First Solar 10-Q 2023-09-30

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-Q

(Mark one)

☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2023

or

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

Commission file number: 001-33156

First Solar, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

350 West Washington Street, Suite 600

Tempe, Arizona 85288

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

(602) 414-9300

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

As of October 27, 2023, 106,844,212 shares of the registrant’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share, were outstanding.

FIRST SOLAR, INC.

FORM 10-Q FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Throughout this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, we refer to First Solar, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries as “First Solar,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our.” The unit of electricity is typically stated in megawatts (“MW”) and gigawatts (“GW”).

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

FIRST SOLAR, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

See accompanying notes to these condensed consolidated financial statements.

FIRST SOLAR, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

See accompanying notes to these condensed consolidated financial statements.

FIRST SOLAR, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except share data)

(Unaudited)

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Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), which are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. All statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements include statements, among other things, concerning: effects resulting from certain module manufacturing changes; our business strategy, including anticipated trends and developments in and management plans for our business and the markets in which we operate; future financial results, operating results, module volumes produced, module volumes sold, revenues, gross margin, operating expenses, products, projected costs (including estimated future module collection and recycling costs), warranties, solar module technology and cost reduction roadmaps, restructuring, product reliability, investments, and capital expenditures; our ability to continue to reduce the cost per watt of our solar modules; the impact of public policies; the potential impact of legislation intended to encourage renewable energy investments through tax credits; our ability to expand manufacturing capacity worldwide, including our plans to construct new manufacturing facilities in the United States and related increase in manufacturing capacity; the impact of supply chain disruptions, which may affect the procurement of raw materials used in our manufacturing process and the distribution of our modules; R&D programs and our ability to improve the wattage of our solar modules; sales and marketing initiatives; and competition. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words, such as “estimate,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “plan,” “intend,” “seek,” “believe,” “forecast,” “foresee,” “likely,” “may,” “should,” “goal,” “target,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “predict,” “continue,” “contingent,” and the negative or plural of these words, and other comparable terminology.

Forward-looking statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and our projections about future events. All forward-looking statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are based upon information available to us as of the filing date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and therefore speak only as of the filing date. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. These factors include, but are not limited to:

• structural imbalances in global supply and demand for PV solar modules;

• the market for renewable energy, including solar energy;

• our competitive position and other key competitive factors;

• the reduction, elimination, or expiration of government subsidies, policies, and support programs for solar energy projects and other renewable energy projects;

• the impact of public policies, such as tariffs or other trade remedies imposed on solar cells and modules;

• the passage of legislation intended to encourage renewable energy investments through tax credits, such as the IRA;

• our ability to execute on our long-term strategic plans, including our ability to secure financing;

• our ability to execute on our solar module technology and cost reduction roadmaps;

• our ability to incorporate technology improvements into our manufacturing process, including the implementation of our Copper Replacement (“CuRe”) program and the production of bifacial solar modules;

• our ability to avoid manufacturing interruptions, including during the ramp of our Series 7 modules manufacturing facilities;

• our ability to improve the wattage of our solar modules;

• interest rate fluctuations and our customers’ ability to secure financing;

• the loss of any of our large customers, or the ability of our customers and counterparties to perform under their contracts with us;

• the severity and duration of public health threats (including pandemics such as COVID-19), including its potential impact on the Company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations;

• the satisfaction of conditions precedent in our sales agreements;

• our ability to attract new customers and to develop and maintain existing customer and supplier relationships;

• our ability to construct new production facilities to support new product lines;

• general economic and business conditions, including those influenced by U.S., international, and geopolitical events;

• environmental responsibility, including with respect to CdTe and other semiconductor materials;

• claims under our limited warranty obligations;

• changes in, or the failure to comply with, government regulations and environmental, health, and safety requirements;

• effects arising from and results of pending litigation;

• future collection and recycling costs for solar modules covered by our module collection and recycling program;

• supply chain disruptions, including demurrage and detention charges;

• our ability to protect our intellectual property;

• our ability to prevent and/or minimize the impact of cyber-attacks or other breaches of our information systems;

• our continued investment in R&D;

• the supply and price of components and raw materials, including CdTe;

• our ability to attract and retain key executive officers and associates; and

• all other matters discussed in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and our other reports filed with the SEC.

