Commitments and Contingencies |
9 Months Ended |
|---|---|
Sep. 30, 2022 | |
| Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Letters of Credit
As of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the Company had $27.7 million and $23.2 million, respectively, of unused letters of credit outstanding, which each carry fees of 2.13% - 3.25% per annum and 1.25% - 3.25% per annum, respectively.
Guarantees
Certain tax equity funds and debt facilities require the Company to maintain an aggregate amount of $35.0 million of unencumbered cash and cash equivalents at the end of each month.
Purchase Commitment
The Company entered into purchase commitments, which have the ability to be canceled without significant penalties, with multiple suppliers to purchase $433.5 million of photovoltaic modules, inverters and batteries by the end of 2023.
Warranty Accrual
The Company accrues warranty costs when revenue is recognized for solar energy systems sales, based on the estimated future costs of meeting its warranty obligations. Warranty costs primarily consist of replacement costs for supplies and labor costs for service personnel since warranties for equipment and materials are covered by the original manufacturer’s warranty (other than a small deductible in certain cases). As such, the warranty reserve is immaterial in all periods presented. The Company makes and revises these estimates based on the number of solar energy systems under warranty, the Company’s historical experience with warranty claims, assumptions on warranty claims to occur over a systems’ warranty period and the Company’s estimated replacement costs. A warranty is provided for solar energy systems sold. However, for the solar energy systems under Customer Agreements, the Company does not accrue a warranty liability because those systems are owned by consolidated subsidiaries of the Company. Instead, any repair costs on those solar energy systems are expensed when they are incurred as a component of customer agreements and incentives costs of revenue.
Commercial ITC Indemnification
The Company is contractually committed to compensate certain investors for any losses that they may suffer in certain limited circumstances resulting from reductions in Commercial ITCs. Generally, such obligations would arise as a result of reductions to the value of the underlying solar energy systems as assessed by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”). The Company set the purchase prices and claimed values based on fair market values determined with the assistance of an independent third-party appraisal with respect to the systems that generate Commercial ITCs that are passed-through to, and claimed by, the Fund investors. In April 2018, the Company purchased an insurance policy providing for certain payments by the insurers in the event there is a final determination (including a judicial determination) that reduced the Commercial ITCs claimed in respect of solar energy systems sold or transferred to most Funds through April 2018, or later, in the case of Funds added to the policy after such date. In general, the policy indemnifies the Company and related parties for additional taxes (including penalties and interest) owed in respect of lost Commercial ITCs, gross-up costs and expenses incurred in defending such claim, subject to negotiated exclusions from, and limitations to, coverage. The Company purchased similar additional insurance policies in January 2021 and in October 2022.
At each balance sheet date, the Company assesses and recognizes, when applicable, the potential exposure from this obligation based on all the information available at that time, including any audits undertaken by the IRS. One of the Company's investment funds is being audited by the IRS in an audit involving a review of the fair market value determination of the Company's solar energy systems in the investment fund, which is covered by the Company's 2018 insurance policy. The Company is unable to determine if this audit will result in an adverse final determination at this time.
Litigation
The Company is subject to certain legal proceedings, claims, investigations and administrative proceedings in the ordinary course of its business. The Company records a provision for a liability when it is both probable that the liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated. These provisions, if any, are reviewed at least quarterly and adjusted to reflect the impacts of negotiations, settlements, rulings, advice of legal counsel and other information and events pertaining to a particular case. Depending on the nature and timing of any such proceedings that may arise, an unfavorable resolution of a matter could materially affect the Company’s future consolidated results of operations, cash flows or financial position in a particular period.
In December 2019, ten customers who signed residential power purchase agreements named Vivint Solar in a putative class action lawsuit captioned Dekker v. Vivint Solar, Inc. (N.D. Cal.), alleging that the agreements contain unlawful termination fee provisions. The Company disputes the allegations in the complaint. On January 17, 2020, the Company moved to compel arbitration with respect to nine of the ten plaintiffs whose contracts included arbitration provisions. The court issued an order compelling eight plaintiffs to pursue their claims in arbitration but subsequently rescinded the order as to certain plaintiffs. The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed the court’s order rescinding its order compelling certain plaintiffs to arbitrate. At this time, one plaintiff's claims remain pending before the court as a class action, one plaintiff’s claims are in arbitration, and the remaining plaintiffs' claims have been resolved on an individual basis. In the class action that remains pending before the court, the plaintiff filed a motion for class certification, and on March 18, 2022, the court certified a class of customers (approximately 1,000) who are subject to the 2012 version of the Vivint Solar Power Purchase Agreement. While Vivint Solar believes that the claims against it are without merit, in view of the cost and risk of continuing to defend the action, Vivint Solar mediated the action on June 2, 2022 and July 19, 2022, and reached an agreement to resolve the
action on a class-wide basis. The parties agreed to modify the termination fee provisions in the 2012 version of the Vivint Solar Power Purchase Agreement. The settlement agreement does not call for any cash payment by Vivint Solar to the class members. The court has scheduled the final approval hearing for February 15, 2023. Once the court grants final approval, attorneys’ fees or costs for class counsel and any incentive payment for the lead plaintiff will be determined via a motion to the court, and Vivint Solar reserves the right to oppose any such motion. With these recent developments, the Company does not currently believe that this matter will have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
In addition to the matters discussed above, in the normal course of business, the Company has from time to time been named as a party to various legal claims, actions and complaints. While the outcome of these matters cannot currently be predicted with certainty, the Company does not currently believe that the outcome of any of these claims will have a material adverse effect, individually or in the aggregate, on its consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
The Company accrues for losses that are probable and can be reasonably estimated. The Company evaluates the adequacy of its legal reserves based on its assessment of many factors, including interpretations of the law and assumptions about the future outcome of each case based on available information.
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