog may not result in actual revenue in any particular period or at all, and the actual revenue from such contracts may differ from our backlog estimates. The timing of receipt of revenue, if any, on projects included in backlog could change because many factors affect the scheduling of projects. Cancellation of or adjustments to contracts may occur. The failure to realize all amounts in our backlog could adversely affect our future revenue and gross margins. As a result, our backlog as of any particular date may not be an accurate indicator of our future financial performance. Our results of operations may fluctuate from quarter to quarter, which could make our future performance difficult to predict and could cause our results of operations for a particular period to fall below expectations. Our quarterly results of operations are difficult to predict and may fluctuate significantly in the future. Because we recognize revenue on projects as legal title to equipment is transferred from us to the customer, any delays in large projects from one quarter to another may cause our results of operations for a particular period to fall below expectations. We have experienced seasonal and quarterly fluctuations in the past as a result of fluctuations in our customers’ businesses, changes in local and global market trends, seasonal weather-related disruptions, permitting and interconnection delays and equipment shortages. For example, our customers’ ability to install solar energy systems is affected by weather, such as during the winter months. Inclement 15 weather may also affect our logistics and operations by causing delays in the shipping and delivery of our materials, components and products which may, in turn, cause delays in our customers’ solar projects. Further, given that we operate in a rapidly growing industry, the true extent of these fluctuations may have been masked by our recent growth rates and consequently may not be readily apparent from our historical results of operations and may be difficult to predict. Our financial performance, sales, working capital requirements and cash flows may fluctuate, and our past quarterly results of operations may not be good indicators of future performance or prospects. Any substantial fluctuation in revenues could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and stock price for any given period. In addition, revenue, and other operating results in future fiscal quarters may fall short of the expectations of investors and financial analysts, which could have an adverse effect on the price of our common stock. Actions addressing determinations of forced labor practices in China and legislation and policies adopted to address such practices may disrupt the global supply of solar panels and have an adverse material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Solar panel imports to the United States have also been, and may continue to be, impacted by the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (“UFLPA”) that was signed into law by President Biden on December 23, 2021. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, “it establishes a rebuttable presumption that the importation of any goods, wares, articles, and merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China, or produced by certain entities, is prohibited by Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and that such goods, wares, articles, and merchandise are not entitled to entry to the United States. The presumption applies unless the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection determines that the importer of record has complied with specified conditions and, by clear and convincing evidence, that the goods, wares, articles, or merchandise were not produced using forced labor.” There continues to be uncertainty in the market around achieving full compliance with UFLPA, whether related to sufficient traceability of materials or other factors. This has created a significant compliance burden and constrained solar panel imports. We cannot currently predict what, if any, impact the UFLPA will have on the overall future supply of solar panels into the United States and the related timing and cost of our clients’ solar project, development and construction activities. While we do not import or sell solar panels, project delays caused by solar panel constraints may negatively impact our product delivery schedules and future sales, and therefore our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Since 2016, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a number of withhold release orders (“WROs”) directed at forced labor in China, including WROs directed specifically at activity in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. As a result of these orders, certain products, including solar panels manufactured with polysilicon from Xinjiang, are effectively barred from entering the United States. We cannot determine with certainty whether our suppliers may become subject to a WRO, which could subject us to legal, reputational, and other risks. If this were to occur, we might have to find alternative suppliers on short notice, resulting in construction delays and disruption and higher costs. Additionally, WROs have and could continue to impact the importation of solar panels. While we are not directly involved in the importation of solar panels, such WROs can negatively impact the global solar market and the timing and viability of solar projects to which we sell our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The reduction, elimination, expiration, or our failure to optimize the benefits of government incentives for, or regulations mandating the use of, renewable energy and solar energy, particularly in relation to our competitors, could reduce demand for solar energy systems and harm our business. Federal, state, local and foreign government bodies provide incentives to owners, end users, distributors, system integrators and manufacturers of solar energy systems to promote solar electricity in the form of rebates, tax credits and other financial incentives. The range and duration of these incentives varies widely by jurisdiction. Our customers typically use our systems for grid-connected applications wherein solar power is 16 sold under a power purchase agreement or into an organized electric market. This segment of the solar industry has historically depended in large part on the availability and size of government incentives supporting the use of renewable energy. Consequently, the reduction, elimination or expiration of government incentives for grid-connected solar electricity may negatively affect the competitiveness of solar electricity relative to conventional and non-solar renewable sources of electricity and could harm or halt the growth of the solar electricity industry and our business. These reductions, eliminations or expirations could occur without warning. Any changes to the existing framework of these incentives could cause fluctuation in our results of operations. The IRA makes significant changes to the tax credit regime that applies to solar facilities. As a result of changes made by the IRA, U.S. taxpayers generally will be entitled to a 30% ITC for projects placed in service after 2021, increased to 40% if certain “domestic content” requirements are satisfied, subject, in each case, to an 80% reduction if certain wage and apprenticeship requirements are not satisfied or deemed satisfied (either because the project has a net output of less than 1 megawatt or because construction begins before January 29, 2023, the date that is 60 days after the IRS released guidance relating to the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements). As a result of changes made by the IRA, U.S. taxpayers will generally also be allowed to elect to receive a PTC in lieu of the ITC for qualified solar facilities the construction of which begins before January 1, 2025 that are placed in service after 2021. The PTC is available for electricity produced and sold to unrelated persons in the ten years following a project’s placement in service and is equal to an inflation-adjusted amount (currently 2.75 cents per kilowatt hour, assuming the prevailing wage requirements described above are satisfied or deemed satisfied, reduced by 80% if those requirements are not satisfied) for every kilowatt-hour of electricity produced by a facility. The available credit amount is increased by 10% if the domestic content requirements described above are satisfied. Certain additional incremental PTCs are also available similar to the incremental ITCs described above. In the case of projects placed in service after 2024, each of the ITC and PTC will be replaced by similar “technology neutral” tax credit incentives that mimic the ITC and PTC but also require that projects satisfy a “zero greenhouse gas emissions” standard (which solar does) in order to qualify for the credits. This new credit regime will continue to apply to projects that begin construction prior to the end of 2033 (and possibly later), at which point the credits will become subject to a phase-out schedule. While these changes are intended to encourage investments in new solar projects, the impact these changes will have on our results of operations is unclear. In particular, the tax credit regime in place prior to the IRA’s enactment provided annual reductions in the applicable credit amount at the beginning of 2023 and 2024 and therefore encouraged customers to acquire our products prior to calendar year-end dates in order to qualify for a higher tax credit available for projects that commenced construction (within the meaning of IRS guidance) prior to those dates. As a result of the changes made by the IRA, while there may continue to be an incentive for taxpayers to commence construction on facilities before certain dates, the tax credits will not experience annual reductions similar to those that would have occurred at the end of 2022 and 2023 for at least ten years and therefore customer sales may not be as high as they otherwise would have been through 2023 with the prior ITC step-down schedule. This change could have an adverse impact on our results of operations in the near term, as we anticipated an increase in demand for our