Item 1. Business
Company Overview
We are a developer, manufacturer, and supplier of custom-designed power management systems, renewable energy storage systems, and a supplier and designer of solar energy systems. Our patent-pending Power on Demand system utilizes inputs from multiple energy sources including solar, wind, fuel cells, generators, and the grid, in conjunction with a custom-designed battery storage system and a proprietary smart monitoring technology that releases energy at optimal times to reduce electricity costs for large energy users. We also sell a Mobile Renewable Power Station that generates energy from solar photovoltaic, or PV, wind turbines, fuel cells, and generators that is stored in an integrated onboard energy storage device for military and other applications, and a stationary, scalable Renewable Power Station that can be drop-shipped to off-grid locations to be used as a ‘micro-grid.’ We also design, sell and install residential and commercial solar PV systems.
We were incorporated in New York on March 30, 2001, under the name Future Energy Solutions, Inc. In November 2008, we changed our name to WindTamer Corporation, and, in May 2011, we changed our name to Arista Power, Inc. The decision to change our name to Arista Power, Inc. reflected the fact that we broadened our suite of product offerings and developed a wide range of power management solutions that we can provide to our customers. Our corporate headquarters is located at 1999 Mt. Read Boulevard, Rochester, New York 14615, and our telephone number at those offices is (585) 243-4040. Our website address is www.aristapower.com. Our common stock is listed and traded on the OTCQB under the symbol “ASPW.”
History
Our company was originally formed to develop and sell a wind turbine. The WindTamer® wind turbine was invented in 2002, and in 2003 a patent was issued for the WindTamer® turbine technology. In the fourth quarter of 2009, we began selling our turbines. In 2010 and 2011, we continued selling and installing our wind turbines in a variety of grid-tied and off-grid applications. In 2012, we focused on product development, as well as sales and marketing for our Power on Demand system and our Mobile Renewable Power Station, instead of our WindTamer turbines.
In the summer of 2009, we began to develop our Mobile Renewable Power Station, which now can integrate solar PV, wind turbines, fuel cells and/or generators with an integrated onboard storage device for military and other applications. In 2010, we continued the development of our Mobile Renewable Power Station, and in the first half of 2010, we sold and delivered our first Mobile Renewable Power Station for testing and use by the U.S. Army.
During 2010, we also developed our Power on Demand system, which utilizes inputs from multiple energy sources including solar, wind, fuel cells, generators, and the grid, in conjunction with a custom-designed battery storage system and a proprietary smart monitoring technology, to release energy at optimal times to reduce peak power demand, thereby lowering electricity costs. The first Power on Demand system was commissioned in the first quarter of 2011.
Late in the fourth quarter of 2010, we began selling solar PV as free-standing systems, and installed our first solar PV systems in the first quarter of 2011. During 2012 and the first quarter of 2013, we launched community solar purchasing programs in several regions of upstate New York. We expect to enroll additional targeted regions to host our community solar purchasing programs in 2013 and beyond.
During 2012, we continued our product development, with most of such efforts directed at our Power on Demand system and Mobile Renewable Power Station. We expect to continue further development on our products, including our Power on Demand system and Mobile Renewable Power Station, in 2013 and beyond.
Significant Events of 2012
In January of 2012, we were awarded a $922,000 U.S. Army contract to be the prime contractor to complete Phase One activities to develop an Intelligent Micro-Grid for the Renewable Energy for Distributed Under-Supplied Command Environments (“REDUCE”) program under the guidance of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center. In the latter half of September 2012, we completed Phase One activities.
In April 2012, we announced we signed a cooperation agreement with GE’s Energy Storage Business.
In May 2012, we were selected as the installers for the Solarize Madison County Program. This community solar purchasing program was the foundation for other similar programs that we launched in 2012 and 2013, and we continue to enroll selected regions to market this type of program in 2013.
In September 2012, we made our first commercial sale of our Mobile Renewable Power Station to Casella Waste Systems.
In September 2012, we entered an agreement with TMK-ENT, Inc for a $500,000 working capital revolving line of credit, which was subsequently increased to $750,000 and then to $1,250,000 in November 2012 and December 2012, respectively.
In October 2012, we were awarded a $909,000 U.S. Army contract for Phase Two activities of a research and development contract for the development of an Intelligent Micro-Grid.
Recent Developments
In January 2013, we announced the launch of our community solar purchasing programs in Genesee County, New York, the City of Hornell, New York, and Seneca County, New York.
In January 2013, we announced that we received an order for a Mobile Renewable Power Station from a U.S. government agency.
Our Industry and our Business Areas of Focus
The U.S. electricity industry is large and has grown significantly over the last six decades. In 2011, the U.S. electricity market totaled $385 billion in end-user revenue, representing the consumption of over 3,850 billion kilowatt hours. The amount of electricity used in the United States in 2011 was more than 13 times greater than the amount used in 1950. Throughout this period, utilities have been challenged to meet this growth, both in the areas of large scale power production and in power transmission and distribution. This increase in electricity usage has strained the electric power grid and has contributed to the increase in the price of electricity. High electricity prices are particularly pronounced during peak power periods, when demand for electricity is at its highest. The rising demand for energy, growing cost of energy, and increasing concerns about the environment have combined to cause many organizations, including utilities and their end customers, to focus on energy efficiency. Approximately 60% of U.S. electricity demand is driven by commercial and industry electricity usage. In 2012, natural disasters in India and the Northeastern U.S. emphasized the limitations of grid structures and the disadvantages of relying on fossil fuel generators and the transportation of diesel to disaster areas. Policymakers have responded with legislation introduction and incentive support for clean energy solutions. These factors, and others, have generated demand in the marketplace for products and services that efficiently use energy.
Our Strategy
Our strategy is to develop, market, and sell energy efficient products that focus primarily on the management and distribution of energy, including renewable energy, and that provide attractive returns on investment for customers in the commercial, military, residential, and industrial space. We intend to use our expertise in power distribution, power management, alternative and renewable energy, and energy storage to combine our proprietary patent-pending energy storage and management systems with solar PV systems, wind turbines, fuel cells, generators and/or the electric grid to become a market leader in the power distribution and renewable energy industries. We believe that combining renewable energy with energy storage and management systems will enable us to offer customers a product with an attractive return on investment. We believe that our products will be sold in the residential, commercial, government, military, industrial, recreational, portable, and off-grid markets.
Our primary products are:
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Our proprietary, patent-pending Power on Demand systems;
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Our Mobile Renewable Power Stations;
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Our Renewable Power Stations; and
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In addition, in January of 2012, we were awarded a $922,000 U.S. Army contract to be the prime contractor to complete Phase One activities for the development of a new intelligent micro-grid. In October 2012, we were awarded a contract valued at $909,000 for Phase Two of this project to continue the development activities on the intelligent micro-grid. We believe that the micro-grid that we are developing for the U.S. Army will become one of the products that we sell to commercial, military, and governmental customers.
We plan to become a leader in the power management and the renewable energy industries by, among other things:
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Continuing the development of our products to improve their marketability, functionality, reliability, scalability, safety, and cost effectiveness;
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Developing a domestic sales force organically, primarily through commissioned representatives and through strategic marketing and distribution alliances;
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Establishing joint ventures, strategic alliances, licensing, and/or royalty agreements with third parties to augment our marketing efforts worldwide; and
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Acquiring companies that are complementary to our business.
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Our Business
We are a developer, manufacturer, and supplier of custom-designed power management systems, renewable energy storage systems, and a supplier and designer of solar energy systems. Our patent-pending Power on Demand system utilizes inputs from multiple energy sources including solar, wind, fuel cells, generators, and the grid, in conjunction with a custom-designed battery storage system and a proprietary smart monitoring technology that releases energy at optimal times to reduce electricity costs for large energy users. We also sell a Mobile Renewable Power Station that generates energy from solar PV, wind turbines, fuel cells, and generators that is stored in an integrated onboard energy storage device for military and other applications, and a stationary, scalable Renewable Power Station that can be drop-shipped to off-grid locations to be used as a ‘micro-grid.’ We also design, sell and install residential and commercial solar PV systems.
