SUNation Energy, Inc. Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policy)

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policy)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned operating subsidiaries. Any reference in these notes to applicable guidance is meant to refer to the authoritative GAAP as found in the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) and Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”).

Impact of the Merger

The Company accounted for the March 28, 2022 merger as a reverse recapitalization whereby it was determined that Pineapple Energy was the accounting acquirer and CSI was the accounting acquiree. This determination was primarily based on:

Former Pineapple Energy stockholders having the largest voting interest in the Company following the merger;

The implied enterprise value of Pineapple Energy in the merger was well in excess of the market capitalization of CSI prior to the merger;

At the Closing, the board of directors of the Company was fixed at seven members, two of which were selected by CSI and five of which were selected by Pineapple Energy;

Pineapple Energy’s Chief Executive Officer serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company subsequent to the merger;

The post-combination company assumed the “Pineapple Energy” name; and

The Company disposed of the pre-existing CSI headquarters during the second quarter of 2022 and expects to dispose of its legacy subsidiaries, JDL and Ecessa, and will continue Pineapple Energy operations in Hawaii.

Accordingly, for accounting purposes, the merger was treated as the equivalent of Pineapple Energy issuing stock for the net assets of CSI, accompanied by a recapitalization.

While CSI was the legal acquirer in the merger, because Pineapple Energy was determined to be the accounting acquirer, the historical financial statements of Pineapple Energy became the historical financial statements of the combined company upon the consummation of the merger. As a result, the financial statements included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements reflect (i) the historical operating results of Pineapple Energy prior to the merger; (ii) the consolidated results of legacy CSI, Pineapple Energy, HEC, and E-Gear following the closing of the merger; (iii) the assets and liabilities of Pineapple Energy at their historical cost; (iv) the assets and liabilities of CSI, HEC and E-Gear at fair value as of the merger date in accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations, and (v) the Company’s equity structure for all periods presented.

In connection with the merger transaction, we have converted the equity structure for the periods prior to the merger to reflect the number of shares of the Company’s common stock issued to Pineapple Energy’s members in connection with the recapitalization transaction. As such, the shares, corresponding capital amounts and earnings per share, as applicable, related to Pineapple Energy member units prior to the merger have been retroactively converted by applying the exchange ratio established in the merger agreement.

PIPE Transaction

On March 28, 2022, following the closing of the merger, the Company closed on a $32.0 million private investment in public equity (“PIPE”) transaction pursuant to a securities purchase agreement. Under the terms of the securities purchase agreement, for their $32.0 million investment, the PIPE investors received shares of newly authorized CSI Series A convertible preferred stock convertible at a price of $13.60 per share into the Company’s common stock, together with warrants to purchase an additional $32.0 million of common shares at that same price. The Company used the proceeds from the PIPE to fund the cash portion of the HEC Asset Acquisition, to repay $4.5 million ($5.6 million including five-year interest) of Pineapple Energy’s $7.5 million term loan from Hercules Capital, Inc., to pay for transaction expenses, and for working capital to support Pineapple Energy’s growth strategy of acquiring leading local and regional solar installers around the United States.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated.

Use of Estimates

The presentation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company uses estimates based on the best information available in recording transactions and balances resulting from operations. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. The Company’s estimates consist principally of allowances for credit losses, revenue recognition on commercial projects based on percentage of completion, asset impairment evaluations, accruals for compensation plans, lower of cost or market inventory adjustments, the fair value of the term loan payable and related assets at the date of acquisition, the fair value of the contingent value rights and contingent consideration, provisions for income taxes and deferred taxes, depreciable lives of fixed assets, and amortizable lives of intangible assets.

Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents

For purposes of the consolidated statements of cash flows, the Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less at the time of purchase to be cash equivalents. The Company may invest in short-term money market funds that are not considered to be bank deposits and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Company (“FDIC”) or other government agency. These money market funds seek to preserve the value of the investment at $1.00 per share; however, it is possible to lose money investing in these funds. The $1,821,060 of restricted cash and cash equivalents on the balance sheet as of December 31, 2023 are funds that can only be used to support the legacy CSI business, will be distributed to holders of the Company’s contingent value rights (“CVRs”) and cannot be used to support the working capital needs of the Pineapple Energy business.

Investments

Investments consist of corporate notes and bonds and commercial paper that are traded on the open market and are classified as available-for-sale and minority investments in strategic technology companies. Available-for-sale investments are reported at fair value with unrealized gains and losses excluded from operations and reported as a separate component of stockholders’ equity, net of tax. All investments have either converted to cash and cash equivalents or been distributed to the CVR holders as of December 31, 2023.