products in calendar years 2022 and 2023 (and our fiscal years 2023 and 2024) related to the prior ITC step-down schedule. In addition, if we are unable to meet the domestic content requirements necessary for customers using our tracker products to qualify for the incremental domestic content bonus credit and our competitors are able to do so, we might experience a decline in sales for U.S. projects. The timing and nature of implementing regulations clarifying the domestic content requirements as applied to our products remain uncertain. Depending on the criteria set forth in those regulations, we may not have an adequate supply of tracker products satisfying the requirements, which could put us at a competitive disadvantage relative to suppliers who are able to maintain a more robust domestic supply chain. In addition, compliance with this requirement may increase our production 17 costs. As a result of these risks, the domestic content requirement may have a material adverse impact on our U.S. sales, business and results of operations. The international markets in which we operate or may operate in the future may have or may put in place policies to promote renewable energy, including solar. These incentives and mechanisms vary from country to country. In seeking to achieve growth internationally, we may make investments that, to some extent, rely on governmental incentives and support in a new market. We may not be able to optimize the benefits offered by these incentives or realize the growth that we expect from investments in the incentives, particularly in relation to competitors whose products might benefit disproportionately from these incentives. There is no assurance that these governments will continue to provide sufficient incentives and support to the solar industry and that the industry in any particular country will not suffer significant downturns in the future as the result of changes in public policies or government interest in renewable energy, any of which would adversely affect demand for our solar products. We may incur obligations, liabilities or costs under environmental, health and safety laws, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our operations involve the use, handling, generation, storage, discharge and disposal of hazardous substances, chemicals and wastes. As a result, we are required to comply with national, state, local, and foreign laws and regulations regarding the protection of the environment and health and safety. Adoption of more stringent laws and regulations in the future could require us to incur substantial costs to come into compliance with these laws and regulations. In addition, violations of, or liabilities under, these laws and regulations may result in restrictions being imposed on our operating activities or in our being subject to adverse publicity, substantial fines, penalties, criminal proceedings, third-party property damage or personal injury claims, cleanup costs, or other costs. Risks Related to Intellectual Property If we fail to, or incur significant costs in order to, obtain, maintain, protect, defend or enforce, our intellectual property and other proprietary rights, our business and results of operations could be materially harmed. Our success depends to a significant degree on our ability to protect our intellectual property and other proprietary rights. We rely on a combination of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret and unfair competition laws, as well as confidentiality and license agreements and other contractual provisions, to establish and protect our intellectual property and other proprietary rights. Such means may afford only limited protection of our intellectual property and may not (i) prevent our competitors from duplicating our processes or technology; (ii) prevent our competitors from gaining access to our proprietary information and technology; or (iii) permit us to gain or maintain a competitive advantage. We have applied for patents in numerous countries across the world, including in the U.S., Europe, and China, some of which have been issued. We cannot guarantee that any of our pending patent applications or other applications for intellectual property registrations will be issued or granted or that our existing and future intellectual property rights will be sufficiently broad to protect our proprietary technology. While a presumption of validity exists with respect to U.S. patents issued to us, there can be no assurance that any of our patents, patent applications, or other intellectual property rights will not be, in whole or in part, opposed, contested, challenged, invalidated, circumvented, designed around, or rendered unenforceable. If we fail to obtain issuance of patents or registration of other intellectual property, or our patent claims or other intellectual property rights are rendered invalid or unenforceable, or narrowed in scope, the coverage of patents and other intellectual property rights afforded our products could be impaired. Even if we are to obtain issuance of further patents or registration of other intellectual property, such intellectual property could be subjected to attacks on ownership, validity, enforceability, or other legal attacks. Any such impairment or other failure to obtain sufficient intellectual property protection could impede our ability to market our products, negatively affect our 18 competitive position and harm our business and operating results, including forcing us to, among other things, rebrand or re-design our affected products. In countries where we have not applied for patent protection or trademark or other intellectual property registration or where effective patent, trademark, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws and judicial systems may not be available to the same extent as in the U.S., we may be at greater risk that our proprietary rights will be circumvented, misappropriated, infringed, or otherwise violated. Filing, prosecuting, maintaining, and defending our intellectual property in all countries throughout the world may be prohibitively expensive, and we may choose to forego such activities in some applicable jurisdictions. The lack of adequate legal protections of intellectual property or failure of legal remedies or related actions in jurisdictions outside of the U.S. could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects. If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed. We rely heavily on nondisclosure agreements to protect the unpatented know-how, technology, and other proprietary information on which we rely to maintain our competitive position. However, trade secrets and know-how can be difficult to protect. We cannot guarantee that we have entered into such agreements with each party that has or may have had access to our proprietary information, know-how, technology and trade secrets, including third-party manufacturers, other suppliers, customers, other stakeholders involved in solar projects, or other business partners or prospective partners. Moreover, no assurance can be given that these agreements will be effective in controlling access to, distribution, use, misuse, misappropriation or disclosure of our proprietary information, know-how and trade secrets. We may need to defend ourselves against third-party claims that we are infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating others’ intellectual property rights, which could divert management’s attention, cause us to incur significant costs, and prevent us from selling or using the technology to which such rights relate. Our competitors and other third parties hold numerous patents related to technology used in our industry, and may hold or obtain patents, copyrights, trademarks or other intellectual property rights that could prevent, limit, or interfere with our ability to make, use, develop, sell or market our products and services, which could make it more difficult for us to operate our business. From time to time, we may be subject to claims of infringement, misappropriation, or other violation of patents or other intellectual property rights and related litigation, and, if we gain greater recognition in the market, we face a higher risk of being the subject of these types of claims. Regardless of their merit, responding to such claims can be time consuming, can divert management’s attention and resources, and may cause us to incur significant expenses in litigation or settlement, and we cannot be certain that we would be successful in defending against any such claims in litigation or other proceedings. If we do not successfully defend or settle an intellectual property claim, we could be liable for significant monetary damages and could be prohibited from continuing to use certain technology, business methods, content, or brands, and from making, selling or incorporating certain components or intellectual property into the products and services we offer. As a result, we could be forced to redesign our products and services, and/or to establish and maintain alternative branding for our products and services. To avoid litigation or being prohibited from marketing or selling the relevant products or services, we could seek a license from the applicable third-party, which could require us to pay significant royalties, licensing fees, or other payments, increasing our operating expenses. If a license is not available at all or not available on reasonable terms, we may be required to develop or license a non-violating alternative, either of which could be infeasible or require significant effort and expense. If we cannot license or develop a non-violating alternative, we would be forced to limit or stop sales of our offerings and may be unable to effectively compete. Finally, any litigation or claims, whether or not valid, could result in substantial costs, negative publicity and diversion of resources and 19 management attention, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. We may be subject to claims that our employees, consultants, or advisors have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their current or former employers or claims asserting ownership of what we regard as our own intellectual property. Many of our employees and consultants are currently or were previously employed at other companies in our field, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although we try to ensure that our employees and consultants do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these individuals have used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such individual’s current or former employer. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. If we fail to successfully defend any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation would result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management. In addition, while it is our policy to require our employees and contractors who may be involved in the conception or development of intellectual property to execute agreements assigning such intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing such an agreement with each party who, in fact, conceives or develops intellectual property that we regard as our own. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Risks Related to Our Operations We depend upon a number of outside vendors. Our operations could be disrupted if we encounter problems with these vendors. We depend upon a number of vendors to manufacture certain components used in our products. Our reliance on these vendors makes us vulnerable to possible capacity constraints and reduced control over component availability, delivery schedules, manufacturing yields and costs. If any of our vendors were unable or unwilling to manufacture the components that we require for our products in sufficient volumes and at high quality levels or renew existing terms under supply agreements, we would have to manufacture at our principal manufacturing facility the components manufactured by our vendors or identify, qualify and select acceptable alternative vendors, if not already multi-sourced. Manufacturing at our principal manufacturing facility the components manufactured by our vendors may lower our cost efficiency, and an alternative vendor may not be available to us when needed or may not be in a position to satisfy our quality or production requirements on commercially reasonable terms, including price. Any significant interruption in manufacturing would require us to reduce our supply of products to our customers or increase our shipping costs to make up for delays in manufacturing, which in turn could reduce our revenues, harm our relationships with our customers and damage our reputation with local installers and potential end-users and cause us to forego potential revenue opportunities. Significant changes in the cost of raw materials could adversely affect our financial performance. We are subject to risk from fluctuating market prices of certain commodity raw materials, including steel and aluminum, that are used in our products. Prices of these raw materials may be affected by supply restrictions or other market factors from time to time, and we do not enter into hedging arrangements to mitigate commodity risk. Significant price changes for these raw materials could reduce our operating margins if we are unable to recover such increases from our customers, and could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. 20 We are dependent on transportation and logistics providers to deliver our products in a cost-efficient manner. Disruptions to transportation and logistics, including increases in shipping costs, could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations. We rely on transportation and logistics providers for the delivery of our products. We may also incur additional shipping costs when we need to accelerate delivery times. Our ability to deliver our products in a cost-efficient manner could be adversely impacted by shortages in available cargo capacity, changes by carriers and transportation companies in policies and practices, such as scheduling, pricing, payment terms and frequency of service or increases in the cost of fuel, taxes and labor, disruptions to shipping facilities as a result of the COVID-19 or other epidemics, and other factors not within our control. Disruptions to transportation and logistics, including increases in shipping costs, could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations. Attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea could result in material delays in our supply chain. Houthi rebels in Yemen have significantly stepped-up attacks against commercial vessels in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa since late November 2023, which has led many shipping companies are pause shipments through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. Many of these shipments are being redirected around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, adding between 3,000 to 3,500 nautical miles to routes connecting Europe with Asia. As an additional result of the reroute, certain ports could see crowding and delays in unloading shipments. We do not yet know the duration of these disruptions or the severity of their impact on our operations, but we continue to monitor the situation and evaluate our procurement strategy and supply chain as to reduce any negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Defects or performance problems in our products could result in loss of customers, reputational damage and decreased revenue, and we may experience delays, disruptions or quality control problems in our manufacturing operations. Our products may contain undetected errors or defects, especially when first introduced or when new generations are released. Errors, defects or poor performance can arise due to design flaws, defects in raw materials or components or manufacturing difficulties, which can affect both the quality and the yield of the product. Any actual or perceived errors, defects or poor performance in our products could result in the replacement or recall of our products, temporary suspension or delay in our production line until the errors or defects can be investigated and addressed, shipment delays, rejection of our products, damage to our reputation, lost revenue, diversion of our engineering personnel from our product development efforts and increases in customer service and support costs, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Defective components may give rise to warranty, indemnity or product liability claims against us that exceed any revenue or profit we receive from the affected products. Our limited warranties cover defects in materials and workmanship of our products under normal use and service conditions. As a result, we bear the risk of warranty claims long after we have sold products and recognized revenue. While we have accrued reserves for warranty claims, our estimated warranty costs for previously sold products may change to the extent the warranty claims profile of future products is not comparable with that of earlier generation products under warranty. Our warranty accruals are based on our assumptions and we do not have a long history of making such assumptions. As a result, these assumptions could prove to be materially different from the actual performance of our systems, causing us to incur substantial unanticipated expense to repair or replace defective products in the future or to compensate customers for defective products. Our failure to accurately predict future claims could result in unexpected volatility in, and have a material adverse effect on, our financial condition, all of which could have a material effect on our business financial condition and results of operations. 21 Failure by our vendors or our component or raw material suppliers to use ethical business practices and comply with applicable laws and regulations may adversely affect our business. We do not control our vendors or suppliers or their business practices. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee that they follow ethical business practices such as fair wage practices and compliance with environmental, safety and other local laws. A lack of demonstrated compliance could lead us to seek alternative manufacturers or suppliers, which could increase our costs and result in delayed delivery of our products, product shortages or other disruptions of our operations. Violation of labor or other laws by our manufacturers or suppliers or the divergence of a supplier’s labor or other practices from those generally accepted as ethical in the U.S. or other markets in which we do business could also attract negative publicity for us and harm our business. If we fail to retain our key personnel or if we fail to attract additional qualified personnel, we may not be able to maintain key relationships with customers and suppliers or achieve our anticipated level of growth, which could cause our business could suffer Our future success and ability to implement our business strategy depends, in part, on our ability to attract and retain key personnel, and on the continued contributions of members of our senior management team and key technical personnel, each of whom would be difficult to replace. All of our employees, including our senior management, are free to terminate their employment relationships with us at any time. Competition for highly skilled individuals with technical expertise is extremely intense, and we face challenges identifying, hiring and retaining qualified personnel in many areas of our business. Integrating new employees into our team could prove disruptive to our operations, require substantial resources and management attention and ultimately prove unsuccessful. An inability to retain our senior management and other key personnel or to attract additional qualified personnel could limit or delay our strategic efforts, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. An inability to retain our senior management and other key personnel or to attract additional qualified personnel could limit or delay our strategic efforts, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, our reputation and our relationship with our customers is paramount to us, and we have invested heavily in building a brand and solutions associated with high quality and strong customer service. We believe that maintaining the quality of our workforce is critical to our existing customer relationships and our ability to