Our primary products are:
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Our Power on Demand system
. Our Power on Demand system is a proprietary, patent-pending energy storage and management system that lowers a customer’s peak electricity demand, thereby reducing the customer’s electricity costs. The system utilizes energy inputs from multiple sources integrated with a custom-designed energy storage device to reduce grid demand and provide power when a customer’s power loads are high. The energy can be generated from renewable sources such as solar and wind, and also from fuel cells, generators, and from the grid itself, depending on the available energy resources at a given site.
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Our Mobile Renewable Power Station.
Our Mobile Renewable Power Station is customizable, and can consist of solar panels, wind turbines, fuel cells, generators, and inputs for shore power as well as multiple outputs with full monitoring capabilities of all energy components (solar, wind, and energy storage). The energy-generating components of the system are mounted on a trailer and integrated with the onboard energy storage device. The system is designed as a cost-effective alternative to diesel generators for remote locations and disaster recovery sites, and can be ruggedized for military and other applications.
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Our Renewable Power Station.
Our Renewable Power Station is a stationary, scalable system that can be containerized and drop-shipped to the end-user and assembled on site at off-grid locations to be used as a “micro-grid”. The system consists of solar PV, wind turbines, fuels cells, generators, energy storage and power distribution, and can be used for off-grid applications such as water pumping stations, cellular towers, disaster recovery sites, community centers at remote villages, or communications towers or battery charging stations at military bases.
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Solar PV systems
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We resell and install solar PV panels either as a stand-alone system or integrated with our other products
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In addition, in January of 2012, we were awarded a $922,000 U.S. Army contract to be the prime contractor to complete Phase One activities for the development of a new intelligent micro-grid. In October 2012, we were awarded a contract valued at $909,000 for Phase Two of this contract to continue development activities on the intelligent micro-grid. We believe that the micro-grid that we are developing for the U.S. Army will become one of the products that we will sell to commercial, military, and governmental customers.
In 2012, we had revenues of $1,999,000 and an operating loss of $3,463,000, as compared with revenues of $782,000 and an operating loss of $3,998,000 in 2011. Of the $3,463,000 and $3,998,000 operating losses in 2012 and 2011, $1,371,000 and $1,868,000, respectively, were attributable to non-cash expenses, primarily related to charges incurred in connection with the issuance of warrants and stock options, depreciation and amortization. Additionally, the 2011 results reflect a $1,000,000 gain on debt extinguishment.
From 2002 until the fourth quarter of 2009, we focused primarily on the research and development of our technology and production and testing of WindTamer® turbine prototypes. In the fourth quarter of 2009, we began selling our turbines.
In the summer of 2009, we began to develop our Mobile Renewable Power Station, which now integrates solar PV, wind turbines, fuel cells, and/or generators with an integrated onboard storage device for military and other applications. In 2010, we continued the development of our Mobile Renewable Power Station, and in 2010, we sold and delivered a Mobile Renewable Power Station to the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command’s Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland for use and testing. In 2012, we sold our first commercial application Mobile Renewable Power Station, and in the beginning of 2013, we sold a Mobile Renewable Power Station to a U.S. government agency. We believe that our Mobile Renewable Power Station has significant applications for the commercial, military, and other federal government agency sectors. We also believe that the Mobile Renewable Power Station can provide customers in regions where little or no power infrastructure exists with a cost-effective power system that can be used to provide power. In addition, we believe our Mobile Renewable Power Stations are solutions to assist with supplying power during disaster recovery situations. For example, in 2012, India experienced power black outs during a natural disaster and Northeastern U.S. experienced losses of power during and in the aftermath of a hurricane.
Leveraging our development of the Mobile Renewable Power Station, we adapted this technology to develop our Power on Demand system, which reduces the peak demand fees charged by utility companies to commercial customers. In effect, the Mobile Renewable Power Station may be viewed as the precursor to our Power on Demand system. In 2010, we developed our Power on Demand system and commissioned our first Power on Demand system in the first quarter of 2011.
During 2011, we continued our product development, with most of such efforts directed at our Power on Demand system and Mobile Renewable Power Station. The development of our Power on Demand system and Mobile Renewable Power Station progressed to where we were able to increase our sales and marketing efforts of such products in late 2011. We expect to continue our product development efforts on our Power on Demand system and Mobile Renewable Power Station, in 2013 and beyond.
In 2010, we determined that a significant potential market exists to sell micro-grid power stations for use in geographic locations that typically are not connected to a power grid. Often, these opportunities are located in the Caribbean, Africa, India, or other regions where power infrastructure is either insufficient or non-existent, or in disaster recovery situations in which power infrastructure is either insufficient or non-existent. After verifying and validating the potential market for these significant opportunities, we developed our Renewable Power Station as a scalable system that can be containerized and drop-shipped to the end-user and assembled on site at off-grid locations to be used as a “micro-grid”. The system consists of solar PV, wind turbines, energy storage, and power distribution, and can be used for off-grid applications such as water pumping stations, cellular towers, disaster recovery, community centers at remote villages, or communications towers or battery charging stations at military bases. Our Renewable Power Station can be viewed as a larger, stationary version of our Mobile Renewable Power Station.
Solar PV systems can be integrated into our Mobile Renewable Power Station, our Power on Demand system, and our Renewable Power Station. Late in the fourth quarter of 2010, we began selling stand-alone solar PV systems and solar PV systems that are integrated into our Power on Demand systems and other products. We installed our first stand-alone solar PV systems in the first quarter of 2011. We believe that the solar PV market is fragmented in certain geographic markets in the United States, and that we can attain significant market share in targeted geographic markets, including Western New York, where our headquarters is located. In 2012 and 2013, we launched community solar purchasing programs in several targeted regions in Western New York. In 2013 and beyond, we expect to increase the marketing of our stand-alone solar PV systems.
In addition to our primary products, we also may sell additional products as we attempt to leverage our expertise in the renewable energy generation with batteries, and other industries to generate revenue and attain more attractive payback for our customers. We have determined that there is the potential for selling a variety of ancillary services in conjunction with the sales of our products, including service contracts, long-term warranties, and a range of options in storage batteries.
Because of their varied sales cycles, we utilize different sales and marketing strategies for each of our products. Domestically, we generally utilize an internal sales force, representatives, and distributors to obtain and develop sales leads. In 2013 we expect to expand sales capabilities utilizing our in-house sales force, our domestic alliance partners and representatives and distributors.
We are currently fulfilling sales orders by managing the supply chain relationships of all of the required components, and then assembling and installing our products.
Power on Demand System
Many electricity suppliers, typically utility companies, throughout much of the United States and abroad, charge their commercial customers not only for the consumption of electricity but also a demand, or distribution, charge. These demand charges can often account for more than 30% of a commercial customer’s utility cost. The calculation of this demand charge varies from supplier to supplier, but is generally based upon the highest amount of power demand that a customer uses from the electric grid in a billing cycle – often called peak demand. Recently, demand charges have become an increasing part of commercial customer’s electricity costs. Certain electricity suppliers have begun to charge residential customers variable time of day consumption charges, and those charges, both commercial and residential are expected not only to be implemented by additional electricity providers but also to increase the percentage of the user’s utility bill. Generally, the reduction of a customer’s overall consumption of electricity via a solar system, wind turbine, other renewable energy or demand response initiatives would not materially reduce the customer’s demand charge due to the inability to control when the renewable power is generated.
One of the biggest challenges for implementing wide-spread use of renewable energy sources is that renewable energy sources, particularly solar and wind, often provide a variable and intermittent energy supply. The amount of energy generated by a renewable energy source could vary because of reasons such as varying wind conditions for wind and the availability of the sun for solar, each overall for a particular site or for a particular day. This variability of when and how much the renewable energy sources generate energy makes it difficult to use the energy created from the renewable energy sources when the end user will receive superior financial benefits for that energy.