Accounts Receivable, Net

Accounts receivable are recorded at their net realizable value and are not collateralized. Accounts receivable include amounts earned less payments received and allowances for credit losses. Management continually monitors and adjusts its allowances associated with the Company’s receivables to address any credit risks associated with the accounts receivable and periodically writes off receivables when collection is not considered probable. The Company does not charge interest on past due accounts. When uncertainty exists as to the collection of receivables, the Company records an allowance for credit losses and a corresponding charge to credit loss expense. The current year provision for credit losses and write-off for uncollectible amounts included approximately $949,000 in receivables related to JDL that were not included in the sale of assets and were deemed uncollectible during the fourth quarter of 2023. The provision for credit losses is recorded within selling, general and administrative expenses. The following table presents the changes in the allowance for credit losses since adoption at the beginning of the year:



	Year Ended December 31
		2023
Beginning balance	$	108,636
Provision for credit losses		1,069,196
Write off of uncollectible amounts		(1,083,747)
Recoveries		—
Ending balance	$	94,085

Inventories, Net

Inventories, which consist primarily of materials and supplies used in the installation of solar systems, are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value, with costs computed on a weighted average cost basis. The Company periodically reviews its inventories for excess and obsolete items and adjusts carrying costs to estimated net realizable values when they are determined to be less than cost. The inventory reserve was $126,990 and $12,000 at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method. Depreciation included in cost of sales and selling, general and administrative expenses for continuing operations was $397,943 and $99,161 for 2023 and 2022, respectively. Maintenance and repairs are charged to operations and additions or improvements are capitalized. Items of property sold, retired or otherwise disposed of are removed from the asset and accumulated depreciation accounts and any gains or losses on disposal are reflected in the statements of operations.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill represents the amount by which the purchase prices (including liabilities assumed) of acquired businesses exceed the estimated fair value of the net tangible assets and separately identifiable intangible assets of these businesses. Definite lived intangible assets, consisting primarily of trade names, technology, and backlog are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the asset. Goodwill is not amortized but is tested at least annually for impairment. The Company reassesses the value of our reporting units and related goodwill balances annually on October 1 and at other times if events have occurred or circumstances exist that indicate the carrying amount of goodwill may not be recoverable.

Recoverability of Long-Lived Assets and Intangible Assets

The Company reviews its long-lived assets and definite lived intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of the assets may not be fully recoverable. If indicators of impairment exist, management identifies the asset group that includes the potentially impaired long-lived asset, at the lowest level at which there are separate, identifiable cash flows. If the fair value, determined as the total of the expected undiscounted future net cash flows for the asset group is less than the carrying amount of the asset, a loss is recognized for the difference between the fair value and carrying amount of the asset.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue is recognized when there is a transfer of control of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. The Company sells solar power systems under construction and development agreements to residential and commercial customers. The completed system is sold as a single performance obligation. For residential contracts, revenue is recognized at the point-in-time when the systems are placed into service. Any advance payments received in the form of customer deposits are recorded as contract liabilities.

Commercial contracts are generally completed within three to twelve months from commencement of construction. Construction on large projects may be completed within eighteen to twenty-four months, depending on the size and location of the project. Revenue from commercial contracts are recognized under a percentage of completion method, measured by the percentage of hours incurred to date against estimated total hours budgeted for each contract. Because of inherent uncertainties in estimating costs, it is at least reasonably possible that the estimates used will change within the near future. Contract costs include all direct material, labor costs and those indirect costs related to contract performance, such as indirect labor and other supplies. Selling, general and administrative costs are charged to expense as incurred. Provisions for estimated losses on uncompleted contracts are made in the period in which such losses are determined. Changes in job performance, job conditions and estimated profitability may result in revisions to costs and revenues which are recognized in which the revisions are determined. Changes in estimated job profitability resulting from job performance, job conditions, contract penalty provisions, claims, change orders, and settlements, are accounted for as changes in estimates in the current period.

See Note 4, Revenue Recognition, for further discussion regarding revenue recognition.

Gross Excise Tax

The State of Hawaii imposes a gross receipts tax on all business operations done in Hawaii. The Company records the tax revenue and expense on a gross basis.

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales consist of direct and indirect material and labor costs for solar energy system installations as well as warranty costs, permitting fees, financing fees and overhead including costs related to procurement, warehousing and inventory management.

Employee Retirement Benefits

The Company has an Employee Savings Plan (401(k)) and matches a percentage of employee contributions up to six percent of compensation. Employer contributions to the plan in 2023 and 2022 were $140,652 and $60,489, respectively. Additionally, as part of the November 9, 2022 SUNation Acquisition, the Company also acquired the SUNation Solar Systems, Inc. 401(k) Plan. Employer contributions into this plan were $27,656 during the period under Company ownership in 2022 and $176,334 during 2023 until the plan was merged with the Employee Savings Plan on December 1, 2023.

Share Based Compensation

The Company accounts for share-based compensation awards on a fair value basis. The estimated grant date fair value of each stock-based award is recognized in the statement of operations over the requisite service period (generally the vesting period). The Company recognizes forfeitures as they occur.