win new customers. As a result, the loss of key personnel and the relationships they have built with our customers and suppliers could reduce demand for our products, undermine the loyalty of our customers or reduce our ability to attract new customers and adversely impact our ability to increase our market share and revenue. Our continued planned expansion into new markets could subject us to additional business, financial, regulatory and competitive risks. Part of our strategy is to continue to grow our revenues from international markets, including entering new geographic markets to expand our current international presence, entering into joint-venture or licensing arrangements with companies in certain markets, expanding our relationships with value-added resellers of our products in some countries, and utilizing locally sourced components in our products in jurisdictions where locally sourced components are a regulatory or customer requirement. Our strategy continues to be to grow revenues outside of the U.S., including broader North America, as well as South America, Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia, but currently excludes China and India. The products and services we intend to offer in these regions may differ from our current products and services in several ways, such as the consumption and utilization of local raw materials, components and logistics, the re-engineering of select components to reduce costs, and region-specific customer training, site commissioning, warranty remediation and other technical services. 22 These markets have different characteristics from the markets in which we currently sell products, and our success will depend on our ability to adapt properly to these differences. These differences include differing regulatory requirements, including tax laws, trade laws, labor regulations, tariffs, export quotas, customs duties or other trade restrictions, limited or unfavorable intellectual property protection, local content requirements, international political or economic conditions, restrictions on the repatriation of earnings, longer sales cycles, warranty expectations, product return policies and cost, performance and compatibility requirements. In addition, expanding into new geographic markets will increase our exposure to presently existing risks, such as fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies and difficulties and increased expenses in complying with U.S. and foreign laws, regulations and trade standards, including the FCPA. Failure to develop these new products successfully or to otherwise manage the risks and challenges associated with our potential expansion into new geographic markets could adversely affect our revenues and our ability to achieve or sustain profitability. We have been and will in the future continue to be exposed to risks from currency exchange rate fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies that could adversely affect our financial results and comparability of our results between financial periods. Changes in exchange rates may affect our financial condition and results of operations. Appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the euro, the Brazilian real or other currencies in which our net sales are denominated may generally have the effect of decreasing our net sales figures. Movements in the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar to the euro, the Brazilian real or other currencies, could increase the amount of cash that must be generated in foreign currencies in order to pay the principal and interest on our Convertible Notes and our other U.S. dollar denominated indebtedness. We are unable to predict with any precision future movements of the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies or their effect on our business or results of operations. Inadequacy of our insurance coverage could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We maintain third party insurance coverage against various liability risks and risks of loss, including general liability, auto liability, property, cargo, errors and omissions, data security breach, crime and directors’ and officers’ liability. Potential liabilities or other loss associated with these risks or other events could exceed the coverage provided by such arrangements resulting in significant uninsured liabilities or other loss, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Risks Related to Information Technology Failure to effectively utilize information technology systems or implement new technologies could disrupt our business or reduce our sales or profitability. We rely extensively on various information technology systems, including data centers, hardware, software and applications to manage many aspects of our business, including to operate and provide our products and services, to process and record transactions, to enable effective communication systems, to track inventory flow, to manage logistics and to generate performance and financial reports. We are dependent on the integrity, security and consistent operations of these systems and related back-up systems. Our computer and information technology systems and the third-party systems we rely upon are also subject to damage or interruption from a number of causes, including power outages; computer and telecommunications failures; ransomware, computer viruses, malware, phishing or distributed denial-of-service attacks; security breaches; cyber-attacks; catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes; acts of war or terrorism and design or usage errors by our employees or contractors. Compromises, interruptions or shutdowns of our systems, including those managed by third parties, whether intentional or inadvertent, could lead to delays in our business operations and, if significant or extreme, affect our results of operations, potentially materially. 23 The failure of our information technology systems and the third-party systems we rely on to perform as designed, or our failure to implement and operate them effectively, could disrupt our business or subject us to liability and thereby have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Cybersecurity or other data incidents, including unauthorized disclosure of personal or sensitive data or theft of confidential information could harm our business. Our or our third-party vendors’ computer systems are vulnerable to cyber incidents and attacks, including malicious intrusion, ransomware attacks, and other system disruptions caused by unauthorized third parties. Attempts by computer hackers or other unauthorized third parties to penetrate or otherwise gain access to our computer systems or the systems of third parties with which we do business through fraud or other means of deceit, have in the past, and may in the future, if successful, result in the misappropriation of personal information, data, check information or confidential business information. Hardware, software or applications we utilize may contain defects in design or manufacture or other problems that could unexpectedly compromise information security. In addition, our employees, contractors or third parties with which we do business or to which we outsource business operations may attempt to circumvent our security measures in order to misappropriate such information and data and may purposefully or inadvertently cause a breach or other compromise involving such information and data. We increasingly rely on commercially available systems, software, tools (including encryption technology) and monitoring to provide security and oversight for processing, transmission, storage and protection of confidential information and personal data, and we are not able to ensure that each of these systems is free from malicious code. Despite advances in security hardware, software, and encryption technologies, and our own information security program and safeguards, there is no guarantee that our defenses and program will be adequate to safeguard against all data security breaches, cybersecurity attacks, misappropriation of confidential information or misuses of personal data and they have been breached in the past. We may also experience security breaches and other incidents that may remain undetected for an extended period and therefore may have a greater impact on our products and the networks and systems used in our business. We regularly defend against and respond to data security incidents. We incur significant costs in our efforts to detect and prevent security breaches and other security-related incidents, and we may face increased costs in the event of an actual or perceived security breach or other security-related incident. Despite our precautions, our facilities and systems, and those of third parties with which we do business, may be vulnerable to security breaches, acts of vandalism and theft, computer viruses, misplaced or lost data, programming and/or human errors, or other similar events, and there is no guarantee that inadvertent or unauthorized use or disclosure will not occur or that third parties will not gain unauthorized access to this type of confidential information and personal data. In addition, as the regulatory environment relating to retailers and other companies’ obligation to protect such sensitive data becomes increasingly rigorous, with new and constantly changing requirements applicable to our business, compliance with those requirements could result in additional costs, and a material failure on our part to comply could potentially subject us to fines or other regulatory sanctions and lawsuits. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Failure to comply with current or future federal, state and foreign laws and regulations and industry standards relating to privacy, data protection, cybersecurity and advertising could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Laws, regulations and industry standards relating to privacy, data protection, cybersecurity and advertising are evolving and subject to potentially differing interpretations. These requirements may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another or may conflict with other rules or our practices. As a result, our practices may not have complied or may not comply in the future with all such laws, regulations, standards, requirements and obligations. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with our 24 posted privacy policies or with any federal or state privacy or consumer protection-related laws, regulations, industry self-regulatory principles, industry standards or codes of conduct, regulatory guidance, orders to which we may be subject or other legal obligations relating to privacy or information security could adversely affect our reputation, brand and business, and may result in claims, fines, penalties, investigations, proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities, customers, suppliers or others or other liabilities or may require us to change our operations and/or cease using certain data. Any such claims, proceedings, investigations or actions could harm our reputation, brand and business, force us to incur significant expenses in defense of such claims, proceedings, investigations or actions, distract our management, increase our costs of doing business, erode investor or customer confidence, result in a loss of customers or suppliers and result in the imposition of monetary penalties. We may also be contractually required to indemnify and hold harmless third parties from the costs and consequences of non-compliance with any laws, regulations or other legal obligations relating to privacy or consumer protection or any inadvertent or unauthorized use or disclosure of data that we store or handle as part of operating our business. Federal, state and foreign governmental authorities continue to evaluate the privacy implications inherent in the use of third-party cookies, pixels, and other methods of online tracking for behavioral advertising and other purposes. The EU has also proposed the draft ePrivacy Regulation, which will replace both the ePrivacy Directive and all the national laws implementing this Directive. The ePrivacy Regulation, as proposed, would impose strict opt-in marketing rules, change rules about cookies, web beacons and related technologies and significantly increase penalties for violations. It would also retain the additional requirements under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679) (“EU GDPR”). The regulation of the use of these cookies and other current online tracking and advertising practices or a loss in our ability to make effective use of services that employ such technologies could increase our costs of operations and limit our ability to acquire new customers on cost-effective terms and, consequently, materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We are subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the U.S., the UK and the EEA that involve matters central to our business, including privacy and data protection. California, and more than a dozen other states, have passed comprehensive privacy laws similar to the EU GDPR. The SEC has similarly enacted detailed cybersecurity rules that require the public disclosure of material cybersecurity incidents within four business days after we determine that an incident is material. Existing and proposed laws and regulations can be costly to comply with and can delay or impede the development of new products and services, significantly increase our operating costs, require significant time and attention of management and technical personnel and subject us to inquiries or investigations, claims or other remedies, including fines or demands that we modify or cease existing business practices. For example, administrative fines of up to the greater of €20 million and 4% of our global turnover can be imposed for breaches of the EU GDPR. Each of these privacy, security and data protection laws and regulations, and any other such changes or new laws or regulations, could impose significant limitations, require changes to our business, or restrict our use or storage of certain data, which may increase our compliance expenses and make our business more costly or less efficient to conduct. In addition, any such changes could compromise our ability to develop an adequate marketing strategy and pursue our growth strategy effectively. Any failure to comply with applicable laws or other obligations or any security incident or breach, whether by us, one of our third-party service providers or vendors or another third party, could have adverse effects. We cannot assure you that our vendors or other third-party service providers with access to our or our customers’ or employees’ personally identifiable and other sensitive or confidential information will not breach contractual obligations imposed by us, or that they will not experience data security breaches, which could have a corresponding effect on our business, including putting us in breach of our obligations under privacy laws and regulations and/or which could in turn adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. We also cannot assure you that our contractual measures and our own privacy, data protection, and 25 security-related safeguards will protect us from the risks associated with the third-party processing, use, storage and transmission of such information. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Risks Related to Internal Controls over Financial Reporting Internal control deficiencies have been identified that constituted material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. We have concluded that the following material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting that were previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, have not been remediated as of December 31, 2023: • We have identified a material weakness due to a deficiency in one of the principles associated with the Control Environment component of the COSO framework, specifically relating to a lack of a sufficient complement of qualified personnel at the appropriate levels to perform control activities in support of preparing the financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. • Control Activities – STI. We did not design, implement, and monitor general information technology controls in the areas of program change management, user access, and segregation of duties for systems supporting substantially all of STI’s internal control processes and we did not design and implement formal accounting policies, procedures, and controls across substantially all of the STI’s business processes to achieve timely, complete, accurate financial accounting, reporting, and disclosures. Remediation Plan for Existing Material Weaknesses Management has been actively engaged in remediation efforts to address the material weaknesses throughout 2023, and these efforts will continue into 2024. We have made enhancements to our control environment by improving guidance, communication of expectations and importance of internal controls. We made progress towards addressing our material weakness in our lack of qualified personnel by hiring additional qualified accounting and finance personnel during 2023, which has helped to provide additional capacity and expertise to enhance our accounting and reporting review procedures. Specifically, in the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company hired a new Chief Financial Officer and additional qualified accounting resources, who are currently assessing if additional personnel should be hired at STI in connection with the planned system implementation, and elsewhere in the organization, in order to perform control activities in support of preparation of the financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We expect that this assessment will be completed during the first quarter of 2024, with appropriate action taken during 2024, to ensure that the Company has a sufficient complement of qualified personnel at the right levels, based on any identified gaps in personnel requirements. Due to accounting system limitations at STI, management is limited in its ability to effectively design and implement general information technology controls at STI, which support the underlying business cycle controls. The accounting system was in place when the Company acquired STI, and management is planning on implementing a new accounting system in the first half of 2024. The new system will allow management to effectively design and implement appropriate general information technology controls including system enforced segregation of duties. Management is currently assessing the process level risks at STI, designing controls based upon the planned accounting system. In addition, with the assistance of an outside consulting firm, we are in the process of formalizing our STI accounting and business operation policies and procedures, in advance of this system implementation. If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies are based on assumptions that change or prove to be incorrect, our operating results could fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in the market price of our common stock. 26 The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our financial statements and accompanying notes. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets, liabilities, equity, revenue and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. It is possible that interpretation, industry practice and guidance may evolve over time. If our assumptions change or if actual circumstances differ from our assumptions, our operating results may be adversely affected and could fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in the market price of our common stock. We have experienced material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to maintain an effective system of integrated internal controls, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Ensuring that we have adequate internal financial and accounting controls and procedures in place so that we can produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis is a costly and time-consuming effort that will need to be evaluated frequently. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires public companies to conduct an annual review and evaluation of their internal controls and requires attestations of the effectiveness of internal controls by independent auditors. Evaluation of our internal controls over financial reporting may identify material weaknesses that may cause us to be unable to report our financial information on a timely basis and thereby subject us to adverse regulatory consequences, including sanctions by the SEC or violations of Nasdaq rules. There also could be a negative reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of investor confidence in us and the reliability of our financial statements. Confidence in the reliability of our financial statements also could suffer if we or our independent registered public accounting firm were to report a material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and could also lead to a decline in the price of our common stock. Risks Related to Indebtedness and Financing Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial flexibility and our competitive position. As of December 31, 2023, we owe $238.2 million under our Senior Secured Credit Facility (as defined below) and $425.0 million on our Convertible Notes. Our level of indebtedness increases the risk that we may be unable to generate cash sufficient to pay amounts due in respect of our indebtedness. Our indebtedness could have other important consequences to you and significant effects on our business. For example, it could: • increase our vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions; • require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to make payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes; • limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate; • restrict us from exploiting business opportunities; • make it more difficult to satisfy our financial obligations, including payments on our indebtedness; • place us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt; and • limit our ability to borrow additional funds for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our business strategy or other general corporate purposes. 27 In addition, the agreement governing the Senior Secured Credit Facility contains, and the agreements evidencing or governing any other future indebtedness may contain, restrictive covenants that will limit our ability to engage in activities that may be in our long-term best interests. Our failure to comply with those covenants could result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of all of our indebtedness. In addition, a default by us under the agreement governing the Senior Secured Credit Facility or an agreement governing any other future indebtedness may trigger cross-defaults under any other future agreements governing our indebtedness. Upon the occurrence of an event of default or cross-default under any of the present or future agreements governing our indebtedness, the lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding to be due and payable and exercise other remedies as set forth in the agreements. If any of our indebtedness were to be accelerated, there can be no assurance that our assets would be sufficient to repay this indebtedness in full, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue to operate as a going concern. The agreement governing the Senior Secured Credit Facility contains, and the agreements evidencing or governing any other future indebtedness may contain, financial restrictions on us and our restricted subsidiaries, including restrictions on our or our restricted subsidiaries’ ability to, among other things: • place liens on our or our restricted subsidiaries’ assets; • make investments other than permitted investments; • incur additional indebtedness; • prepay or redeem certain indebtedness; • merge, consolidate or dissolve; • sell assets; • engage in transactions with affiliates; • change the nature of our business; • change our or our subsidiaries’ fiscal year or organizational documents; and • make restricted payments (including certain equity issuances). In addition, the Revolving Credit Facility (as defined below) also includes a springing financial maintenance covenant that is tested on the last day of each fiscal quarter if the outstanding loans and certain other credit extensions under the Revolving Credit Facility exceed 35% of the aggregate amount of commitments thereunder, subject to customary exclusions and conditions. Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition. We currently have, and we will continue to have, a significant amount of indebtedness, including the Convertible Notes. This significant amount of indebtedness could limit our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, stock repurchases or other purposes. It may also increase our vulnerability to adverse economic, market and industry conditions, limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business operations or to our industry overall, and place us at a disadvantage in relation to our competitors that have lower debt levels. Any or all of the above events and/or factors could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Further, the interest rates applicable to the Senior Secured Credit Facility are based on, and the interest rates applicable to certain debt obligations we may incur in the future may be based on, a fluctuating rate of interest determined by reference to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“Term SOFR”). Term SOFR is a relatively new index rate that is administered by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (the “New York Fed”). There can be no assurance that the New York Fed will not discontinue the publication of Term SOFR, in which case interest payments on our Senior Secured Credit Facility would need to be calculated using a different index 28 rate, or alter the manner in which Term SOFR is calculated. As a result, our interest expense could increase, in which event we may have difficulties making interest payments and our available cash flow for general corporate requirements may be adversely affected. Our interest expense could also be increased by rising interest rates. Servicing our debt requires a significant amount of cash, and we may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to pay our substantial debt. Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on or to refinance our indebtedness, including the Convertible Notes, depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. Our business may not continue to generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to service our debt and make necessary capital expenditures. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling assets, restructuring debt or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance our indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on our debt obligations. We may not be able to raise additional capital to execute our current or future business strategies on favorable terms, if at all, or without dilution to our stockholders. We expect that we may need to raise additional capital to execute our current or future business strategies. However, we do not know what forms of financing, if any, will be available to us. Some financing activities in which we may engage could cause your equity interest in the Company to be diluted, which could cause the value of your stock to decrease. There can be no assurance that further deterioration in credit and financial markets and confidence in economic conditions will not occur, including as a result of recent increases in interest rates. A severe or prolonged economic downturn could result in a variety of risks to our business, including weakened demand for our products and harm our ability to raise additional capital when needed on acceptable terms, if at all. If the equity and credit markets continue to deteriorate, it may make any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult, more costly, and more dilutive. If financing is not available on acceptable terms, if and when needed, our ability to fund our operations, expand our R&D and sales and marketing functions, develop and enhance our products, respond to unanticipated events, including unanticipated opportunities, or otherwise respond to competitive pressures would be significantly limited. In any such event, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially harmed, and we may be unable to continue our operations. Despite our current debt levels, we may still incur substantially more debt or take other actions which would intensify the risks discussed above. Despite our current consolidated debt levels, we and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional debt in the future, subject to the restrictions contained in our debt instruments, some of which may be secured debt. We will not be restricted under the terms of the indenture governing the Convertible Notes from incurring additional debt, securing existing or future debt, recapitalizing our debt or taking a number of other actions that are not limited by the terms of the indenture governing the Convertible Notes that could have the effect of diminishing our ability to make payments on the Convertible Notes when due. Our Senior Secured Credit Facility restricts our ability to incur additional indebtedness, including secured indebtedness, but if the facility matures or is repaid, we may not be subject to such restrictions under the terms of any subsequent indebtedness. The conditional conversion feature of the Convertible Notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results. In the event the conditional conversion feature of the Convertible Notes is triggered, holders of Convertible Notes will be entitled to convert the Convertible Notes at any time during specified periods at their option. If one 29 or more holders elect to convert their Convertible Notes, we would be required to settle in cash up to the converted aggregate principal amount of such Convertible Notes converted and may at our election pay the excess of any conversion obligation in cash, which could adversely affect our liquidity. In addition, even if holders do not elect to convert their Convertible Notes, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the Convertible Notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital. The fundamental change repurchase feature of the Convertible Notes may delay or prevent an otherwise beneficial attempt to acquire us. Certain provisions in