Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed below. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include those identified below and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We provide clean, solar energy to customers at a significant savings compared to traditional utility energy. We have been selling solar energy to residential customers through a variety of offerings since we were founded in 2007. We, either directly or through one of our solar partners, install a solar energy system on a customer’s home and either sell the system to the customer or, as is more often the case, sell the energy generated by the system to the customer pursuant to a lease or PPA with no or low upfront costs. We refer to these leases and PPAs as “Customer Agreements.” Following installation, a system is interconnected to the local utility grid. The home’s energy usage is provided by the solar energy system, with any additional energy needs provided by the local utility. Any excess solar energy, including amounts in excess of battery storage, that is not immediately used by the customers is exported to the utility grid using a bi-directional utility net meter, and the customer generally receives a credit for the excess energy from their utility to offset future usage of utility-generated energy.
We offer our solar service offerings both directly to the customer and through our solar partners, which include sales and installation partners, and strategic partners, which include retail partners. In addition, we sell solar energy systems directly to customers for cash. We also sell solar energy panels and other products (such as racking) to resellers. As of December 31, 2022, we provided our solar services to customers and sold solar energy panels and other products to resellers throughout the United States. More than 40% of our cumulative systems deployed are in California.
We compete mainly with traditional utilities. In the markets we serve, our strategy is to price the energy we sell below prevailing local retail electricity rates. As a result, the price our customers pay under our solar service offerings varies depending on the state where the customer lives, the local traditional utility that otherwise provides electricity to the customer, as well as the prices other solar energy companies charge in that region. Even within the same neighborhood, site-specific characteristics drive meaningful variability in the revenue and cost profiles of each home. Using our proprietary technology, we target homes with advantageous revenue and cost characteristics, which means we are often able to offer pricing that allows customers to save more on their energy bill while maintaining our ability to meet our targeted returns. For example, with the insights provided by our technology, we can offer competitive pricing to customers with homes that have favorable characteristics, such as roofs that allow for easy installation, high electricity consumption, or low shading, effectively passing through the cost savings we are able to achieve on these installations to the customer.
Our ability to offer Customer Agreements depends in part on our ability to finance the purchase and installation of the solar energy systems by monetizing the resulting customer cash flows and related commercial investment tax credits (“Commercial ITCs”), accelerated tax depreciation and other incentives from governments and local utilities. We monetize these incentives under tax equity investment funds, which are generally structured as non-recourse project financings. Since inception we have raised numerous tax equity investment funds to finance the installation of solar energy systems. From time to time, we may repurchase investors' interests in our tax equity investment funds after the recapture period of the relevant tax incentives. We intend to establish additional investment funds and may also use debt, equity and other financing strategies to fund our growth.
In addition, completing the sale and installation of a solar energy system requires many different steps including a site audit, completion of designs, permitting, installation, electrical sign-off and interconnection. Customers may cancel their Customer Agreements with us, subject to certain conditions, during this process until commencement of installation. Customer cancellation rates can change over time and vary between markets.
The Opportunity of Home Electrification and Storage Solutions to Build a Clean, Resilient Grid
The United States is on the precipice of a once-in-a-generation transformation of our energy system. The decarbonization of the American economy will require powering our energy supply, including our homes, appliances and automobiles, with clean energy. Sunrun’s next goal and chapter of growth is to be the go-to company for clean
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energy and storage solutions, and reliable home electrification, providing our customers with affordable renewable energy throughout their homes and our communities with a cleaner, more resilient grid. We believe Sunrun will be uniquely positioned as the leading national provider of solar and storage energy subscription offerings, making our clean energy services more accessible to even more communities.
We intend to pursue these opportunities on a variety of fronts. For instance, in May 2020, we announced a partnership with Ford Motor Company to be the preferred installer for Ford’s Charge Station Pro and Intelligent Backup Power System, debuting with the all-electric F-150 Lightning. Under the partnership, we co-developed Ford's Home Integration System, including the bi-directional inverter, which enables the F-150 Lightning to serve as a reliable home backup energy source by powering the home during an outage event. Through this partnership, customers in participating markets have the opportunity to install a solar and battery system on their home, enabling them to power their household with clean, affordable energy and charge their truck with the power of the sun.
We also continue to pursue the development of our grid services business, creating virtual power plants that lead to a cleaner, more resilient grid. In collaboration with grid managers, we can deploy our battery systems where they will add the most value for utilities, the grid, and customers. We are actively delivering demand response and capacity services to meet operational needs in multiple geographies, and partnering with grid managers to build a more resilient electricity system that integrates the new energy technologies customers want.
We believe the electrification of U.S. households with renewable energy, and the accompanying development of an inter-connected, smart grid will provide a number of market opportunities beyond our traditional solar and battery storage offerings, including EV chargers, battery retrofits, re-powered or expanding systems, home energy management services, and other home electrification products. Additionally, we believe our omni-channel model and geographic reach provides us with the capabilities to execute on these opportunities in a variety of markets.
We also believe that energy storage offerings will play an increasingly important role and be a key part of the customer value proposition. Robust storage offerings will enable a variety of grid services and grid reliability benefits. They will also play a crucial role in markets like California where time-of-use and net-billing policies mean that optimizing when power is consumed during the day is key to providing the most customer value.
In sum, we believe the electrification of the U.S. economy with renewable energy presents an unprecedented economic opportunity, as well as our country’s best path to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Through these electrification, storage, and grid services opportunities, we aim to be the consumer brand synonymous with repowering our customers’ homes with renewable energy and providing a pathway to a cleaner, healthier future.