Warranty

SUNation warrants its products for various periods against defects in material or installation workmanship. The manufacturers of the solar panels and the inverters provide a warranty period of generally 25 years and 10 years, respectively. SUNation will assist its customers in the event that the manufacturers' warranty needs to be used to replace a defective solar panel or inverter. SUNation provides for warranty up to the lifetime of the system on the installation of a system and all equipment and incidental supplies other than solar panels and inverters that are recovered under the manufacturers' warranty. SUNation provides extended workmanship warranties to the customer for up to 25 years for the service of inverters, which is reimbursed by the manufacturer.

The Company estimates its warranty obligations upon installation, an expense included in cost of sales, based on management’s best estimate of the probable cost to be incurred in honoring its warranty commitment.

Advertising

Advertising costs are expensed as they are incurred. Advertising expense was $946,379 and $251,335 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Segment Information

Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise for which separate financial information is available and evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker, or decision-making group, in deciding the method to allocate resources and assess performance. Our chief operating decision maker is comprised of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer. Based on the financial information presented to and reviewed by our chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance, we have determined we have two operating segments, but meet the aggregation criteria in order to aggregate into one reportable segment.

Concentrations of Risk

Financial instruments which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and accounts receivable. The associated risk of concentration for cash is mitigated by banking with institutions with high credit ratings. At certain times amounts on deposit exceed FDIC insurance limits. The Company has limited credit risk in accounts receivable as most contracts are paid through outside customer financing. The Company is not dependent on any single customer and the loss of any customer would not adversely impact the Company’s operating results or financial position. The Company depends on a limited number of suppliers for its solar panels and other system components. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the top five suppliers collectively accounted for approximately 53% and 60% of the Company’s total accounts payables, respectively.

Net Loss Per Share

Basic net loss per common share is based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during each year. Diluted net loss per common share adjusts for the dilutive effect of potential common shares outstanding. The Company’s only potential additional common shares outstanding are common shares that would result from the conversion of the Series A convertible preferred shares, stock options, warrants and shares associated with the long-term incentive compensation plans, which resulted in no dilutive effect for the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company calculates the dilutive effect of outstanding options, warrants and unvested shares using the treasury stock method and the dilutive effect of outstanding preferred shares using the if-converted method. There were no options or deferred stock awards excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share because there were no outstanding options or deferred stock awards as of both December 31, 2023 and 2022. Warrants totaling 5,176,471 would have been excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 and restricted stock units totaling 785,404 and 687,712 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, even if there had not been a net loss in those periods, because the exercise price was greater than the average market price of common stock during the period.

Accounting Standards Issued and Adopted

Accounting Standards Issued

In October 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-06, “Disclosure Improvements: Codification Amendments in Response to the SEC’s Disclosure Update and Simplification Initiative,” which is intended to clarify or improve disclosure and presentation requirements of a variety of topics. Many of the amendments will allow users to more easily compare entities subject to the SEC’s existing disclosures with those entities that were not previously subject to the requirements and align the requirements in the FASB accounting standard codification with the SEC’s regulations. The Company is currently evaluating this ASU and the impact it may have on its consolidated financial statements.

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, “Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures,” which expands disclosures about a public entity’s reportable segments and requires more enhanced information about a reportable segment’s expenses, interim segment profit or loss, and how a public entity’s chief operating decision maker uses reported segment profit or loss information in assessing segment performance and allocating resources. This ASU is effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2023, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating this ASU and the impact it may have on its financial statement disclosures.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures,” which expands disclosures in an entity’s income tax rate reconciliation table and regarding cash taxes paid both in the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions. This ASU is effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating this ASU and the impact it may have on its financial statement disclosures.

Accounting Standards Adopted

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326), Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments.” The amendments in this update replace the incurred loss impairment methodology in current GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses. This ASU is intended to provide financial statement users with more decision-useful information about expected credit losses and is effective for annual periods and interim periods for those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2022, which for us was the first quarter ended March 31, 2023. We adopted this ASU in the first quarter of 2023 without a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-08, "Business Combinations (Topic 805): Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers" (“ASU 2021-08”). The standard requires an acquirer in a business combination to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination in accordance with ASC 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” as if it had originated the contracts. The standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2022. Early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted this ASU during the second quarter of 2022 and has incorporated this guidance in its evaluation of the accounting for the merger and the HEC Asset Acquisition.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment,” which eliminates step two from the goodwill impairment test. Under ASU 2017-04, an entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value up to the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. ASU 2017-04 became effective for accelerated filing companies for annual periods or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. All other entities, including not-for-profit entities, that are adopting the amendments in this ASU should do so for their annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company adopted ASU 2017-04 in 2023.