the indenture governing the Convertible Notes may make it more difficult or expensive for a third-party to acquire us. For example, the indenture governing the Convertible Notes requires us, in certain circumstances, to repurchase the Convertible Notes for cash upon the occurrence of a fundamental change and, in certain circumstances, to increase the conversion rate for a holder that converts its Convertible Notes in connection with a make-whole fundamental change. A takeover of us may trigger the requirement that we repurchase the Convertible Notes and/or increase the conversion rate, which could make it more costly for a potential acquirer to engage in such takeover. Such additional costs may have the effect of delaying or preventing a takeover of us that would otherwise be beneficial to investors. The capped call transactions may affect the market price of our common stock. In connection with the pricing of the Convertible Notes, we entered into capped call transactions with several affiliates of the initial purchasers (the “Option Counterparties”). The capped call transactions are expected generally to reduce potential dilution to our common stock upon conversion of any Notes and/or offset any cash payments we are required to make in excess of the principal amount of converted Notes, as the case may be, with such reduction and/or offset subject to a cap. In addition, the Option Counterparties and/or their respective affiliates may modify their hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivatives with respect to our common stock and/or purchasing or selling our common stock or other securities of ours in secondary market transactions and prior to the maturity of the Convertible Notes (and are likely to do so on each exercise date for the capped call transactions or following any termination of any portion of the capped call transactions in connection with any repurchase, redemption or early conversion of the Convertible Notes). This activity could cause or avoid an increase or decrease in the market price of our common stock. We are subject to counterparty risk with respect to the capped call transactions. The option counterparties are financial institutions, and we are subject to the risk that any or all of them might default under the capped call transactions. Our exposure to the credit risk of the option counterparties is not secured by any collateral. Past global economic conditions have resulted in the actual or perceived failure or financial difficulties of many financial institutions. If an option counterparty becomes subject to insolvency proceedings, we will become an unsecured creditor in those proceedings with a claim equal to our exposure at that time under the capped call transactions with such option counterparty. Our exposure will depend on many factors but, generally, an increase in our exposure will be correlated to an increase in the market price and in the volatility of our common stock. In addition, upon a default by an option counterparty, we may suffer more dilution than we currently anticipate with respect to our common stock. We can provide no assurance as to the financial stability or viability of the option counterparties. Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public markets, or the perception that such sales could occur, could reduce the market price of our common stock. 30 Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. We are unable to predict the effect that such sales may have on the prevailing market price of our common stock. We may issue common stock or equity securities senior to our common stock in the future for a number of reasons, including to finance our operations and growth plans, to adjust our ratio of debt-to-equity, to satisfy our obligations upon the exercise of options or for other reasons. Future sales or issuances of shares of our common stock or other equity securities, or the availability of shares of common stock or such other equity securities for future sale or issuance may negatively affect the trading price of our common stock. No prediction can be made as to the effect, if any, that future sales or issuance of shares of our common stock or other equity or equity-linked securities will have on the trading price of our common stock and, in turn, the Convertible Notes. The market price for our common stock could be volatile, which could result in substantial losses for purchasers of our common stock and subject us to securities class action litigation. The market price of our common stock could be subject to significant fluctuations. The price of our stock may change in response to fluctuations in our results of operations in future periods and also may change in response to other factors, including factors specific to companies in our industry, many of which are beyond our control. As a result, our share price may experience significant volatility and may not necessarily reflect the value of our expected performance. Among other factors that could affect our stock price are: • changes in laws or regulations applicable to our industry or offerings; • speculation about our business in the press or the investment community; • price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market; • volatility in the market price and trading volume of companies in our industry or companies that investors consider comparable; • share price and volume fluctuations attributable to inconsistent trading levels of our shares; • our ability to protect our intellectual property and other proprietary rights and to operate our business without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property and other proprietary rights of others; • sales of our common stock by us or our significant stockholders, officers and directors; • success of competitive products or services; • the public’s response to press releases or other public announcements by us or others, including our filings with SEC, announcements relating to litigation or significant changes to our key personnel; • the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting; • changes in our capital structure or dividend policy, including as a result of future issuances of securities, sales of large blocks of common stock by our stockholders, potential resales of a substantial number of additional shares of common stock received upon conversion of the Convertible Notes, or our incurrence of debt; • our entry into new markets; • tax developments in the U.S., Europe or other markets; • strategic actions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions or restructurings; • changes in accounting principles; 31 • geopolitical, macroeconomic and other market conditions unrelated to our operating performance or the operating performance of our competitors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the military conflict in Ukraine and Russia, the Israel-Hamas war, attacks on a shipping in the Red Sea and rising inflation and interest rates; and • the other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section. Further, in recent years the U.S. securities markets have experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. In addition, the stock prices of many renewable energy companies have experienced wide fluctuations that have often been unrelated to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, political and market conditions such as recessions, interest rate changes or international currency fluctuations, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline. In addition, in the past, class action litigation has often been instituted against companies whose securities have experienced periods of volatility in market price. Securities litigation brought against us following volatility in our stock price, regardless of the merit or ultimate results of such litigation, could result in substantial costs, which would harm our financial condition and operating results and divert management’s attention and resources from our business. We have issued and may in the future issue preferred stock whose terms could adversely affect the voting power or value of our common stock. The certificate of incorporation governing our Series A Preferred Shares (as defined below) authorizes us to issue, without the approval of our stockholders, one or more classes or series of preferred stock having such designations, preferences, limitations and relative rights, including preferences over our common stock respecting dividends and distributions, as our board of directors may determine. The terms of one or more classes or series of preferred stock could adversely impact the voting power or value of our common stock. For example, we might grant holders of preferred stock the right to elect some number of our directors in all events or on the happening of specified events or the right to veto specified transactions. Similarly, the repurchase or redemption rights or liquidation preferences we might assign to holders of preferred stock could affect the residual value of our common stock. Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could depress the trading price of our common stock by discouraging, delaying or preventing a change of control of our Company or changes in our management that the stockholders of our Company may believe advantageous. These provisions include: • authorizing “blank check” preferred stock that our board of directors could issue to increase the number of outstanding shares to discourage a takeover attempt; • providing for a classified board of directors with staggered, three-year terms, which could delay the ability of stockholders to change the membership of a majority of our board of directors; • not providing for cumulative voting in the election of directors, which limits the ability of minority stockholders to elect director candidates; • limiting the ability of stockholders to call a special stockholder meeting; • prohibiting stockholders from acting by written consent; • establishing advance notice requirements for nominations for election to our board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings; 32 • the removal of directors only for cause and only upon the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% in voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of common stock of the Company entitled to vote thereon; • providing that our board of directors is expressly authorized to amend, alter, rescind or repeal our bylaws; and • requiring the affirmative vote of holders of at least 66 2/3% of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of common stock to amend provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to the management of our business, our board of directors, stockholder action by written consent, calling special meetings of stockholders, competition and corporate opportunities, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), forum selection and the liability of our directors, or to amend, alter, rescind or repeal our bylaws. In addition, we are not governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL, which generally prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in a broad range of business combinations with any “interested” stockholder for a period of three years following the date on which the stockholder becomes an “interested” stockholder. Furthermore, our certificate of incorporation provides that the federal district courts of the U.S. is the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), but that the forum selection provision will not apply to claims brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act. Our certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees. Our certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty; any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws; any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws; any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine; or any action asserting an “internal corporate claim” as defined in Section 115 of the DGCL. The choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We do not intend to pay any cash distributions or dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We have never declared or paid any distributions or dividends on our common stock, except the Special Distribution (as defined below). We currently intend to retain any future earnings and do not expect to pay any cash distributions or dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to declare cash distributions or dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors, subject to applicable laws and provisions of our debt instruments and organizational documents, after taking into account our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, general business conditions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. As a result, capital appreciation in the price of our common stock, if any, may be your only source of gain on an investment in our common stock. 33 General Risk Factors We face risks related to actual or threatened public health epidemics, pandemics, outbreaks or crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our business has been and could continue to be adversely impacted by the effects of a widespread outbreak of contagious disease, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic and the response to the pandemic materially impacted our workforce and operations, the operations of our customers, and those of our respective vendors and suppliers. We experienced disruptions due to illness and the effect of governmental mandates and recommendations, as well as measures we took to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 at our offices around the world. Should COVID-19 become more virulent, or should another pandemic arise, this could further negatively affect our operations and financial results. The impact of the pandemic on our business has included and the impact of any similar public health crisis could in the future include: • disruptions to our suppliers’ manufacturing facilities; • disruptions to ports and other shipping infrastructure; • other disruptions to our supply chain generally; • disruptions caused by our supplier, subcontractor and labor availability, worker absenteeism and quarantines; • shortages of medical equipment (such as COVID-19 test kits and personal protection equipment for employees); • other disruptions to our ground operations at project sites; • office, factory, warehouse and other location closures; and • other travel or health-related restrictions disrupting our ability to conduct our business or market our products. The extent to which the post-COVID-19 environment will continue to impact our business and financial results going forward will be dependent on future developments such as the length and severity of the crisis, the potential resurgence of COVID-19 in the future including variants of the virus, the availability and distribution of effective treatments, vaccines and boosters, and public health measures and actions taken throughout the world to contain COVID-19, and the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy and capital markets, among many other factors, all of which remain highly uncertain and unpredictable. Our business is subject to the risks of severe weather events, natural disasters and other catastrophic events. Our customers and suppliers are located in the U.S. and around the world. A severe weather event or other catastrophe could significantly impact our supply chain by causing delays in the shipping and delivery of our materials, components and products which may, in turn, cause delays in our customers’ solar projects. Our customers’ ability to install solar energy systems is also affected by weather, such as during the winter months. Any damage and disruption in any locations in which our customers have solar projects which are caused by severe weather events (such as extreme cold weather, hail, hurricanes, tornadoes and heavy snowfall), seismic activity, fires, floods and other natural disasters or catastrophic events could result in a delay or even a complete cessation of our worldwide or regional operations and could cause severe damage to our products and equipment used in our solar projects. Even if our tracker products are not damaged, severe weather, natural disasters and catastrophic events may cause damage to the solar panels that are mounted to our tracker products, which could result in decreased demand for our products, loss of customers and the 34 withdrawal of coverage for solar panels and solar tracking systems by insurance companies. Any of these events would negatively impact our ability to deliver our products and services to our customers and could result in reduced demand for our products and services, and any damage to our products and equipment used for our solar projects could result in large warranty claims which could, individually or in the aggregate, exceed the amount of insurance available to us, all of which would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. These events may increase in frequency and severity due to the effects of climate change. Economic, political and market conditions could adversely effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition, including our revenue growth and profitability, which in turn could adversely affect our stock price. Macroeconomic developments such as the global or regional economic effects resulting from the current Russia-Ukraine conflict and current Middle East instability (including the Israel-Hamas conflict and disruptions in the transportation of goods through the Suez canal and to shipping in the Red Sea), continued inflation and related economic curtailment initiatives, evolving trade policies between the U.S. and international trade partners, or the occurrence of similar events in other countries that lead to uncertainty or instability in economic, political or market conditions could negatively affect our business, operating results, financial condition and outlook, which, in turn, could adversely affect our stock price. Political issues and conflicts could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition if they escalate into geographies in which we do business or obtain our components. A local conflict, such as the Ukraine-Russian War or the Middle East conflict, could also have a significant adverse impact on regional or global macroeconomic conditions, give rise to regional instability or result in heightened economic tariffs, sanctions and import export restrictions in a manner that adversely affects us, including to the extent that any such actions cause material business interruptions or restrict our ability to conduct business with certain suppliers. Additionally, such conflict or sanctions may significantly devalue various global currencies and have a negative impact on economies in geographies in which we do business. Any general weakening of, and related declining corporate confidence in, the global economy could cause current or potential customers to reduce or eliminate their budgets and spending, which could cause customers to delay, decrease or cancel projects with us which would have a negative effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. Changes in tax laws or regulations that are applied adversely to us or our customers could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Tax laws continually change as new laws are passed and new interpretations of the law are issued or applied. Changes to tax laws, such as changes in corporate tax rates, tax incentives for renewable energy projects, the realization of net deferred tax assets relating to our U.S. operations, the taxation of foreign earnings, and the deductibility of expenses under future tax reform legislation could have a material impact on the value of our deferred tax assets, could result in significant one-time charges in the current or future taxable years, and could increase our future U.S. tax expense, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects. The European Union member states enacted the OECD Pillar Two Directive that generally provides for a 15% minimum tax rate. The first European Directive effective date for certain aspects of Pillar Two is January 1, 2024 and the Undertaxed Profits Rule aspect of Pillar Two will be effective on January 1, 2025. It is uncertain whether the U.S. will enact legislation to adopt Pillar Two, however, certain countries in which we operate have adopted legislation which could have a negative impact on future income tax expense.