Macroeconomic Environment
Our business and financial performance also depend on worldwide economic conditions. We face global macroeconomic challenges, particularly in light of increases and volatility in interest rates, uncertainty in markets, inflationary trends, navigating complex and evolving regulatory and tax frameworks, and the dynamics of the global trade environment. Throughout fiscal 2022, we observed market uncertainty, increasing inflationary pressures, supply constraints and the ongoing and rippling effects from the COVID-19 pandemic. These market dynamics, which we expect will continue into the foreseeable future, have and may continue to impact our business and financial results, including costs and revenues.
Investment Funds
Our Customer Agreements provide for recurring customer payments, typically over 20 or 25 years, and the related solar energy systems are generally eligible for Commercial ITCs, accelerated tax depreciation and other government or utility incentives. Our financing strategy is to monetize these benefits at a low weighted average cost of capital. This low cost of capital enables us to offer attractive pricing to our customers for the energy generated by the solar energy system on their homes. Historically, we have monetized a portion of the value created by our Customer Agreements and the related solar energy systems through investment funds. These assets are attractive to fund investors due to the long-term, recurring nature of the cash flows generated by our Customer Agreements, the high credit scores of our customers, the fact that energy is a non-discretionary good and our low loss rates. In addition, fund investors can receive attractive after-tax returns from our investment funds due to their ability to utilize
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Commercial ITCs, accelerated depreciation and certain government or utility incentives associated with the funds’ ownership of solar energy systems.
As of December 31, 2022, we had 64 active investment funds, which are described below. We have established different types of investment funds to implement our asset monetization strategy. Depending on the nature of the investment fund, cash may be contributed to the investment fund by the investor upfront or in stages based on milestones associated with the design, construction or interconnection status of the solar energy systems. The cash contributed by the fund investor is used by the investment fund to purchase solar energy systems. The investment funds either own or enter into a master lease with a Sunrun subsidiary for the solar energy systems, Customer Agreements and associated incentives. We receive on-going cash distributions from the investment funds representing a portion of the monthly customer payments received. We use the upfront cash, as well as on-going distributions to cover our costs associated with designing, purchasing and installing the solar energy systems. In addition, we also use debt, equity and other financing strategies to fund our operations. The allocation of the economic benefits between us and the fund investor and the corresponding accounting treatment varies depending on the structure of the investment fund.
We currently utilize three legal structures in our investment funds, which we refer to as: (i) pass-through financing obligations, (ii) partnership flips and (iii) joint venture (“JV”) inverted leases. We reflect pass-through financing obligations on our consolidated balance sheet as a pass-through financing obligation. We record the investor’s interest in partnership flips or JV inverted leases (which we define collectively as “consolidated joint ventures”) as noncontrolling interests or redeemable noncontrolling interests. These consolidated joint ventures are usually redeemable at our option and, in certain cases, at the investor’s option. If redemption is at our option or the consolidated joint ventures are not redeemable, we record the investor’s interest as a noncontrolling interest and account for the interest using the hypothetical liquidation at book value (“HLBV”) method. If the investor has the option to put their interest to us, we record the investor’s interest as a redeemable noncontrolling interest at the greater of the HLBV and the redemption value.
The table below provides an overview of our current investment funds (dollars in millions):
Consolidated Joint Ventures
Pass-Through Financing Obligations Partnership Flip JV Inverted Lease
Consolidation Owner entity consolidated, tenant entity not consolidated Single entity, consolidated Owner and tenant entities consolidated
Balance sheet classification Pass-through financing obligation Redeemable noncontrolling interests and noncontrolling interests Redeemable noncontrolling interests
Revenue from Commercial ITCs Recognized on the PTO date None None
Method of calculating investor interest Effective interest rate method Greater of HLBV or redemption value Greater of HLBV or redemption value
Liability balance as of December 31, 2022 $ 305.6 N/A N/A
Noncontrolling interest balance (redeemable or otherwise) as of December 31, 2022 N/A $ 1,453.2 $ 5.5
For further information regarding our investment funds, including the associated risks, see Item 1A. Risk Factors —" Our ability to provide our solar service offerings to customers on an economically viable basis depends in part on our ability to finance these systems with fund investors who seek particular tax and other benefits. ", Note 13, Pass-Through Financing Obligations , Note 14, VIE Arrangements and Note 15, Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests to our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Pass-through Financing Obligations
Pass-Through Financing Obligations. In this investment fund structure, we and the fund investor each utilize separate entities to facilitate the pass-through of the Commercial ITC or U.S. Treasury grants to the fund investors. We contribute solar energy systems to an “owner” entity in exchange for interests in the owner entity, and the fund investors contribute cash to a “tenant” entity in exchange for interests in the tenant entity.
Under our pass-through financing obligation structure, in accordance with the provisions of FASB, Accounting Standards Codification Topic 810 (“ASC 810”) Consolidation , we have determined that we are the primary beneficiary of the owner entity, and accordingly, we consolidate that entity. We have also determined that we are not the primary beneficiary of the tenant entity, and accordingly, we do not consolidate that entity.
In this investment fund structure, the investors make a series of large up-front payments as well as, in some instances, subsequent smaller quarterly lease payments through their respective tenant entity to the corresponding owner entity in exchange for the assignment of cash flows from Customer Agreements and certain other benefits associated with the Customer Agreements and related solar energy systems. We account for the payments from investors as borrowings by recording the proceeds received as financing obligations. The financing obligation is reduced over a period of approximately 22 years, or over 7 years in the case of one fund, by customer payments under the Customer Agreements; and proceeds from the contracted resale of SRECs as they are received by the investor. In addition, funds paid for the Commercial ITC value upfront are initially recorded as a refund liability and recognized as revenue as the associated solar system reaches permission to operate ("PTO").
