FUELCELL ENERGY INC - Quarter Report: 2008 July (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Form
10-Q
|
x |
|
Quarterly
Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of
1934
|
For
the quarterly period ended July 31, 2008
or
|
o |
|
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 1-14204
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
(Exact
name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Delaware
|
|
06-0853042
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of
incorporation
or organization)
|
|
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification Number)
|
3
Great Pasture Road
|
||
Danbury,
Connecticut
|
06813
|
|
(Address
of Principal Executive Offices)
|
Zip
Code
|
(203)
825-6000
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code )
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 x No o
Indicate
by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated
filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange
Act
Large
accelerated filer o Accelerated
filer x
Non-accelerated
filer o
Indicate
by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No x
Number
of
shares of common stock, par value $.0001 per share, outstanding at September
2,
2008: 68,791,427
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
FORM
10-Q
As
of and
For the Three and Nine Month Periods Ended July 31, 2008
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Page
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||
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
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|
||
Item 1.
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|
Consolidated
Financial Statements (unaudited)
|
|
|
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Consolidated
Balance Sheets as of July 31, 2008 and October 31, 2007
|
3
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statements of Operations for the three months ended July 31, 2008
and
2007
|
4
|
Consolidated
Statements of Operations for the nine months ended July 31, 2008
and
2007
|
5
|
||
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended July 31, 2008
and
2007
|
6
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||
|
|
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
|
7
|
Item 2.
|
|
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
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18
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Item 3.
|
|
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
|
34
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Item 4.
|
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
35
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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
|
|||
Item 6.
|
|
Exhibits
|
36
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|
|
Signature
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37
|
2
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
Consolidated
Balance Sheets
(Dollars
in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
July 31,
2008
(Unaudited)
|
October 31,
2007
|
||||||
ASSETS
|
|||||||
Current
assets:
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$
|
50,920
|
$
|
92,997
|
|||
Investments:
U.S. treasury securities
|
26,746
|
60,634
|
|||||
Accounts
receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $16 and $63,
respectively
|
19,780
|
10,063
|
|||||
Inventories,
net
|
27,116
|
29,581
|
|||||
Other
current assets
|
8,895
|
7,730
|
|||||
Total
current assets
|
133,457
|
201,005
|
|||||
Property,
plant and equipment, net
|
38,761
|
39,612
|
|||||
Investments:
U.S. treasury securities
|
26,725
|
—
|
|||||
Investment
and loan to affiliate
|
10,939
|
12,216
|
|||||
Other
assets, net
|
485
|
355
|
|||||
Total
assets
|
$
|
210,367
|
$
|
253,188
|
|||
|
|||||||
LIABILITIES
AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|||||||
Current
liabilities:
|
|||||||
Current
portion of long-term debt and other liabilities
|
$
|
776
|
$
|
924
|
|||
Accounts
payable
|
16,389
|
9,516
|
|||||
Accounts
payable due to affiliate
|
911
|
2,881
|
|||||
Accrued
liabilities
|
8,948
|
8,511
|
|||||
Deferred
license fee income
|
600
|
—
|
|||||
Deferred
revenue and customer deposits
|
33,959
|
20,486
|
|||||
Total
current liabilities
|
61,583
|
42,318
|
|||||
Long-term
deferred revenue
|
3,084
|
4,401
|
|||||
Long-term
debt and other liabilities
|
3,116
|
613
|
|||||
Total
liabilities
|
67,783
|
47,332
|
|||||
Redeemable
minority interest
|
12,835
|
11,884
|
|||||
Redeemable
preferred stock ($0.01 par value, liquidation preference of $64,120
at
July 31, 2008 and October 31, 2007.)
|
59,950
|
59,950
|
|||||
Shareholders’
equity:
|
|||||||
Common
stock ($.0001 par value); 150,000,000 shares authorized at July
31, 2008
and October 31, 2007; 68,753,256 and 68,085,059 shares issued and
outstanding at July 31, 2008 and October 31, 2007,
respectively.