With our understanding of demand charges, as well as the desire to use created renewable energy when the value is optimal, we developed our Power on Demand system in 2010, and continued development of the system to the present. Our Power on Demand system is a proprietary, patent-pending energy storage and power management system designed to lower a customer’s demand charges. The system utilizes energy inputs from multiple sources together with a custom-designed energy storage device to reduce grid demand and provide power when customer loads are high. The energy can be generated from renewable sources such as solar and wind, and also from fuel cells, generators and from the electric grid itself, depending on the available energy resources at a given site. Each Power on Demand system is custom designed. The system is designed to include our proprietary smart monitoring technology that, among other things, monitors the power usage of the site in real-time and determines when to release energy from the battery system in order to optimize the battery life and maximize the value of the overall system.
With our Power on Demand system, we are able to store the renewable and off-peak energy from the electric grid and release the energy during peak power demand times and significantly reduce a customer’s utility charges. The Power on Demand system also is capable of providing power conditioning, which can further reduce a customer’s electric bill. Our Power on Demand system is scalable, with the ability to integrate multiple renewable inputs, generators and fuel cells, and distribution capabilities ranging from 50kW to 1mW, or more, and can utilize multiple battery chemistries for optimal energy storage based on the specific application.
Our commercial customers benefit from our Power on Demand system by it:
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Providing electricity cost savings by providing power during periods of high cost peak electricity demand, instead of drawing power from the utility grid, which is referred to as ‘peak shaving’;
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Providing a dependable source of backup power to protect their operations from financial losses and other negative consequences of power outages, including utilizing our systems both for preventative measures, such as when a storm is approaching, and for emergency purposes, when utility power is interrupted;
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Conditioning power, thereby extending the life of equipment that uses that power.
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Enrollment in demand response initiatives with no building load operations reduction during the required demand curtailment;
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Utilities benefit from our Power on Demand system by it:
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Managing, in part, constraints in their electric grid systems, particularly during times of peak demand;
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Reducing energy losses associated with moving electricity over long distances; and
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Managing, in part, challenges with respect to bottlenecks that can occur in electric transmission and distribution systems.
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We commissioned our first Power on Demand system in the first quarter of 2011. In late 2011, we began to increase our sales and marketing efforts of our Power on Demand system, primarily to commercial customers that incur high demand charges in their electricity bills. We expect to continue our marketing and sales efforts in 2013 and beyond, and we also expect to spend significant resources to continue to develop our Power on Demand system in order to make it more marketable, scalable, and cost-effective.
Our Power on Demand systems are sold to customers utilizing two basic economic models, each of which can vary depending on the specific customer and application. In our primary model, we sell the Power on Demand system to the customer. We refer to this as the “customer-owned” model. In our customer-owned model, the customer acquires the ownership of the Power of Demand system assets upon our completion of the project. Our revenues and profits from the sale of systems under this model are generally recognized when the system is installed.
We refer to our other model as our “recurring-revenue model”. For systems completed under this model, we, a third-party financing company, or the customer owns the Power on Demand system after it is installed at the customer’s site. We or the third party invest the capital required to design and build the system. The life of these recurring-revenue contracts is typically from five to ten years. The fees that generate our revenues in the recurring-revenue model are generally paid to us or the third party on a monthly basis. Our fees for recurring revenue contracts are generally structured either as a fixed monthly payment, or as all or a portion of the energy savings that the system generates for the customer. We record revenue under this model on a cost recovery system, whereby equal amounts of revenue and expense are recorded as collections are made, postponing the recognition of profits until all costs have been recovered.
In both economic models, we believe that the value proposition is attractive to the customer. In the customer-owned model, in which the customer pays for and obtains ownership of the system, the targeted payback is typically two to five years. These paybacks to the customer typically result from a combination of the benefits of peak shaving, which creates lower total electricity costs, and the generation of electricity, which lowers consumption from the electric grid. In our recurring-revenue model, in which we or a third party pays for and installs the system in exchange for the customer paying us smaller fees over a period of years, and receiving the benefits of our system without making a large up-front investment of capital. Under the recurring-revenue model, contracts can be structured between us and the third party, us and the customer, or a combination of these.
Mobile Renewable Power Station
In 2009, we began to develop a Mobile Renewable Power Station that incorporates multiple power inputs, such as a wind turbine, solar PV array, generators, and/or and fuel cells in conjunction with energy storage and power distribution. The Mobile Renewable Power Station is trailer-mounted, has multiple 28VDC and 120 VAC outputs, and full monitoring capabilities of all energy components (e.g., wind, solar, fuel cell, generator, and energy storage). The unit is designed as a cost-effective alternative to diesel generators for remote locations, and can be ruggedized for military and other applications.
We sold and, in August 2010, delivered a 2kW Mobile Renewable Power Station for use by the U.S. Army at its Aberdeen, Maryland Proving Grounds. In 2010, we also sold and delivered a Mobile Renewable Power Station for use by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We believe that we have an opportunity to sell additional units to the U.S. Army and Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2013 and beyond. In 2012, we sold our first Mobile Renewable Power Station for commercial use to Casella Waste Systems. In 2013, we received an order for a Mobile Renewable Power Station from a U.S. government agency.
We believe that there is a large market to sell Mobile Renewable Power Stations for use in off-grid locations such as by the military for use in war zones, by border patrols and other governmental agencies in remote locations, and by emergency responders to natural disasters.
We plan on continuing development and testing of our Mobile Renewable Power Stations in 2013 and beyond to, among other things, make it more efficient, less costly, and increase the ability to add additional energy inputs.
Renewable Power Station
In 2010, as we developed our Mobile Renewable Power Station and our Power on Demand system, we determined that a significant potential market exists to sell micro-grid power stations for use in geographic locations that typically are not connected to a power grid. Often, these opportunities are located in the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia, Africa or other regions where power infrastructure is either insufficient or non-existent, or in disaster recovery situations in which power infrastructure is either insufficient or non-existent. After verifying and validating the market for these significant opportunities, we developed our Renewable Power Station as a scalable system that can be drop-shipped to remote locations to be used as a “micro-grid.”
We believe that our stationary Renewable Power Station and/or our Mobile Renewable Power Station can be used virtually anywhere including remote areas of the world where either no electricity exists or where there are severe outages through poor supply and inconsistent delivery, or for any consumer who prefers to be grid independent. Because emission-producing diesel generators cause pollution, are costly to maintain, and the cost of fuel can be very expensive in difficult to access areas, we expect there to be significant interest in renewable generation for off-grid and back-up power applications and for such interest to accelerate.
Our Renewable Power Station and/or our Mobile Renewable Power Station can consist of a combination of solar PV, wind turbines, generators, energy storage, and power distribution, and can be used for off-grid applications such as water pumping stations, cellular towers, or community centers at remote villages, or communications towers, or battery charging stations at military bases.
Our Renewable Power Station is designed to be placed entirely in one shipping container that can be drop-shipped to the end user and assembled on site. We have designed our Renewable Power Station to be scalable, and also to be able to adjust the composition of the various energy sources depending on each customer’s particular situation and power needs.
Solar PV Systems
A solar panel, also known as a photovoltaic
(PV)
panel
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is a packaged interconnected assembly of solar cells, also known as photovoltaic cells. Solar panels use light energy from the sun (photons
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to generate electricity through the photovoltaic effect. A photovoltaic installation generally consists of an array of solar panels, an inverter, batteries, and interconnection wiring.
We are selling and installing third-party manufactured solar PV systems, typically ranging from 5kW to 50kW, although we have the ability to install much larger systems. We believe that the solar PV market is fragmented in certain geographic markets in the United States, including Western New York where our headquarters are located, and that we can attain significant market share in targeted geographic markets. In 2012 and 2013, we launched several community solar purchasing programs, primarily in targeted regions in Western New York.