We account for these investment funds in our consolidated financial statements as if we have not assigned the Customer Agreement to the investor, and we record on our consolidated financial statements activities arising from the Customer Agreements and any related Commercial ITCs monetized as part of the upfront payments received from the investor and SREC sales. The interest charge on our pass-through financing obligations is imputed at the inception of the fund based on the effective interest rate in the arrangement giving rise to the obligation and is updated prospectively as appropriate.
In certain arrangements, we agree to defer a portion of the up-front payments by arranging a loan between one of our indirectly wholly owned subsidiaries to a subsidiary of the investor’s tenant entity.
Consolidated Joint Ventures
Partnership Flips . Under partnership flip structures, we and our fund investors contribute cash into a partnership entity. The partnership uses the cash to acquire solar energy systems developed by us with signed Customer Agreements. Each fund investor receives a rate of return, typically on an after-tax basis, which varies by investment fund. Prior to the fund investor receiving its contractual rate of return or for a time period specified in the contractual arrangements, the fund investor receives a significant portion of the value attributable to customer payments, a majority of the accelerated tax depreciation and substantially all of the Commercial ITCs. After the fund investor receives its contractual rate of return or after the specified time period, we receive substantially all of the value attributable to the remaining customer payments and SREC sales.
Included within the Partnership Flips is the project equity financing we entered into in December 2016. We pooled and transferred our interests in certain financing funds into a special purpose entity (“SPE”) with a new investor. We did not recognize a gain or loss on the transfer of its interests in the financing funds and continue to consolidate the financing funds. The SPE’s assets and cash flows are not available to our other creditors, and the investor has no recourse to our other assets.
Under our partnership flip structures, we have determined that we control the partnership entity which is a variable interest entity (“VIE”), and accordingly we consolidate the entity and record the investor’s interest as either noncontrolling interests or redeemable noncontrolling interests in our consolidated balance sheets.
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Inverted Leases . Under our inverted lease structure, we and the fund investor set up a multi-tiered investment vehicle that is comprised of two partnership entities which facilitate the pass through of the tax benefits to the fund investors. In this structure we contribute solar energy systems to an “owner” partnership entity in exchange for interests in the owner partnership and the fund investors contribute cash to a “tenant” partnership in exchange for interests in the tenant partnership, which in turn makes an investment in the owner partnership entity in exchange for interests in the owner partnership. The owner partnership uses the cash contributions received from the tenant partnership to purchase systems from us and/or fund installation of such systems. Under our existing JV inverted lease structure, a substantial portion of the value generated by the solar energy systems is provided to the fund investor for a specified period of time, which is generally based upon the period of time corresponding to the expiry of the recapture period associated with the Commercial ITCs. After that point in time, we receive substantially all of the value attributable to the long-term recurring customer payments and the other incentives. Generally, under the terms of each agreement, the investors’ contributions include the value of Commercial ITCs earned or grants to be received by the fund investor. Any other proceeds are allocated on a pro rata basis to the fund investor and us in accordance with their ownership percentages. Since Sunrun has the power to control both the owner and tenant entities, both entities are included in our consolidated financial statements.
We also have one JV inverted lease fund whereby we have a pro rata interest in the entity and we account for the noncontrolling interest’s share of income on a pro rata basis. Accordingly, the noncontrolling interest of this fund is carried on our balance sheet at the cumulative amount of capital contributions, reduced by cumulative distributions paid to the investor, as well as the pro rata share of their income. Under our JV inverted lease structure, we have determined that we control each VIE, and accordingly we consolidate the entity and record investor’s interest as a noncontrolling interest or redeemable noncontrolling interest.
For all of our partnership flips and JV inverted leases, the redeemable noncontrolling interest is carried on our balance sheet at the greater of the redemption value or the amount calculated under the HLBV method. The HLBV method estimates the amount that, if the fund’s assets were hypothetically sold at their book value, the investor would be entitled to receive according to the liquidation waterfall in the partnership agreement.
Key Operating Metrics
The following operating metrics are used by management to evaluate the performance of the business. Management believes these metrics provide investors with helpful information to determine the economic performance of the business activities in a period that would otherwise not be observable from historic GAAP measures. We regularly review a number of metrics, including the following key operating metrics, to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, formulate financial projections and make strategic decisions. Some of our key operating metrics are estimates that are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each of these estimates, we caution you that these estimates are based on a combination of assumptions that may prove to be inaccurate over time. Any inaccuracies could be material to our actual results when compared to our calculations. Please see the section titled “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information. Furthermore, other companies may calculate these metrics differently than we do now or in the future, which would reduce their usefulness as a comparative measure.
• Networked Solar Energy Capacity represents the aggregate megawatt production capacity of our solar energy systems, whether sold directly to customers or subject to executed Customer Agreements (i) for which we have confirmation that the systems are installed on the roof, subject to final inspection; (ii) in the case of certain system installations by our partners, for which we have accrued at least 80% of the expected project cost (inclusive of acquisitions of installed systems), or (iii) for multi-family and any other systems that have reached NTP, measured on the percentage of the project that has been completed based on expected project cost. Systems that have met these criteria are considered to be deployed. We believe it is helpful to investors to evaluate networked solar energy capacity added during the period in order to measure the growth of our business as a whole, whether sold directly to customers or subject to executed Customer Agreements.
• Gross Earning Assets is calculated as Gross Earning Assets Contracted Period plus Gross Earning Assets Renewal Period.