|
7
|
7
|
|||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
577,594
|
571,944
|
|||||
Accumulated
deficit
|
(507,802
|
)
|
(437,929
|
)
|
|||
Treasury
stock, Common, at cost (8,981 and 12,282 shares at July 31, 2008
and
October 31, 2007, respectively)
|
(90
|
)
|
(126
|
)
|
|||
Deferred
compensation
|
90
|
126
|
|||||
Total
shareholders’ equity
|
69,799
|
134,022
|
|||||
Total
liabilities and shareholders’ equity
|
$
|
210,367
|
$
|
253,188
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
3
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
Consolidated
Statements of Operations
(Unaudited)
(Dollars
in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Three Months Ended
July 31,
|
|||||||
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Revenues:
|
|||||||
Product
sales and revenues
|
$
|
23,220
|
$
|
7,807
|
|||
Research
and development contracts
|
4,684
|
5,737
|
|||||
Total
revenues
|
27,904
|
13,544
|
|||||
Costs
and expenses:
|
|||||||
Cost
of product sales and revenues
|
39,010
|
14,903
|
|||||
Cost
of research and development contracts
|
4,373
|
4,718
|
|||||
Administrative
and selling expenses
|
4,926
|
4,676
|
|||||
Research
and development expenses
|
5,741
|
6,980
|
|||||
Total
costs and expenses
|
54,050
|
31,277
|
|||||
Loss
from operations
|
(26,146
|
)
|
(17,733
|
)
|
|||
Interest
expense
|
(16
|
)
|
(24
|
)
|
|||
Loss
from equity investments
|
(245
|
)
|
(414
|
)
|
|||
Interest
and other income, net
|
900
|
3,152
|
|||||
Loss
before redeemable minority interest
|
(25,507
|
)
|
(15,019
|
)
|
|||
Redeemable
minority interest
|
(473
|
)
|
(421
|
)
|
|||
Loss
before provision for income taxes
|
(25,980
|
)
|
(15,440
|
)
|
|||
Provision
for income taxes
|
—
|
—
|
|||||
Net
loss
|
(25,980
|
)
|
(15,440
|
)
|
|||
|
|||||||
Preferred
stock dividends
|
(802
|
)
|
(802
|
)
|
|||
Net
loss to common shareholders
|
$
|
(26,782
|
)
|
$
|
(16,242
|
)
|
|
Loss
per share basic and diluted:
|
|||||||
Net
loss per share to common shareholders
|
$
|
(0.39
|
)
|
$
|
(0.24
|
)
|
|
Basic
and diluted weighted average shares outstanding
|
68,703,812
|
67,939,527
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
4
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
Consolidated
Statements of Operations
(Unaudited)
(Dollars
in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Nine Months Ended
July 31,
|
|||||||
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Revenues:
|
|||||||
Product
sales and revenues
|
$
|
59,428
|
$
|
21,567
|
|||
Research
and development contracts
|
15,138
|
10,194
|
|||||
Total
revenues
|
74,566
|
31,761
|
|||||
Costs
and expenses:
|
|||||||
Cost
of product sales and revenues
|
98,207
|
44,679
|
|||||
Cost
of research and development contracts
|
13,644
|
8,758
|
|||||
Administrative
and selling expenses
|
15,536
|
13,866
|
|||||
Research
and development expenses
|
17,157
|
20,489
|
|||||
Total
costs and expenses
|
144,544
|
87,792
|
|||||
Loss
from operations
|
(69,978
|
)
|
(56,031
|
)
|
|||
License
fee income, net
|
—
|
34
|
|||||
Interest
expense
|
(65
|
)
|
(72
|
)
|
|||
Loss
from equity investments
|
(1,295
|
)
|
(1,032
|
)
|
|||
Interest
and other income, net
|
2,849
|
5,654
|
|||||
Loss
before redeemable minority interest
|
(68,489
|
)
|
(51,447
|
)
|
|||
Redeemable
minority interest
|
(1,384
|
)
|
(1,233
|
)
|
|||
Loss
before provision for income taxes
|
(69,873
|
)
|
(52,680
|
)
|
|||
Provision
for income taxes
|
—
|
—
|
|||||
Net
loss
|
(69,873
|
)
|
(52,680
|
)
|
|||
|
|||||||
Preferred
stock dividends
|
(2,406
|
)
|
(2,406
|
)
|
|||
Net
loss to common shareholders
|
$
|
(72,279
|
)
|
$
|
(55,086
|
)
|
|
Loss
per share basic and diluted:
|
|||||||
Net
loss per share to common shareholders
|
$
|
(1.06
|
)
|
$
|
(0.92
|
)
|
|
Basic
and diluted weighted average shares outstanding
|
68,499,395
|
59,967,137
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
5
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)
(Dollars
in thousands)
Nine Months Ended
July 31,
|
|||||||
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
|||||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(69,873
|
)
|
$
|
(52,680
|
)
|
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash used in
|
|||||||
operating
activities:
|
|||||||
Stock-based
compensation
|
4,231
|
3,939
|
|||||
Loss
in equity investments
|
1,295
|
1,032
|
|||||
Loss
on redeemable minority interest
|
1,384
|
1,233
|
|||||
Interest
receivable on loan to affiliate
|
(125
|
)
|
(23
|
)
|
|||
Asset
impairment
|
179
|
—
|
|||||
(Gain)
Loss on derivative
|
(44
|
)
|
65
|
||||
Depreciation
|
6,574
|
7,004
|
|||||
Amortization
(accretion) of bond premium (discount)
|
347
|
(574
|
)
|
||||
Provision
for doubtful accounts
|
(47
|
)
|
53
|
||||
(Increase)
decrease in operating assets:
|
|||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
(9,670
|
)
|