In addition, we are able to integrate solar PV systems into our Power on Demand systems, our Mobile Renewable Power Stations, and our Renewable Power Stations when the particular customer’s needs call for integration of solar PV.
Micro-Grids
In January of 2012, we were awarded a $922,000 U.S. Army contract to be the prime contractor to complete Phase One activities for the development of a new intelligent micro-grid. In October 2012, we were awarded a contract valued at $909,000 for Phase Two of this project to continue the development activities on the intelligent micro-grid. We believe that the micro-grid that we are developing for the U.S. Army will become one of the products that we sell to commercial, military, and governmental customers.
Competition
The renewable energy industry in general, and the solar energy, wind turbine, power distribution, and energy storage industries in particular, are highly competitive. Moreover, all of the industries in which we compete are rapidly evolving and we face numerous competitors who are rapidly developing new technologies and improving existing technologies. Most of these competitors have longer business histories than us, and most of these competitors are also better financed and have better access to capital on more favorable terms than we do. We will also be faced with competition from new entrants into these businesses, many of whom will be better financed than we are.
Power on Demand System
With our Power on Demand system, our competition primarily consists of manufacturers and distributors of power generation and heavy electrical equipment including switchgear, electrical contractors, electrical engineering firms, and companies involved in providing utilities with demand response and load curtailment products and services. Electric utilities could also offer their own distributed generation solution, which would decrease our base of potential customers. Additionally, several well-established companies have developed micro-turbines used in distributed generation, and a number of companies are also developing alternative generation such as wind, fuel cells, and solar cells. Several large companies are also becoming leaders in uninterruptible power supply system technology, and companies developing and marketing their proprietary smart grid technologies are also potential competitors. Many of these technologies are eligible for and supported by government financial incentives. Additionally, technologies that make commercial, institutional, and industrial operations more efficient result in lower electricity use, reducing the benefits of using our distributed generation systems.
We could face competition from PowerSecure, Convergent, Green Charge Networks, Xtreme Power and ZBB Energy, which are designing or installing systems that have similar characteristics as our Power on Demand system. We could also face competition in the future from companies such as Johnson Controls, Axion Power, Altair Nanotechnologies, Advanced Battery Technologies, and others which are designing new types of batteries or systems, some of which are specifically designed for enhanced renewable energy storage and which may be able to reduce peak demand charges like our Power on Demand system.
In addition, there are many technologies, such as those marketed as demand response technologies, sold by numerous companies, which are designed to reduce a customer’s electricity bill by reducing their peak demand charges. We, indirectly, compete against all of these technologies and companies.
Mobile Renewable Power Station
We compete against companies that manufacture and sell systems similar to our Mobile Renewable Power Station, particularly those who sell to the U.S. government or the U.S. military. Many companies have announced initiatives to sell such systems to the U.S. Army, and we believe that many others are also developing such systems. Companies that have expressed a desire to sell mobile renewable units to the U.S. government or the U.S. military include Pure Power Distribution, Skybuilt Power, Ultralife Corporation, Bren-tronics and Utracell. We believe that our expertise in power management, combined with our experience in doing business with the U.S. military, gives us a competitive advantage over our competition. We also compete, to a lesser extent, against agencies and other parts of the U.S. government and the U.S. military that may develop mobile energy systems.
Solar PV Systems
We compete against companies that sell solar PV systems to residential and commercial customers. These competitors include, among others, numerous individual and small contractors who sell and install solar PV systems. Because we do not sell proprietary solar PV systems, but instead resell third-party manufactured systems, we compete primarily on price and service.
Intellectual Property
Patents
We have two patent applications in the United States and one in Europe relating to our Energy Storage and Power Management System.
In addition, we own U.S. Patent No. 6,655,907 entitled “Fluid Driven Vacuum Enhanced Generator”, which relates to our WindTamer® turbines. This patent was issued in December 2003, was assigned to the Company and expires in 2022.
We also own U.S. Design Patent No. D608,736 entitled “Diffuser for a Wind Turbine,” which was issued in January 2010. This patent protects the design of the Company’s wind turbine diffuser. This patent will expire in 2024. We have also received corresponding design patents in Mexico and Canada.
Trademarks
We regard our proprietary rights as valuable assets that are important to our competitive advantage. Our trademarks include the name WindTamer® and the slogan WindTamer Bringing Wind Power Down to Earth™ including the design of that slogan. We have pending trademark applications for each of these trademarks in the U.S.
Government Regulation
Our businesses and operations are affected by various federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules, regulations and authorities. While to date our compliance with those requirements has not materially adversely affected our business, financial condition or results of operations, we cannot provide any assurance that existing and new laws and regulations will not materially and adversely affect us in the future. In the future, federal, state or local governmental entities or competitors may seek to change existing regulations or impose additional regulations. Any modified or new government regulation applicable to our products or services, whether at the federal, state or local level, may negatively impact the technical specifications, installation, servicing and marketing of our products and increase our costs and the price of our products and services.
Due to their size and noise, among other things, solar PV and conventional wind turbines can require extensive government approvals for installation, including zoning and related type matters. Private use of electric power generation equipment in the United States generally requires meeting applicable municipal building and electrical codes, and that they are installed by persons who are licensed or certified to install such equipment.
In an effort to promote renewable energy, federal, state and local lawmakers have approved a number of incentives for alternative power generation. We believe that qualifying and obtaining federal, state and local incentives for the development and sale of our products is vital to our success, although there can be no assurances that we will be successful in such efforts. For more information, See Item 1A, Risk Factors under the heading “
The expiration, cancellation or reduction of federal tax benefits and state benefits for renewable energy generation would adversely affect our development
”.
Research and Development
Our research and development activities have focused on testing and enhancing our Power on Demand systems our Mobile Renewable Power Stations, and our micro-grid technology. We plan to continue in 2013 and beyond to focus resources to enhance the design and performance of our Power on Demand system, our Mobile Renewable Power Station, and our micro-grid technology. Research and development expenses for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 were $526,000 and $1,184,000, respectively.
The markets for our products, services, and technology are dynamic, characterized by rapid technological developments, frequent new product introductions, and evolving industry standards. The constantly changing nature of these markets and their rapid evolution will require us to continually improve the performance, features, and reliability of our products, services, and technology, particularly in response to competitive offerings, and to introduce both new and enhanced products, services, and technology as quickly as possible and prior to our competitors. We believe our future success will depend, in part, upon our ability to expand and enhance features of our existing products, services, and technology and to develop and introduce new products, services, and technology designed to meet changing customer needs on a cost-effective and timely basis. Consequently, failure by us to respond in a timely basis to technological developments, changes in industry standards or customer requirements, or any significant delay in the development or introduction of new products, services, and technology, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. We cannot assure you that we will respond effectively to technological changes or new products, services, and technology announcements by others or that we will be able to successfully develop and market new products, services, and technology or enhancements.
Customers and Trends
Our largest customer accounted for approximately 54% of revenues for the year ended December 31, 2012 (0% for 2011), and this customer’s accounts receivable balance represented 68% of total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2012.
Currently we do not experience significant seasonal sales trends. Generally, our solar PV sales installations to date have been concentrated in Western New York. We believe that the solar PV market is in the early development stages in New York based upon new state funded incentive programs and we expect to see continued growth in this region. There are no barriers that prevent our growth in the solar PV market or inhibit our growth into other regional areas.
Employees
We currently have thirteen full-time employees.
Office and Facilities
Our principal headquarters is located at 1999 Mt. Read Boulevard, Rochester, New York. On February 4, 2013, we entered into a new agreement to lease approximately 20,000 feet of office and warehouse space at 1999 Mt. Read Boulevard, Rochester, New York. The lease for the new, larger space expires November 2018, and provides for two five-year renewal options. We do not own or lease any additional real estate.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below before deciding to purchase shares of our common stock. If any of the events, contingencies, circumstances or conditions described in the risks below actually occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be seriously harmed. The trading price of our common stock could, in turn, decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
RISK FACTORS CONCERNING OUR BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS
We have incurred significant losses in prior periods, and losses in the future could cause the trading price of our stock to decline or have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, our ability to pay our debts as they become due and on our cash flows.