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◦ Gross Earning Assets Contracted Period represents the present value of the remaining net cash flows (discounted at 5%) during the initial term of our Customer Agreements as of the measurement date. It is calculated as the present value of cash flows (discounted at 5%) we expect to receive from Subscribers in future periods, after deducting expected operating and maintenance costs based on the service agreements underlying each fund, equipment replacements costs, distributions to tax equity partners in consolidated joint venture partnership flip structures, and distributions to project equity investors. We include cash flows we expect to receive in future periods from state incentive and rebate programs, contracted sales of solar renewable energy credits, and awarded net cash flows from grid service programs with utility or grid operators.
◦ Gross Earning Assets Renewal Period is the forecasted net present value we would receive upon or following the expiration of the initial Customer Agreement term but before the 30th anniversary of the system’s activation (either in the form of cash payments during any applicable renewal period or a system purchase at the end of the initial term), for Subscribers as of the measurement date. We calculate the Gross Earning Assets Renewal Period amount at the expiration of the initial contract term assuming either a system purchase or a renewal, forecasting only a 30-year customer relationship (although the customer may renew for additional years, or purchase the system), at a contract rate equal to 90% of the customer’s contractual rate in effect at the end of the initial contract term. After the initial contract term, our Customer Agreements typically automatically renew annually or for five years and the rate is initially set at up to a 10% discount to then-prevailing utility power prices.
• Subscribers represent the cumulative number of Customer Agreements for systems that have been recognized as deployments through the measurement date.
• Customers represent the cumulative number of deployments, from our inception through the measurement date. We believe that it is helpful to investors to evaluate customers
added during the period in order to measure the growth of our business as a whole.
Gross Earning Assets is forecasted as of a specific date. It is forward-looking, and we use judgment in developing the assumptions used to calculate it. Factors that could impact Gross Earning Assets include, but are not limited to, customer payment defaults, or declines in utility rates or early termination of a contract in certain circumstances, including prior to installation. We believe it is useful for investors to evaluate the future expected cash flows from all customers that have been deployed through the respective measurement date, less estimated costs to maintain such systems and estimated distributions to tax equity partners in consolidated joint venture partnership flip structures, and distributions to project equity investors. Various assumptions are made when calculating these metrics. Gross Earning Assets utilize a 5% unlevered discount rate (weighted average cost of capital or “WACC”) to discount future cash flows to the present period. Furthermore, this metric assumes that customers renew after the initial contract period at a rate equal to 90% of the rate in effect at the end of the initial contract term. For Customer Agreements with 25-year initial contract terms, a 5-year renewal period is assumed. For a 20-year initial contract term, a 10-year renewal period is assumed. In all instances, we assume a 30-year customer relationship, although the customer may renew for additional years, or purchase the system. Estimated cost of servicing assets has been deducted and is estimated based on the service agreements underlying each fund.
As of December 31,
2022 2021
Networked Solar Energy Capacity (megawatts) 5,667 4,677
Customers 797,296 660,311
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As of December 31,
2022 2021
(in thousands)
Gross Earning Assets Contracted Period $ 8,878,718 $ 6,638,838
Gross Earning Assets Renewal Period 3,546,821 3,033,150
Gross Earning Assets $ 12,425,539 $ 9,671,988
The tables below provide a range of Gross Earning Asset amounts if different default, discount and purchase and renewal assumptions were used.
Gross Earning Assets Contracted Period:
As of December 31, 2022
Discount rate
Default rate 3% 4% 5% 6% 7%
(in thousands)
5% $ 10,356,292 $ 9,430,203 $ 8,626,733 $ 7,926,640 $ 7,314,052
0% $ 10,675,913 $ 9,713,368 $ 8,878,718 $ 8,151,849 $ 7,516,175
Gross Earning Assets Renewal Period:
As of December 31, 2022
Discount rate
Purchase or Renewal rate 3% 4% 5% 6% 7%
(in thousands)
80% $ 4,607,336 $ 3,760,531 $ 3,081,842 $ 2,535,745 $ 2,094,632
90% $ 5,300,111 $ 4,326,955 $ 3,546,821 $ 2,918,950 $ 2,411,661
100% $ 5,992,883 $ 4,893,377 $ 4,011,798 $ 3,302,153 $ 2,728,688
Total Gross Earning Assets:
As of December 31, 2022
Discount rate
Purchase or Renewal rate 3% 4% 5% 6% 7%
(in thousands)
80% $ 15,283,250 $ 13,473,899 $ 11,960,560 $ 10,687,595 $ 9,610,806
90% $ 15,976,025 $ 14,040,323 $ 12,425,539 $ 11,070,799 $ 9,927,835
100% $ 16,668,797 $ 14,606,744 $ 12,890,516 $ 11,454,002 $ 10,244,863
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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP"). GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses and related disclosures. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. In many instances, we could have reasonably used different accounting estimates, and in other instances, changes in the accounting estimates are reasonably likely to occur from period-to-period. Actual results could differ significantly from our estimates. Our future financial statements will be affected to the extent that our actual results materially differ from these estimates. For further information on all of our significant accounting policies, see Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies , to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We believe that policies associated with our principles of consolidation, revenue recognition, goodwill, impairment of long-lived assets, provision for income taxes, business combinations and calculation of noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests have the greatest impact on our consolidated financial statements. Therefore, we consider these to be our critical accounting policies and estimates.