(812
|
)
|
|||
Inventories
|
2,465
|
(5,847
|
)
|
||||
Other
assets
|
(1,417
|
)
|
(4,981
|
)
|
|||
Increase
(decrease) in operating liabilities:
|
|||||||
Accounts
payable
|
4,903
|
(4,486
|
)
|
||||
Accrued
liabilities
|
1,749
|
2,497
|
|||||
Deferred
revenue and customer deposits
|
12,156
|
10,892
|
|||||
Deferred
license fee income and other
|
600
|
(38
|
)
|
||||
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
(45,293
|
)
|
(42,726
|
)
|
|||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
|||||||
Capital
expenditures
|
(5,651
|
)
|
(3,487
|
)
|
|||
Loan
to affiliate
|
—
|
(2,000
|
)
|
||||
Treasury
notes matured
|
69,600
|
270,609
|
|||||
Treasury
notes purchased
|
(62,784
|
)
|
(237,137
|
)
|
|||
Net
cash provided by investing activities
|
1,165
|
27,985
|
|||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
|||||||
Repayment
of debt
|
(534
|
)
|
(318
|
)
|
|||
Proceeds
from debt
|
2,663
|
354
|
|||||
Payment
of preferred dividends
|
(2,840
|
)
|
(2,840
|
)
|
|||
Net
proceeds from sale of common stock
|
1,746
|
95,457
|
|||||
Common
stock issued for option and stock purchase plans
|
1,016
|
1,941
|
|||||
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
2,051
|
94,594
|
|||||
Net
increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
|
(42,077
|
)
|
79,853
|
||||
Cash
and cash equivalents-beginning of period
|
92,997
|
26,247
|
|||||
Cash
and cash equivalents-end of period
|
$
|
50,920
|
$
|
106,100
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
6
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
Notes
to
Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
(Tabular
amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Note
1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Nature
of Business
FuelCell
Energy develops and markets ultra-clean power plants that generate electricity
with virtually no air pollution and reduced greenhouse gas emissions using
fuels, including renewable biogas and other fuels, for commercial, industrial,
and utility customers. To date, our products have generated over 230 million
kilowatt hours of electricity and are generating power at over 45 locations
around the world.
We
have
been developing fuel cell technology since our founding in 1969. Our core
carbonate fuel cell products (“Direct FuelCell®”
or
“DFC®
Power
Plants”) offer stationary applications for customers. In addition to our current
commercial products, we continue to develop our next generation of carbonate
fuel cell and hybrid products as well as planar solid oxide fuel cell (“SOFC”)
technology with our own and government research and development funds.
Basis
of Presentation - Interim Consolidated Financial Statements
The
accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared
in
accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States
of
America (“GAAP”), for interim financial information, and with the instructions
to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not contain
all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial
statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal
recurring adjustments) necessary to fairly present our financial position as
of
July 31, 2008 have been included. The consolidated balance sheet as of October
31, 2007 has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date.
Certain reclassifications have been made to our prior year amounts to conform
to
the 2008 presentation.
The
preparation of financial statements and related disclosures 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 consolidated financial statements and
revenues and expenses during the period reported. Actual results could differ
from those estimates.
The
results of operations and cash flows for the three and nine months ended July
31, 2008 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the
full year. The reader should supplement the information in this document with
prior disclosures in our 2007 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Consolidation
The
consolidated financial statements include our accounts and those of our
subsidiaries, including our Canadian subsidiary, FuelCell Energy, Ltd., and
Bridgeport Fuel Cell Park, LLC and DFC-ERG Milford, LLC, which were formed
for
the purpose of developing projects within Connecticut. Alliance Monterrey,
LLC;
Alliance Chico, LLC; Alliance Star Energy, LLC; and Alliance TST Energy, LLC
are
joint ventures with Alliance Power, Inc. to construct fuel cell power plants
and
sell power under power purchase agreements in California. The financial results
of the joint ventures are consolidated with those of the Company, which owns
80
percent of each entity. Cumulative minority interest in these Alliance entities
is not material to the consolidated financial statements. Intercompany accounts
and transactions have been eliminated.