We have incurred significant losses in prior periods. Our accumulated deficit at December 31, 2012 was $(23,762,000). We incurred a net loss in 2012 and 2011 of $3,490,000 and $4,006,000, respectively. If we are not able to attain profitability in the near future and long-term future, the trading price of our stock could decline and our financial condition could deteriorate as we could, among other things, deplete our cash, incur additional indebtedness and issue additional equity that could cause dilution, all of which could have a material adverse impact on our business and prospects and result in a significant or complete loss of your investment.
We have a limited operating history, which may make it difficult for investors to predict future performance based on current operations.
We have a limited operating history upon which investors may base an evaluation of our potential future performance. We have had limited revenues to date. As a result, there can be no assurance that we will be able to develop consistent revenue sources, or that our operations will be profitable. Our prospects must be considered in light of the risks, expenses, and difficulties frequently encountered by companies in early stage of development.
Any forecasts we make about our operations, including, without limitation, sales and plans for fundraising, may prove to be inaccurate. For example, we significantly overestimated our financial performance in each of 2011 and 2012. We plan to continue our selling efforts, although there can be no assurance that we will be successful in expanding our sales.
We must, among other things, determine appropriate risks, rewards, and level of investment in each project, respond to economic and market variables outside of our control, respond to competitive developments and continue to attract, retain and motivate qualified employees. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in meeting these challenges and addressing such risks and the failure to do so could have a materially adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
We have a limited operating history, which may make it difficult for investors to predict future performance based on current operations.
We have limited operating history upon which investors may base an evaluation of our potential future performance. We have had minimal revenues to date. As a result, there can be no assurance that we will be able to develop consistent revenue sources, or that our operations will be profitable. Our prospects must be considered in light of the risks, expenses, and difficulties frequently encountered by companies in early stage of development.
Any forecasts we make about our operations, including, without limitation, sales and plans for fundraising, may prove to be inaccurate. For example, we estimated that we would book $15.7 million in orders for 2012, but only booked $3.0 million, and in 2011 estimated that we would book $15 million in orders, but only booked $2 million. In addition, we planned to begin sales of our products in the first half of 2009 but did not meet that goal as we continued to refine the development of our production models. We commenced our selling efforts in the late third quarter of 2009, but have only generated revenue of $3,275,000 through December 31, 2012. We plan to continue our selling efforts, although there can be no assurance that we will be successful in expanding our sales. Additionally, we had planned on raising $20 million in a private placement in 2009, but we later determined to cease raising funds in that private placement after raising only $741,000. We stopped raising funds after raising only $741,000 because we reassessed our cash needs and also determined that the appropriate focus of our executive management should be on product development rather than fundraising, and further concluded that it was not in the best interests of the Company to raise more than $741,000 at that time.
We must, among other things, determine appropriate risks, rewards, and level of investment in each project, respond to economic and market variables outside of our control, respond to competitive developments and continue to attract, retain and motivate qualified employees. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in meeting these challenges and addressing such risks and the failure to do so could have a materially adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
Any forecasts we make about our operations, including, without limitation, sales and plans for fundraising, may prove to be inaccurate. For example, we significantly overestimated our financial performance in each of 2011 and 2012. We plan to continue our selling efforts, although there can be no assurance that we will be successful in expanding our sales.
We will need additional capital to sustain our operations and will likely need to seek further financing to accelerate our growth, which we may not be able to obtain on acceptable terms or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital, as needed, the future growth of our business and operations would be severely limited.
A limiting factor on our growth, including our ability to enter our proposed markets, attract customers, and deliver our product in the targeted electrical power production markets, is our limited capitalization compared to other companies in the industry.
We will need additional capital to bring our operations to a sustainable level over the next twelve months. In 2012, we raised $795,000 in private placements, and additionally, we established a line of credit with TMK-ENT, Ltd which provided us $1,250,000 in available line of credit funding. In 2011, we raised $3,185,000 in funding via private placements. We believe that, in addition to the capital raised thus far in 2013, we will require up to an additional $1.5 million to satisfy our operating cash needs for the next 12 months. However, if we are unable to generate the projected amount of revenue and profits from our operations, we will need to seek additional financing.
We may also seek additional financing to accelerate our growth. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of equity or convertible debt securities, the percentage ownership of the Company held by existing shareholders will be reduced and our shareholders may experience significant dilution. In addition, new securities may contain rights, preferences or privileges that are senior to those of our common stock. If we raise additional capital by incurring debt, this will result in increased interest expense. There can be no assurance that acceptable financing necessary to further implement our plan of operation can be obtained on suitable terms, if at all. Our ability to develop our business could suffer if we are unable to raise additional funds on acceptable terms, which would have the effect of limiting our ability to increase our revenues, develop our products, attain profitable operations, or even may result in our business filing for bankruptcy protection or otherwise ending our operations which could result in a significant or complete loss of your investment.
Our independent auditors report for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 is qualified as to our ability to continue as a going concern.
Due to the uncertainty of our ability to meet our current operating and capital expenses, in their report on our audited annual financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, our independent auditors included an explanatory paragraph regarding concerns about our ability to continue as a going concern. Recurring losses from operations raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The presence of the going concern explanatory paragraph may have an adverse impact on the relationships we are developing and plan to develop with third parties as we continue the commercialization of our products and could make it challenging and difficult for us to raise additional financing, all of which could have a material adverse impact on our business and prospects and result in a significant or complete loss of your investment.
Our future success depends on our key executives and our ability to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel.
Our future success is largely dependent upon the principal members of our executive team. The unexpected loss of the services of any of these key persons might impede the achievement of our product development, and commercialization objectives and have a serious impact and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, and an investment in our stock. Recruiting and retaining qualified management, sales, marketing, engineering and other personnel will also be critical to our success. We may not be able to attract and retain these personnel on acceptable terms. We do not maintain “key person” life insurance on any of our employees. Because of these factors, we may not be able to effectively manage or grow our business, which could adversely affect our financial condition or business. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
If our products and technologies do not achieve market acceptance, we may not generate sufficient revenue to conduct our operations or become profitable.
We cannot assure you that a sufficient number of customers will purchase our products, or that we can sell them for amounts that are in excess of our cost to manufacture, market, and install such products. The failure of our Power on Demand system, our Mobile Renewable Power Station, our Renewable Power Station, or other products we have developed, or may otherwise sell or develop, to be accepted in the commercial marketplace would have a material adverse effect on our business. Our technology and products may not compete well against other competing technologies, including fossil-fueled generators, on the basis of performance and cost or to achieve market acceptance. This failure to effectively compete could also have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and business. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
We have very limited experience selling many of our primary products and there can be no assurance that a market exists for those products or that, if a market does exist, that we will be successful in selling into such market.
Although we believe that there is a substantial market for our Mobile Renewable Power station, our Power on Demand system, our Renewable Power Station, and reselling solar PV systems, we have limited experience is selling such products and, to date, have had limited success in selling such products and therefore there can be no assurances that (1) a market exists for any or all of those products, or (2) if a market does exist for any or all of those products, that we will be successful in selling into such market or markets.
The existence and potential size of the market for our Power on Demand system is particularly difficult to determine and verify because we do not believe that our Power on Demand system competes directly against any existing product actively and successfully sold in the marketplace, which would have assisted us in determining the size and viability of market for our Power on Demand system. It is possible that a market for the Power on Demand system does not exist, or does not sufficiently exist to enable us to be successful.
Therefore, because of these uncertainties, we may not be successful in generating revenue in the markets that we expect to do so in 2013 and beyond, and such failure would adversely affect our financial condition or business. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
We have little experience installing our Power on Demand system, and we may encounter delays related to connecting such systems to the electric grid.