Principles of Consolidation
Our consolidated financial statements include our accounts and those of our subsidiaries in which we have a controlling financial interest. The typical condition for a controlling financial interest is holding a majority of the voting interests of an entity. However, a controlling financial interest may also exist in entities, such as VIEs, through arrangements that do not involve controlling financial interests. We consolidate any VIE of which we are the primary beneficiary, which is defined as the party that has (1) the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and (2) the obligation to absorb losses or receive benefits of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. We evaluate our relationships with our VIEs on an ongoing basis to determine whether we continue to be the primary beneficiary. Our financial statements reflect the assets and liabilities of VIEs that we consolidate. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. For further information regarding consolidation of our investment funds, see “—Investment Funds” above.
Revenue Recognition
We recognize revenue when control of goods or services is transferred to customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services.
Customer Agreements and Incentives Revenue. Customer agreements and incentives revenue is primarily comprised of revenue from our Customer Agreements and sales of Commercial ITCs and SRECs to third parties.
We begin to recognize revenue from a Customer Agreement when PTO for the applicable solar energy system is given by the local utility company or on the date daily operation commences if utility approval is not required. For Customer Agreements that include a fixed fee per month which entitles the customer to any and all electricity generated by the system, we recognize revenue evenly over the time that we satisfy our performance obligations over the initial term of Customer Agreements. For Customer Agreements that charge a fixed price per kilowatt hour, revenue is recognized based on the actual amount of power generated at rates specified under the contracts. Customer Agreements typically have an initial term of 20 or 25 years. After the initial contract term, our Customer Agreements typically automatically renew annually or for five years.
We also apply for and receive SRECs associated with the energy generated by our solar energy systems and sell them to third parties in certain jurisdictions. SREC revenue is estimated net of any variable consideration related to possible liquidated damages if we were to deliver fewer SRECs than contractually committed, and is generally recognized upon delivery of the SRECs to the counterparty.
Certain upfront payments related to Customer Agreements and SRECs are deemed to have a financing component, and therefore increase both revenue and interest expense by the same amount over the term of the related agreement. The additional revenue is included in the total transaction price to be recorded over the term of the agreement and is recognized based on the timing of the delivery. The interest expense is recognized based upon an amortization schedule which typically decreases throughout the term of the related agreement.
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For pass-through financing obligation funds, the value attributable to the Commercial ITCs is recognized in the period a solar system is granted PTO, at which point we have met our obligation to the investor. The Commercial ITCs are subject to recapture under the Internal Revenue Code (“Code”) if the underlying solar energy system either ceases to be a qualifying property or undergoes a change in ownership within five years of its placed-in-service date. The recapture amount decreases on the anniversary of the PTO date. We have not historically incurred a material recapture of Commercial ITCs, and do not expect to experience a material recapture of Commercial ITCs in the future.
Consideration from customers is considered variable due to the performance guarantee under Customer Agreements and liquidated damage provisions under SREC contracts in the event minimum deliveries are not achieved. Customer Agreements with a performance guarantee provide a credit to the customer if the system's cumulative production, as measured on various PTO anniversary dates, is below our guarantee of a specified minimum. Revenue is recognized to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of such revenue will not occur. If our estimate of the future production shortfall amount for Customer Agreements with a performance guarantee was 10% higher, the additional reduction to revenue in the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 would have been less than $2.4 million. Our estimated production shortfall reduced revenue during the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 by less than $6.2 million more than the prior year's period. We have historically estimated an immaterial amount of liquidated damages pursuant to SREC contracts, and actual damages have not been materially different from estimates, nor material in amount during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020.
Solar Energy Systems and Product Sales. Solar energy systems sales are comprised of revenue from the sale of solar energy systems directly to customers. We generally recognize revenue from solar energy systems sold to customers when the solar energy system passes inspection by the authority having jurisdiction, which inspection generally occurs after installation but prior to PTO, at which time we have met the performance obligation in the contract. For solar energy system sales that include delivery obligations up until interconnection to the local power grid with permission to operate, we recognize revenue at PTO. Certain solar energy systems sold to customers include fees for extended warranty and maintenance services. These fees are recognized over the life of the service agreement.
Product sales revenue consists of revenue from the sale of solar panels, inverters, racking systems, roof repair, and other solar energy products sold to resellers, as well as the sale of customer leads to third parties, including our partners and other solar providers. Product sales revenue is recognized when control is transferred, generally upon shipment, or as services are delivered. Customer lead revenue is recognized at the time the lead is delivered.
Goodwill
Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Goodwill is reviewed for impairment at least annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may be impaired. We have determined that we operate as one reporting unit and our goodwill is tested for impairment at the enterprise level. We perform our annual impairment test of goodwill on October 1 of each fiscal year or whenever events or circumstances change or occur that would indicate that goodwill might be impaired. When assessing goodwill for impairment, we use qualitative and if necessary, quantitative methods in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 350, Goodwill. We also consider our enterprise value and if necessary, a discounted cash flow model, which involves assumptions and estimates, including our future financial performance, weighted average cost of capital and interpretation of currently enacted tax laws.
Circumstances that could indicate impairment and require us to perform a quantitative impairment test include a significant decline in our financial results, a significant decline in our enterprise value relative to our net book value, a sustained decline in our stock price, or an unanticipated change in competition or our market share and a significant change in our strategic plans. A sustained decrease in the price of our common stock is one of the qualitative factors to be considered as part of an impairment test when evaluating whether events or changes in circumstances may indicate that it is more likely than not that a potential goodwill impairment exists. As of October 1, 2022, we concluded that our fair value exceeded our carrying value. We will continue monitoring the analysis of the qualitative and quantitative factors used as a basis for the goodwill impairment test during fiscal year 2023.
In performing the assessment, we performed a qualitative assessment and determined there were no indicators of impairment. To corroborate this conclusion, we compared the carrying value of our one reporting unit to our market capitalization and concluded that there was no goodwill impairment during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020.