7
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
Notes
to
Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
(Tabular
amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Foreign
Currency Translation
Our
Canadian subsidiary, FuelCell Energy, Ltd., is financially and operationally
integrated and therefore the temporal method of translation of foreign
currencies is followed. The functional currency is U.S. dollars. We recognized
foreign currency losses of approximately $0.05 million and $0.3 million during
the three and nine months ended July 31, 2008, respectively. We recognized
foreign currency gains of $0.007 million and $0.03 million during the three
and
nine months ended July 31, 2007, respectively. These amounts have been
classified in interest and other income on our consolidated statements of
operations.
Comprehensive
Loss
Our
comprehensive loss equals net loss (as reported before preferred dividends)
on
our consolidated statements of operations of $26.0 million and $69.9 million
for
the three and nine months ended July 31, 2008, respectively, and $15.4 million
and $52.7 million for the three and nine months ended July 31, 2007,
respectively. Comprehensive income (loss) is defined as the increase or decrease
in equity from sources other than owners.
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
In
December 2007, the FASB issued Statement No. 141 (revised 2007), Business
Combinations (“SFAS No. 141R”), and Statement No. 160, Noncontrolling Interests
in Consolidated Financial Statements (“SFAS No. 160”). SFAS No. 141R requires an
acquirer to measure the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed
and any noncontrolling interest in the acquiree at their fair values on the
acquisition date, with goodwill being the excess value over the net identifiable
assets acquired. This Statement also requires the fair value measurement of
certain other assets and liabilities related to the acquisition such as
contingencies and research and development. SFAS No. 160 clarifies that a
noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary should be reported as equity in the
consolidated financial statements. Consolidated net income should include the
net income for both the parent and the noncontrolling interest with disclosure
of both amounts on the consolidated statement income. The calculation of
earnings per share will continue to be based on income amounts attributable
to
the parent. The effective date for both Statements is the beginning of fiscal
year 2010. We have not yet determined the impact, if any, that the adoption
of
SFAS No. 141R and SFAS No. 160 could have on our consolidated financial
statements.
In
April 2008, the FASB issued Financial Staff Position (“FSP”) No. FAS
142-3, Determination of the Useful Life of Intangible Assets. FSP
No. FAS 142-3 amends the factors that should be considered in developing
renewal or extension assumptions used to determine the useful life of a
recognized intangible asset under SFAS No. 142, “Goodwill and Other
Intangible Assets.” The intent of the position is to improve the
consistency between the useful life of a recognized intangible asset under
SFAS
No. 142 and the period of expected cash flows used to measure the fair
value of the asset under SFAS No. 141R, and other U.S. generally accepted
accounting principles. The provisions of FSP No. FAS 142-3 are effective
for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008. FSP
No. FAS142-3 is effective for the Company’s fiscal year beginning November
1, 2009. We have not yet determined the impact, if any, that the adoption
of FSP No. FAS 142-3 could have on our consolidated financial
statements.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued Statement No. 157, Fair Value Measurements
(“SFAS No. 157”). This Statement defines fair value and expands disclosures
about fair value measurements. These methods will apply to other accounting
standards that use fair value measurements and may change the application of
certain measurements used in current practice. This Statement is effective
for
the beginning of fiscal year 2009, November 1, 2008 for the Company. In February
2008, the FASB issued FSP FAS 157-2, Effective Date of FASB Statement
No. 157, which delays the effective date of SFAS No. 157 for all
nonfinancial assets and nonfinancial liabilities, except those that are
recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring
basis (at least annually). FSP FAS 157-2 partially defers the effective date
of
SFAS 157 to fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2008, and
interim periods within those fiscal years for items within the scope of this
FSP. FSP FAS 157-2 is effective for us beginning November 1, 2009. We have
not yet determined the impact, if any, that the adoption of SFAS No. 157 and
FSP
FAS 157-2 could have on our consolidated financial statements.
8
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
Notes
to
Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
(Tabular
amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
In
February 2007, the FASB issued Statement No. 159, the Fair Value Option for
Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (“SFAS No. 159”). This Statement
permits entities to measure most financial instruments at fair value if desired.