Our business plan anticipates that we will sell and install a significant number of Power on Demand systems in 2013 and beyond. To date, however, we have only sold a limited number of Power on Demand systems. We have been advised, and have encountered in our first installations, that significant delays may occur in obtaining approval from the applicable electricity provider of the customer to connect a Power on Demand system to the electric grid. Without such approval, it may not be possible to fully install the Power on Demand system, to collect related payments from the customer and to recognize related revenue for such sale. These significant delays may also negatively affect our ability to sell the Power on Demand system, and such failure and the related negative effects described above could adversely affect our financial condition or business. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
Because we have not sold large quantities of any of our products other than solar PV, we cannot determine the cost to purchase larger quantities of components and install our products and therefore we cannot be sure whether we can profitably sell our products.
We have not sold significant quantities of any of our products other than solar PV, which we resell. Many, if not all, of our sales other than solar PV have resulted in negative gross margin as we often sold these products for below cost because, among other reasons, the cost to purchase one or a small amount of a product is generally much higher per unit than purchasing larger quantities of a product. Accordingly, we have no operating history of the cost to sell and install these products if any or all of such products are sold in large quantities.
Our business strategy assumes that our cost to sell and install our products will substantially decrease if such product components are purchased and sold in large quantities, which is typically the case, but there can be no assurances that such cost savings will be realized at all or in the amounts that we assume. If we are unable to substantially decrease the cost to purchase components and and install our products, it will likely be very difficult to profitably sell our products unless we raise prices which may, in turn, make our products more difficult to sell. Therefore, because of these uncertainties in our ability to substantially decrease the cost to procure components and install our products, we may not be successful in generating revenue and profits in the markets that we have targeted, and such failure would adversely affect our financial condition or business. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
We plan to sell our products to the U.S. federal government and U.S. military, which may result in delays in the receipt of orders due to the nature of those customers.
Our business strategy includes doing a significant amount of business and selling a significant amount of our products to the U.S. federal government, particularly the U.S. military, in 2013 and beyond. When doing business with the U.S. military, unexpected delays, which can be substantial and repeated, can occur prior to receipt of the sales order or other applicable contract. Those delays can occur, for example, when funding is not appropriated by Congress for projects that the military expects to commence. Such delays were experienced in 2010 and 2011, and could occur again in 2013 and beyond. On-going political disagreement over the scope and manner in which to reduce the Federal budget deficit, which have resulted in such disruptive developments as the “sequester”, which occurred on March 1, 2013 also add additional risks and uncertainties to the timing and availability of funds to finance the government agency contract that we are expecting and/or seeking. Delays in receiving orders from the U.S. government and the U.S. military may negatively affect our ability to generate revenue and profits, and such failure would adversely affect our financial condition or business. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
Many of our products and services experience long and variable sales cycles, which could have a negative impact on our results of operations for any given quarter or year and on our ability to anticipate and plan for our future revenues.
Purchases of our products and services are often significant financial investments for our customers and are often used by our customers to address complex business needs. Customers generally consider a wide range of issues and alternatives before making a decision to purchase our products and services. Before customers commit to purchase our products, they often require a significant technical review, assessment of competitive products and approval at a number of management levels within their organization. The sales cycle may vary based on the industry in which the potential customer operates. The length and variability of the sales cycle makes it difficult to predict whether particular sales commitments will be received in any given quarter. During the time our customers are evaluating our products and services, we may incur substantial sales, marketing and development expenses to customize our products to the customers’ needs. We may also expend significant management efforts, hire employees, purchase or lease equipment, order long-lead-time components or purchase significant amounts of inventory prior to receiving an order. Even after this evaluation process, a potential customer may not purchase our products. As a result, these long sales cycles may cause us to incur significant expenses without receiving revenue to offset those expenses.
We may not be able to effectively manage our growth or improve our operational, financial and management information systems, which would impair our results of operations.
If we are successful in executing our business plan, we will experience growth in our business that could place a significant strain on our business operations, finances, management and other resources. Our ability to manage our growth will require us to improve our operational, financial and management information systems, and to motivate and effectively manage our employees. We cannot provide assurance that our systems, procedures and controls or financial resources will be adequate, or that our management will keep pace with this growth. We cannot provide assurance that our management will be able to manage this growth effectively, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or business. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
We face competition from numerous sources, which may make it more difficult to introduce our products into our target markets.
The power generation, renewable energy markets, and energy storage markets in which we compete are rapidly evolving and intensely competitive. We face formidable competition from traditional and well-capitalized fossil-fueled generator manufacturers and distributors, as well as from other providers of renewable energy products and other providers of energy storage products. Many of these competitors have longer operating histories, large customer bases, greater brand recognition and significantly greater financial, marketing and other resources than we have. They may be able to operate with a lower cost structure, and may be able to adopt aggressive pricing policies that make it difficult for us to penetrate our target markets. Competitors in the traditionally powered generator markets, including fossil-fueled generators and renewable energy markets also may be able to devote far greater resources to technology development and marketing than we can.
Because the renewable energy industry is attractive to many companies, some of which may not currently be doing business in the renewable energy industry, we could face significant additional competition whether or not we successfully execute some or all of our business plan. These competitors could, among other things, have significantly more revenues and profits than us, be significantly better financed, have a significantly better and longer operating history than us, have significantly better relationships with potential customers and strategic parties, and have significantly better access to government funding and incentives.
Competition in the solar PV market is intense. We are a reseller of solar PV, and therefore largely compete on price and service as our product offerings in solar PV market are not unique. We do not have the financial resources, expertise, customer base, or industry reputation of many of our competitors in the solar PV market, and therefore may not be able to effectively compete in the solar PV market.
Any or all of these factors that we face may have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete and to generate revenues, which would have a material adverse affect on our financial condition. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
We may not be successful in developing and sustaining the alliances necessary for the successful penetration of our target markets.
Our business plan contemplates that we establish and sustain relationships with third-parties for the sale of our products. We have begun establishing relationships to distribute and market our products, but there can be no assurance that we will be successful in developing or sustaining the necessary relationships, or that these relationships will prove to be successful in selling our products. If we are not successful in securing or sustaining these critical alliances on reasonable terms, we may not generate sufficient revenue to conduct our operations or become profitable, which would have a material adverse affect on our financial condition. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
If we are unable to adopt or incorporate technological advances into our products, our proposed business could become uncompetitive or obsolete and we may not be able to effectively compete with the alternative products.
We expect that technological advances in the processes and procedures for harnessing wind and solar energy, storing energy, and managing power will continue to occur. As a result, there are risks that products that compete with our products could be improved or developed. Processes for storing and managing renewable energy and for reducing peak rate demand charges for large electricity users are also continually under development. If we are unable to adopt or incorporate technological advances, our energy management and storage systems
could be less efficient or effective than methods developed by our competitors, which could cause our business to become uncompetitive, which would have a material adverse affect on our financial condition. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
If we fail to protect our intellectual property, our business could be adversely affected.
Our viability will depend on our ability to develop and maintain the proprietary aspects of our technology to distinguish our product from our competitors’ products and services. To protect our proprietary technology, we rely primarily on a combination of confidentiality procedures, copyright, trademark and patent laws.
We have two patents pending in the United States and Europe for the technology on which our Power on Demand system and Mobile Renewable Power Station is based. In addition, we are developing a number of new innovations for which we intend to file patent applications. No assurance can be given that any of these patents will afford meaningful protection against a competitor or that any patent application will be issued. Patent applications filed in foreign countries are subject to laws, rules, regulations and procedures that differ from those of the United States, and thus there can be no assurance that foreign patent applications related to United States patents will issue. Even if these foreign patent applications issue, some foreign countries provide significantly less patent protection than the United States. The status of patents involves complex legal and factual questions and the breadth of claims issued is uncertain. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that any patents that may be issued to us in the future will afford protection against competitors with similar technology. No assurance can be given that patents issued to us will not be infringed upon or designed around by others or that others will not obtain patents that we would need to license or design around. In addition, filing and maintaining patent rights domestically and abroad is expensive, and we may not have sufficient financial resources to file or maintain certain of our patent rights.