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Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The carrying amounts of our long-lived assets, including solar energy systems and definite-lived intangible assets, are periodically reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of these assets may not be recoverable or that the useful life is shorter than originally estimated. Factors that we consider in deciding when to perform an impairment review would include significant negative industry or economic trends, and significant changes or planned changes in our use of the assets. Recoverability of these assets is measured by comparison of the carrying amount of each asset group to the future undiscounted cash flows the asset is expected to generate over its remaining life. If the asset is considered to be impaired, the amount of any impairment is measured as the difference between the carrying value and the fair value of the impaired asset. If the useful life is shorter than originally estimated, we amortize the remaining carrying value over the new shorter useful life. During the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, there were no indicators of impairment and therefore no cash flow analysis was performed.
Provision for Income Taxes
We account for income taxes under an asset and liability approach. Deferred income taxes reflect the impact of temporary differences between assets and liabilities recognized for financial reporting purposes and the amounts recognized for income tax reporting purposes, net operating loss carryforwards and other tax credits measured by applying currently enacted tax laws. A valuation allowance is provided when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to an amount that is more likely than not to be realized. We consider all available evidence, both positive and negative, including historical levels of income, estimates of future taxable income, reversing taxable temporary differences, and ongoing tax planning strategies in assessing the need for a valuation allowance. We recognize the effect of tax rate and law changes on deferred taxes in the reporting period in which the legislation is enacted.
We sell solar energy systems to the investment funds. As the investment funds are consolidated by us, the gain on the sale of the solar energy systems is not recognized in the consolidated financial statements. However, this gain is recognized for tax reporting purposes. We account for the income tax consequences of these intra-entity transfers, both current and deferred, as a component of income tax expense and deferred tax liability, net during the period in which the transfers occur.
We account for investment tax credits as a reduction of income tax expense in the year in which the credits arise.
We determine whether a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. We use a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon tax authority examination, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement.
Our policy is to include interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits, if any, within the provision for taxes in the consolidated statements of operations.
Business Combinations
We allocate the fair value of purchase price to the tangible assets acquired, liabilities assumed and intangible assets acquired based on their estimated fair values. Any residual purchase price is recorded as goodwill. The allocation of the purchase price requires management to make significant estimates in determining the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, especially with respect to the solar energy systems acquired as part of our acquisition of Vivint Solar.
Significant estimates in valuing certain tangible and intangible assets include but are not limited to discount rates. These estimates are inherently uncertain and unpredictable.
See Note 3, Acquisition to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Noncontrolling Interests and Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests
Our noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests represent fund investors’ interests in the net assets of certain investment funds, which we consolidate, that we have entered into in order to finance the costs of solar energy facilities under Customer Agreements. We have determined that the provisions in the contractual arrangements of the investment funds represent substantive profit-sharing arrangements, which gives rise to the noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests. We have further determined that for all but two of these arrangements, the appropriate methodology for attributing income and loss to the noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests each period is a balance sheet approach using the HLBV method.
Attributing income and loss to the noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests under the HLBV method requires the use of various inputs to calculate the amounts that fund investors would receive upon a hypothetical liquidation. Changes in these inputs, including change in tax rates, can have a significant impact on the amount that fund investors would receive upon a hypothetical liquidation.
We classify certain noncontrolling interests with redemption features that are not solely within our control outside of permanent equity on our consolidated balance sheets. Redeemable noncontrolling interests are reported using the greater of their carrying value at each reporting date as determined by the HLBV method or their estimated redemption value in each reporting period. Estimating the redemption value of the redeemable noncontrolling interests requires the use of significant assumptions and estimates such as projected future cash flows at the time the redemption feature can be exercised.
We determine the net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders by deducting from net loss, the net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests in these funds. The net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests represents the fund investors’ allocable share in the results of operations of these investment funds. For these funds, we have determined that the provisions in the contractual arrangements represent substantive profit-sharing arrangements, where the allocations to the partners sometimes differ from the stated ownership percentages. We have further determined that, for these arrangements, the appropriate methodology for attributing income and loss to the noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests each period is a balance sheet approach using the HLBV method. Under the HLBV method, the amounts of income and loss attributed to the noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests in the consolidated statements of operations reflect changes in the amounts the fund investors would hypothetically receive at each balance sheet date under the liquidation provisions of the contractual provisions of these funds, assuming the net assets of the respective investment funds were liquidated at the carrying value determined in accordance with GAAP. The fund investors’ interest in the results of operations of these investment funds is initially determined by calculating the difference in the noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests’ claim under the HLBV method at the start and end of each reporting period, after taking into account any contributions and distributions between the fund and the fund investors and subject to the redemption provisions in certain funds.
The calculation of HLBV does not require estimates since each HLBV calculation is based upon the liquidation provisions of each fund’s contractual agreement. The calculation of the redeemable noncontrolling interest balance involves estimates such as a discount rate used in net present value calculations, and customer default rates. If the assumptions used for each of these were 10% higher, the impact to the aggregate redeemable noncontrolling interest balance as of December 31, 2022 would be a reduction of $13.3 million.