You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in this section. The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Executive Overview

We are a leading American solar technology company and global provider of PV solar energy solutions. Developed at our R&D labs in California and Ohio, we manufacture and sell PV solar modules with an advanced thin film semiconductor technology that provide a high-performance, lower-carbon alternative to conventional crystalline silicon PV solar modules. From raw material sourcing through end-of-life module recycling, we are committed to reducing the environmental impacts and enhancing the social and economic benefits of our products across their life cycle. We are the world’s largest thin film PV solar module manufacturer and the largest PV solar module manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere.

Certain of our financial results and other key operational developments for the three months ended September 30, 2023 include the following:

• Net sales for the three months ended September 30, 2023 increased by 27% to $801.1 million compared to $628.9 million for the same period in 2022. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in the volume of modules sold to third parties and an increase in the average selling price per watt of our modules.

*•*Gross profit as a percentage of net sales for the three months ended September 30, 2023 increased 43.7 percentage points to 47.0% from 3.3%

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There have been no material changes to the information previously provided under Item 7A. of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of our “disclosure controls and procedures” as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e). Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that as of September 30, 2023 our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We also carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of our “internal control over financial reporting” as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) to determine whether any changes in our internal control over financial reporting occurred during the three months ended September 30, 2023 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. Based on that evaluation, there were no such changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the three months ended September 30, 2023.

In August 2023, we completed our implementation of a new global ERP system, which replaced many of our existing core financial and business systems, and post-implementation activities are expected to continue over several months. Among other things, the new global ERP system is expected to (i) improve the efficiency and effectiveness of certain financial and business transaction processes, (ii) enhance the flow of financial information, and (iii) strengthen data management and analysis. The ERP implementation resulted in changes to various processes and procedures, for which the design of certain associated internal controls has been modified. None of these modifications have materially affected our internal control over financial reporting. As the post-implementation activities continue, we may have additional changes to certain of our processes and procedures, and we will evaluate quarterly whether such changes materially affect our internal control over financial reporting. As of September 30, 2023, no changes have been made in our internal control over financial reporting with respect to this implementation.

CEO and CFO Certifications

We have attached as exhibits to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q the certifications of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, which are required in accordance with the Exchange Act. We recommend that this Item 4. be read in conjunction with those certifications for a more complete understanding of the subject matter presented.

Limitations on the Effectiveness of Controls

Control systems, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control systems’ objectives are being met. Further, the design of any system of controls must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of all controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within our company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of error or mistake. Control systems can also be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is also based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or deterioration in the degree of compliance with policies or procedures.

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

See Note 12. “Commitments and Contingencies” under the heading “Legal Proceedings” of our condensed consolidated financial statements for legal proceedings and related matters.

In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the factors discussed in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which could materially affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. The risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial may also materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. There have been no material changes in the risk factors contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K.

From time to time, our directors and officers may adopt plans for the purchase or sale of our securities. Such plans may be designed to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act or may constitute non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangements (as defined in Item 408(c) of Regulation S-K). During the three months ended September 30, 2023, none of our officers or directors adopted or terminated non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangements. However, certain officers of the Company adopted 10b5-1 trading plans for the sale of our securities. The following table provides certain terms of such plans:

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(1)Represents the gross number of shares subject to the Rule 10b5-1(c) plan, excluding the potential effect of shares withheld for taxes. Amounts related to PUs are presented at their target amounts. The actual number of PUs that vest following the end of the applicable performance period, if any, will depend on the relative attainment of the performance metrics.

The following exhibits are filed with this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q:

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• Filed herewith.

† Furnished herewith. This exhibit shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, whether made before or after the date hereof and irrespective of any general incorporation language in such filings.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.