We also rely on trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and know-how to develop, maintain, and strengthen our competitive positions. While we take steps to protect our proprietary rights to the extent possible, there can be no assurance that third parties will not know, discover or develop independently equivalent proprietary information or techniques, that they will not gain access to our trade secrets or disclose our trade secrets to the public. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that we can maintain and protect unpatented proprietary information and trade secrets.
Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy aspects of our products or obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary.
See Item 3 below, “Legal Proceedings”
. Unauthorized use of our proprietary technology could harm our business. Litigation to protect our intellectual property rights can be costly and time-consuming to prosecute, and there can be no assurance that we will have the financial or other resources to enforce our rights or be able to enforce our rights or prevent other parties from developing similar technology or designing around our intellectual property.
Although we believe that our technology does not and will not infringe upon the patents or violate the proprietary rights of others, it is possible such infringement or violation has occurred or may occur which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our business will be heavily reliant upon patented and patentable technology for our Power on Demand system and related intellectual property. We are not aware of any infringement by us on any other company’s intellectual property rights. However,
see Item 3 below, “Legal Proceedings”
. In the event that products we sell are deemed to infringe upon the patents or proprietary rights of others, we could be required to modify our products or obtain a license for the manufacture and/or sale of such products. In such event, there can be no assurance that we would be able to do so in a timely manner, upon acceptable terms and conditions, or at all, and the failure to do any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect upon our business. Moreover, there can be no assurance that we will have the financial or other resources necessary to enforce or defend a patent infringement or proprietary rights violation action. In addition, if our products or proposed products are deemed to infringe or likely to infringe upon the patents or proprietary rights of others, we could be subject to injunctive relief and, under certain circumstances, become liable for damages, which could also have a material adverse effect on our business and our financial condition. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
The expiration, cancellation or reduction of federal tax benefits and state benefits for renewable energy generation would adversely affect our development.
The financial incentives that are available to purchasers of our solar PV systems and other renewable energy products and systems are crucial in our development and growth and are an important factor in the decision-making process of our customers and our potential customers in terms of whether they will purchase our products. A small number of states have reduced their incentive levels on a per-project basis in order to cut costs while assisting the same (or larger) amount of consumers, while other states have increased their incentive programs with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed in February 2009. There is a Federal Investment Tax Credit of 30% for the purchase and installation of qualifying solar PV systems. This credit is currently scheduled to expire on December 31, 2016. These credits can help make solar PV systems more attractive than other power generation products.
Since we have only recently begun to market our products and have a limited operating history, we cannot be sure that these incentives will help our products compete with other power generation products. As a result, there can be no assurance that they will be helpful. Additionally, if these incentives or similar incentives in one or more states or the federal government are repealed, reduced or not renewed, demand for our products and future development efforts would be adversely affected. Furthermore, the recent economic crisis, growing public concern over the high levels of government deficits or shift in the balance of political power could make the repeal, reduction, or non-renewal of these incentives by certain states or the federal government more likely. If federal or state incentives applicable to renewable energy products are cancelled, reduced, or expire, our business and revenue may be materially adversely affected. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
Deteriorative changes in the renewable energy industry market would adversely affect our development.
Several factors have benefited the renewable energy markets, including the solar and energy management markets. These factors include, policy support from the state and federal legislatures, rising and volatile prices of conventional electricity, an increase of peak demand pricing on many commercial customers, consumer education, and an increased public concern for environmental issues which favor continued development and the desire of energy independence in part as a result of national security issues. There can be no assurance that any or all of these conditions will continue to exist throughout our development and continued operation. As a result, it is possible that these conditions could deteriorate or worsen in a manner that would adversely affect demand for our products and future development efforts, which would adversely affect our financial condition and business. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
We are initially relying on independent manufacturers and suppliers to manufacture some or all of our products, which could delay our progress and later cause delay and damage customer relationships.
We use third-party manufacturers and suppliers to supply components to our products, which we then assemble and install. We currently have no large scale manufacturing capabilities. If we are unable to maintain satisfactory arrangements for the manufacture of our products by third parties, our business could be adversely affected. Furthermore, once we enter into such relationships, we may not have long-term written agreements with any third-party manufacturers or suppliers. At this time we have no such long-term written agreements. As a result, any of these manufacturers or suppliers could unilaterally terminate their relationships with us at any time, which could adversely affect our ability to produce our products. Establishing relationships with new manufacturers would require a significant amount of time and would cause us to incur delays and additional expenses, which would also adversely affect our business and results of operations.
In order to preserve our cash and financial resources, we have attempted to negotiate improved payment terms and price reductions with many of our suppliers. However, certain of our suppliers have not agreed to our proposed revised terms, which may result in such suppliers no longer doing business with us, which may adversely affect our ability to produce our products in a timely basis, on a cost-effective basis or at all.
In addition, a manufacturer’s failure to ship products to us in a timely manner or to meet the required quality standards could cause us to miss the delivery date requirements for customers for those items. This, in turn, may cause customers to cancel orders, refuse to accept deliveries or demand reduced prices, and could result in a negative customer satisfaction that could negatively impact our future sales. This could adversely affect our business and results of operations. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
Price increases in some of the key components in our products and systems could materially and adversely affect our operating results and cash flows.
The prices of some of the key components of our products and systems are subject to fluctuation due to market forces beyond our control. If we incur price increases from our suppliers for key components in our products and systems or from our contractors, we may not be able to pass all of those price increases on to our customers in the form of higher sales prices, which would adversely affect our operating results and cash flows. Such price increases could occur from time to time due to spot shortages of commodities or labor, longer-term shortages due to market forces beyond our control or exchange rate fluctuations. An increase in our operating costs due to price increases from these components causing a reduction in our margins could materially and adversely affect our consolidated results of operations and cash flows.
We are subject to certain safety risks, including the risk of fire, inherent in the use of batteries.
Due to the high energy inherent in batteries that are included in our Power on Demand systems, our Mobile Renewable Power Station, our Renewable Power Station and certain of our other products, our batteries can pose certain safety risks, including the risk of fire. We incorporate procedures that are intended to minimize safety risks, but we cannot assure that accidents will not occur. Although we currently carry insurance policies which cover loss of the plant and machinery, leasehold improvements, inventory and business interruption, any accident, whether at our facilities or from the use of the products by us or others, may result in significant production delays or claims for damages resulting from injuries. In addition, any such accident could materially adversely affect our ability to sell our products, particularly since we are a company with limited sales history. While we maintain what we believe to be sufficient casualty liability coverage to protect against such occurrences, these types of accidents or losses could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
We provide a warranty for our products, which may result in us providing significant customer support, maintenance and repairs at significant cost to us without corresponding revenue, which could have a materially negative impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
We offer a standard warranty for our products and the components of certain of our products, and offer certain customers an extended warranty for an additional fee. We maintain a provision for warranty claims, which is evaluated on a quarterly basis. The factors that affect our warranty reserve are the projected cost of repair and or product replacement, component life cycles, and limited historical data. The can be no assurance that future warranty claims will be consistent with our past history and in the event that we experience a significant increase in warranty claims, there can be no assurance that our reserves would be sufficient.
In the future, we plan to offer service contracts to certain customers. If some or all of our products require repairs or maintenance, we may be required to spend significant time, money, and other resources repairing or maintaining our products at significant cost to us without generating any additional revenue for us. Servicing our warranties could result in significant funds and resources being expended by us, which could have a materially negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and your investment. As a result, the value of your investment could be significantly reduced or completely lost.
Utility companies or governmental entities could place barriers to our entry into the marketplace that could adversely affect our business
.