Results of Operations
The results of operations presented below should be reviewed in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 includes a discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020 in Item 7 of Part II, “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
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Year Ended December 31,
2022 2021
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
Revenue:
Customer agreements and incentives $ 983,047 $ 826,564
Solar energy systems and product sales 1,338,375 783,390
Total revenue 2,321,422 1,609,954
Operating expenses:
Cost of customer agreements and incentives 844,162 699,102
Cost of solar energy systems and product sales 1,178,548 666,370
Sales and marketing 745,386 622,961
Research and development 20,907 23,165
General and administrative 189,247 259,173
Amortization of intangible assets 5,364 5,370
Total operating expenses 2,983,614 2,276,141
Loss from operations (662,192) (666,187)
Interest expense, net (445,819) (327,700)
Other income, net 260,657 22,628
Loss before income taxes (847,354) (971,259)
Income tax expense 2,291 9,271
Net loss (849,645) (980,530)
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests (1,023,022) (901,107)
Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders $ 173,377 $ (79,423)
Net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders
Basic $ 0.82 $ (0.39)
Diluted $ 0.80 $ (0.39)
Weighted average shares used to compute net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders
Basic 211,347 205,132
Diluted 219,157 205,132
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
Revenue
Year Ended
December 31, Change
2022 2021 $ %
(in thousands)
Customer agreements $ 872,298 $ 725,220 $ 147,078 20 %
Incentives 110,749 101,344 9,405 9 %
Customer agreements and incentives 983,047 826,564 156,483 19 %
Solar energy systems 913,904 471,283 442,621 94 %
Products 424,471 312,107 112,364 36 %
Solar energy systems and product sales 1,338,375 783,390 554,985 71 %
Total revenue $ 2,321,422 $ 1,609,954 $ 711,468 44 %
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Customer Agreements and Incentives . The $147.1 million increase in Revenue from Customer Agreements was primarily due to new systems placed in service in 2022 and a full year of revenue recognized in 2022 for systems placed in service in 2021 versus only a partial amount of such revenue related to the period in which the assets were in service in 2021. Revenue from incentives, which primarily consisted of the sale of SRECs, increased by $9.4 million when compared to the prior year related to the timing and volume of SREC sales which were responsive to market conditions.
Solar Energy Systems and Product Sales . Revenue from solar energy systems sales increased by $442.6 million compared to the prior year primarily due to an overall increased demand for solar energy systems in the marketplace, particularly through retail partners. Additionally, the average price of system sales increased 12% from the prior year period. Product sales increased by $112.4 million compared to the prior year primarily due to an overall increased demand for solar energy related products and services in the marketplace, and to a lesser extent, price increases on various solar products sold to resellers.
Operating Expenses
Year Ended
December 31, Change
2022 2021 $ %
(in thousands)
Cost of customer agreements and incentives $ 844,162 $ 699,102 $ 145,060 21 %
Cost of solar energy systems and product sales 1,178,548 666,370 512,178 77 %
Sales and marketing 745,386 622,961 122,425 20 %
Research and development 20,907 23,165 (2,258) (10) %
General and administrative expense 189,247 259,173 (69,926) (27) %
Amortization of intangible assets 5,364 5,370 (6) — %
Total operating expenses $ 2,983,614 $ 2,276,141 $ 707,473 31 %
Cost of Customer Agreements and Incentives . The $145.1 million increase in Cost of customer agreements and incentives was primarily due to the new systems placed in service in 2022, plus a full year of costs recognized in 2022 for systems placed in service in 2021 versus only a partial amount of such expenses related to the period in which the assets were in service in 2021.
The Cost of customer agreements and incentives remained relatively consistent at 86% of customer agreements and incentives revenue during 2022, when compared with 85% in the prior year period.
Cost of Solar Energy Systems and Product Sales . There was a $512.2 million increase in Cost of solar energy systems and product sales which was primarily due to the corresponding net increase in the solar energy systems and product sales discussed above.
The Cost of solar energy systems and product sales increased to 88% of solar energy systems and product sales revenue during 2022, when compared with 85% in the prior year period, primarily as a result of increased demand for solar energy related products and services in the marketplace.
Sales and Marketing Expense. The $122.4 million increase in Sales and marketing expense was primarily attributable to increases in headcount driving higher employee compensation and costs to acquire customers through our sales lead generating partners. Additionally, there was an increase of $4.4 million in severance related costs incurred during 2022. Included in sales and marketing expense were $38.7 million and $23.3 million of amortization of costs to obtain Customer Agreements for 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Research and Development Expense . The $2.3 million decrease in Research and development expense was primarily attributable to a decrease in headcount driving lower employee compensation costs.
General and Administrative Expense . The $69.9 million decrease in General and administrative expenses was primarily attributable to a decrease in stock-based compensation expense. This decrease in stock-based compensation was primarily attributable to $36.4 million of expense related to Vivint Solar recognized during 2021,
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which was based on the fair value at the time of the acquisition and the underlying awards have since fully vested. Additionally, there were decreases related to consulting costs of $3.1 million and $18.0 million in severance-related integration costs, when compared to 2021.
Non-Operating Expenses
Year Ended
December 31, Change
2022 2021 $ %
(in thousands)
Interest expense, net $ (445,819) $ (327,700) $ (118,119) 36 %
Other income, net 260,657 22,628 238,029 1,052 %
Total interest and other income, net $ (185,162) $ (305,072) $ 119,910 (39) %
Interest expense, net. The increase in Interest expense, net of $118.1 million is primarily related to additional non-recourse debt entered into in 2022. Included in net interest expense is $28.3 million and $26.3 million of non-cash interest recognized under Customer Agreements that have a significant financing component for 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Other income, net. The increase in other income, net of $238.0 million relates primarily to an increase of $168.3 million in gains on derivatives recognized in 2022, as well as a $47.3 million gain on an equity investment, with no such comparable activity in 2021.
Income Tax Expense
Year Ended
December 31, Change
2022 2021 $ %
(in thousands)
Income tax expense $ 2,291 $ 9,271 $ (6,980) (75) %
The decrease in Income tax expense of $7.0 million primarily relates to a decrease in valuation allowance on certain federal and state tax credits and net operating losses, which was offset by a decrease in tax benefit related to a higher pre-tax loss and an increase in noncontrolling interest and redeemable noncontrolling interests.
Given our net operating loss carryforwards as of December 31, 2022, we do not expect to pay income tax, including in connection with our 2022 income tax provision, until our net operating losses are fully utilized. As of December 31, 2022, we had net operating loss carryforwards for federal and state income tax purposes of approximately $720.7 million and $2.5 billion, respectively, which will begin to expire in 2028 for federal purposes and in 2024 for state purposes. In addition, federal and certain state net operating loss carryforwards generated in tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 total $1.4 billion and $296.8 million, respectively, and have indefinite carryover periods and do not expire.
Net Loss Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests and Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests
Year Ended
December 31, Change
2022 2021 $ %
(in thousands)
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests $ (1,023,022) $ (901,107) $ (121,915) 14 %
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests was primarily the result of an addition of six new investment funds since December 31, 2021, for which the HLBV method was used in
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determining the amount of net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests. Investment funds generally allocate more loss to the noncontrolling interest in the first several years after fund formation.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2022, we had cash of $740.5 million, which consisted of cash held in checking and savings accounts with financial institutions. We finance our operations mainly through a variety of financing fund arrangements that we have formed with fund investors, cash generated from our sources of revenue and borrowings from secured credit facilities arrangements with syndicates of banks and from secured, long-term non-recourse loan arrangements. In 2022, we received $1.2 billion of new commitments on secured credit facilities arrangements with syndicates of banks and $1.2 billion of commitments from secured, long-term non-recourse loan arrangements. Our principal uses of cash are funding our business, including the costs of acquisition and installation of solar energy systems, satisfaction of our obligations under our debt instruments and other working capital requirements. As of December 31, 2022, we had outstanding borrowings of $505.2 million on our $600.0 million credit facility maturing in January 2025. Additionally, we have purchase commitments, which have the ability to be canceled without significant penalties, with multiple suppliers to purchase $360.1 million of photovoltaic modules, inverters and batteries by the end of 2022. In January 2021, we issued $400.0 million of convertible senior notes with a maturity date of February 1, 2026, for net proceeds of approximately $389.0 million. Our business model requires substantial outside financing arrangements to grow the business and facilitate the deployment of additional solar energy systems. The solar energy systems that are operational are expected to generate a positive return rate over the term of the Customer Agreement, typically 20 or 25 years. However, in order to grow, we will continue to be dependent on financing from outside parties. If financing is not available to us on acceptable terms if and when needed, we may be required to reduce planned spending, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations. While there can be no assurances, we anticipate raising additional required capital from new and existing investors. We believe our cash, investment fund commitments and available borrowings as further described below will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for at least the next 12 months. We believe we will meet longer-term expected future cash requirements and obligations through a combination of cash flows from operating activities, available cash balances, and available credit via our credit facilities. The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods indicated:
Year Ended December 31,
2022 2021
(in thousands)
Consolidated cash flow data:
Net cash used in operating activities
$ (848,793) $ (817,186)
Net cash used in investing activities
(2,086,066) (1,686,185)
Net cash provided by financing activities
3,037,451 2,645,594
Net increase in cash
$ 102,592 $ 142,223
Operating Activities
During 2022, we used $848.8 million in net cash from operating activities. The driver of our operating cash outflow consists of the costs of our revenue, as well as sales, marketing and general and administrative costs. During 2022, our operating cash outflows were $438.1 million from our net loss excluding non-cash and non-operating items. Changes in working capital resulted in a net cash outflow of $410.8 million.
During 2021, we used $817.2 million in net cash from operating activities. The driver of our operating cash outflow consists of the costs of our revenue, as well as sales, marketing and general and administrative costs. During 2021, our operating cash outflows were $332.2 million from our net loss excluding non-cash and non-operating items. Changes in working capital resulted in a net cash outflow of $485.1 million.
Investing Activities
During 2022, we used $2.1 billion in cash in investing activities. The majority was used to design, acquire and install solar energy systems and components under our long-term Customer Agreements. Included within cash used
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in investing activities during 2022, was a $75.0 million contribution we made as an additional investment in our home electrification venture with SK E&S Co., Ltd.
During 2021, we used $1.7 billion in cash in investing activities. The majority was used to design, acquire and install solar energy systems and components under our long-term Customer Agreements.
Financing Activities
During 2022, we generated $3.0 billion from financing activities. This was primarily driven by $1.2 billion in net proceeds from fund investors, $1.9 billion in net proceeds from debt, $32.9 million in net proceeds from stock-based awards activity, offset by $42.6 million in acquisition of noncontrolling interests and $14.1 million in repayments under finance lease obligations.
During 2021, we generated $2.6 billion from financing activities. This was primarily driven by $1.0 billion in net proceeds from fund investors, $1.6 billion in net proceeds from debt, $36.1 million in net proceeds from stock-based awards activity, offset by $42.0 million in acquisition of noncontrolling interests and $12.4 million in repayments under finance lease obligations.
Debt, Equity, and Financing Fund Commitments
Debt Instruments
For a discussion of the terms and conditions of debt instruments and changes thereof in the period, refer to Note 11, Indebtedness, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Investment Fund Commitments
As of December 31, 2022, we had committed and available capital of approximately $607.4 million that may only be used to purchase and install solar energy systems. We intend to establish new investment funds in the future, and we may also use debt, equity or other financing strategies to finance our business.
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Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to our consolidated financial statement included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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