Utility companies or governmental entities could place barriers on the installation of our products or the interconnection of our Power on Demand systems with the electric grid. Further, they could charge additional fees to our customers for installing such systems. These types of restrictions, fees or charges could impair our ability to sell our systems, or the ability of our customers to effectively use our systems, or they could increase the costs of operating our systems. This could make our systems less desirable, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
RISK FACTORS CONCERNING INVESTMENT IN OUR COMPANY
There is currently a limited public market for our shares, and if an active market does not develop, investors may have difficulty selling their shares.
Our common stock is currently traded on the over the counter (OTC) market, and there is currently only a limited public trading market for our common stock. We cannot predict the extent to which investor interest in the Company and our common stock will lead to the development or continuance of an active trading market or how liquid that trading market for our common stock might become. If an active trading market for our common stock does not develop or is not sustained, it may be difficult for investors to sell shares, particularly large quantities, of our common stock at a price that is attractive or at all. As a result, an investment in our common stock may be illiquid and investors may not be able to liquidate their investment readily or at all when they desire to sell.
Our common stock is deemed to be a “penny stock,” which may make it more difficult for investors to sell their shares due to suitability requirements.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted regulations that define a “penny stock,” generally, to be an equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share. The price of our common stock has been significantly less than $5.00 per share since it started publicly trading in November 2009, and is therefore considered a “penny stock.” This designation requires any broker or dealer buying our securities to disclose certain information concerning the transaction, obtain a written agreement from the purchaser and determine that the purchaser is reasonably suitable to purchase the securities given the increased risks generally inherent in penny stocks. These rules may restrict the ability of brokers or dealers to buy or sell our common stock, either directly or on behalf of their clients, may discourage potential shareholders from purchasing our common stock, or may adversely affect the ability of shareholders to sell their shares.
There is limited liquidity in our common stock, which may adversely affect your ability to sell your shares of common stock.
The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control. These factors include, but are not limited to:
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the announcement of new products or product enhancements by us or our competitors;
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developments concerning intellectual property rights and regulatory approvals relating to us;
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quarterly variations in our results or the results of our competitors;
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the ability or inability of us to generate sales;
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developments in our industry and target markets;
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the number of market makers who are willing to continue to make a market in our stock and the market or exchange on which they decide to make a market in our stock, which may, among other things, result in our stock being traded on the “pink sheets”; and
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general market conditions and other factors, including factors unrelated to our own operating performance.
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In recent years, the stock market in general has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. Continued market fluctuations could result in extreme volatility in the price of shares of our common stock, which could cause a decline in the value of our shares. Price volatility may be accentuated if trading volume of our common stock is low. The volatility in our stock may be combined with low trading volume. Any or all of these above factors could adversely affect your ability to sell your shares or, if you are able to sell your shares, to sell your shares at a price that you determine to be fair or favorable.
We may issue additional shares of common stock in the future, which could cause dilution to all shareholders.
We have a large amount of authorized but unissued common stock which our Board of Directors may issue without shareholder approval. We will need additional capital to bring our operations to a sustainable level over the next twelve months, and may seek this capital in the form of equity financing. We may also seek to raise additional equity capital in the future to fund business alliances, develop new prototypes, and grow our manufacturing and sales capabilities organically or otherwise. In 2012 and in 2011, we issued .4 million and 4.6 million, respectively, shares of our common stock, primarily in connection with private placements of such stock to fund our business.
In addition to additional issuances of our common stock in private placements or public offerings, we may issue shares as part or all of the consideration in any merger, acquisition, joint venture or other strategic alliance that we enter.
Any issuance of additional shares of our common stock will dilute the percentage ownership interest of all shareholders and may dilute the book value per share of our common stock, and may negatively impact the market price of our common stock.
We have not in the past and we do not currently intend to pay cash dividends on our common stock.
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend on retaining any future earnings to fund our operations and growth and do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future of the common stock. Future dividends, if any, will be determined by our board of directors, based upon our earnings, financial condition, capital resources, capital requirements, charter restrictions, contractual restrictions, and such other factors as our board of directors deem relevant.
Our Restated Certificate of Incorporation and the New York Business Corporation Law each contains provisions that could discourage a takeover that shareholders may consider favorable.
Our corporate documents and the New York Business Corporation Law contain provisions and authorized but unissued shares of common stock that might enable our management to resist a takeover. These provisions might discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of the Company or a change in our management that might otherwise increase the value of your shares.
Our Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides for a classified Board of Directors, with each class of directors subject to re-election every three years. This classified board will have the effect of making it more difficult for third parties to insert their representatives onto our Board of Directors and gain control of the Company.
The Restated Certificate of Incorporation also provides that neither the Company’s Bylaws nor Certificate of Incorporation provisions addressing, among other provisions, the Classified Board of Directors or removal of directors, may be amended, altered, or repealed by shareholders unless approved by an affirmative vote of in excess of 66 2/3% of the shares of Common Stock that are issued and outstanding at the time of any such proposed amendment, alteration, or attempt to repeal. As such, it is unlikely that the above-described provisions contained in the Restated Certificate of Incorporation will be amended, altered, or repealed.
Under our Restated Certificate of Incorporation, our Board of Directors also has the power, without shareholders’ approval, to designate the terms of one or more series of preferred stock and issue shares of preferred stock which could be issued as a defensive measure in response to a takeover, such as issuing preferred stock with greater voting rights than the common stock. In doing so, our Board of Directors may determine, with respect to any series of preferred shares, the terms and rights of that series, including the designation of the series, the number of shares of the series, the dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, and the rights and terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, which could have preferences and priority over holders of our common stock with respect to these rights.
In addition, our Board of Directors may authorize the issuance of a substantial number of authorized but unissued shares of common stock, approximately 483.6 million common shares as of February 28, 2013, without action by our shareholders. The issuance of this substantial number of additional common shares may be used as an anti-takeover device without further action on the part of the shareholders. Such issuance may dilute the voting power of existing holders of common shares.
These provisions and our authorized but unissued shares could discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other shareholders to elect directors and take other corporate actions, and could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock, or discourage transactions that shareholders may consider favorable.
We have a lack of segregation of duties in accounting which could have an adverse effect on our financial reporting and ultimately on our business and our stock price.
We are required to design and maintain an adequate system of internal control over financial reporting and assess and report on such internal control structure annually. Additionally, we must also maintain adequate disclosure controls and procedures and include in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Annual Report on Form 10-K our assessment of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures. We have determined that, due to the minimal number of people that we currently employ, there is a lack of segregation of duties, which may have a potentially adverse effect on our business. If we fail to maintain adequate internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures, including any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or we encounter difficulties in their implementation, our business and operating results could be harmed. Current and potential shareholders could also lose confidence in our public reporting and we may be subject to liability and/or sanctions or investigation by regulatory authorities, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, either of which could adversely affect our financial results and the market price of our common stock.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT
CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
In addition to the other information contained in this report, investors should carefully consider the risk factors disclosed in this report in evaluating an investment in our common stock. All statements contained in this report, other than statements of historical facts, that address future activities, events or developments are “forward-looking statements.”
These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to our anticipated financial performance, business prospects, new developments, new merchandising strategies and similar matters, and/or statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words “believes,” “could,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “seeks,” or similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements on certain assumptions and analyses made by us in light of our experience and on our assessment of historical trends, current conditions, expectations, and projections about expected future developments and events, as well as on other factors we believe are appropriate under the circumstances and other information currently available to us. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described under the heading “Risk Factors,” that may affect the operations, performance, development and results of our business. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date stated, or if no date is stated, as of the date hereof.
Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained herein and in such incorporated documents are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations or any of the forward-looking statements will prove to be correct, and actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in the forward-looking statements. Our future financial condition and results of operations, as well as any forward-looking statements, are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the risk factors set forth below and for the reasons described elsewhere in this report. Forward-looking statements and reasons why results may differ included in this report are made as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement or reason why actual results might differ. All of the forward-looking statements made in this report are qualified by these cautionary statements.
Access to SEC Filings
Interested readers can access the Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, through the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov . These reports can be accessed free of charge.