It may be applied on a contract by contract basis and is irrevocable once
applied to those contracts. The Statement may be applied at the time of adoption
for existing eligible items, or at initial recognition of eligible items. After
election of this option, changes in fair value are reported in earnings. The
items measured at fair value must be shown separately on the balance sheet.
This
Statement is effective for the beginning of fiscal year 2009. The cumulative
effect of adoption, if any, would be reported as an adjustment to beginning
retained earnings. We have not yet determined the impact, if any, that the
adoption of SFAS No. 159 could have on our consolidated financial
statements.
In
March 2008, the FASB issued Statement No. 161, Disclosures about
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - an amendment of FASB Statement
No. 133 (“SFAS No. 161”). SFAS No. 161 amends and expands the
disclosure requirements of FASB Statement No. 133 “Accounting for
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities” by establishing, among other
things, the disclosure requirements for derivative instruments and hedging
activities. This Statement requires qualitative disclosures about
objectives and strategies for using derivatives, quantitative disclosures about
fair value amounts of gains and losses on derivative instruments, and
disclosures about credit-risk-related contingent features in derivative
agreements. The provisions of SFAS No. 161 are effective for fiscal
years and interim periods beginning after November 15, 2008, with early
application encouraged. SFAS No. 161 is effective for the Company’s
second quarter of fiscal year ending October 31, 2009. We have not yet
determined the impact, if any, that the adoption of SFAS No. 161 could have
on
our consolidated financial statements.
Note
2. Equity investment and loan to affiliate
Versa
Power Systems, Inc. (“Versa”) is one of our sub-contractors under the Department
of Energy’s large-scale hybrid project to develop a coal-based, multi-megawatt
solid oxide fuel cell-based hybrid system. Our investment and loan to Versa
totaled approximately $10.9 million and $12.2 million as of July 31, 2008 and
October 31, 2007, respectively. Our current ownership interest is approximately
39 percent and we account for Versa under the equity method of accounting.
9
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
Notes
to
Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
(Tabular
amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Note
3. Investments
Our
short
and long-term investments are in U.S. Treasury securities, which are held to
maturity. The following table summarizes the amortized cost basis and fair
value
at July 31, 2008 and October 31, 2007:
|
Amortized
Cost
|
Gross
Unrealized
Gains
|
Gross
Unrealized
(Losses)
|
Fair
Value
|
|||||||||
At
July 31, 2008
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
U.S.
government obligations
|
$
|
53,471
|
$
|
27
|
$
|
(57
|
)
|
$
|
53,441
|
||||
At
October 31, 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
U.S.
government obligations
|
$
|
60,634
|
$
|
71
|
$
|
(1
|
)
|
$
|
60,704
|
Reported
as:
July 31,
|
October 31,
|
||||||
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Short-term
investments
|
$
|
26,746
|
$
|
60,634
|
|||
Long-term
investments
|
26,725
|
—
|
|||||
Total
|
$
|
53,471
|
$
|
60,634
|
As
of
July 31, 2008, short-term investment securities have maturity dates ranging
from
August 15, 2008 to April 30, 2009 and estimated yields ranging from 3.10 percent
to 4.37 percent. Our long-term investment securities have maturity dates ranging
from August 15, 2009 to April 30, 2010 and estimated yields ranging from 1.42
percent to 2.88 percent. Our weighted average yield on our short and long-term
investments was 2.77 percent as of July 31, 2008.
Note
4. Inventories
The
components of inventory at July 31, 2008 and October 31, 2007 consisted of
the
following:
July 31,
|
October 31,
|
||||||
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Raw
materials
|
$
|
11,946
|
$
|
8,682
|
|||
Work-in-process
|
15,170
|
20,899
|
|||||
Total
|
$
|
27,116
|
$
|
29,581
|
Our
inventories are stated at the lower of recoverable cost or market price. We
provide for a lower of cost or market adjustment against gross inventory values.
Our lower of cost or market adjustment, reducing gross inventory values to
the
reported amounts, was approximately $12.6 million and $15.3 million at July
31,
2008 and October 31, 2007, respectively.
10
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
Notes
to
Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
(Tabular
amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Note
5. Property, Plant and Equipment
Property,
plant and equipment at July 31, 2008 and October 31, 2007 consisted of the
following:
July 31,
2008
|
October 31,
2007
|
Estimated
Useful Life
|
||||||||
Land
|
$
|
524
|
$
|
524
|
—
|
|||||
Building
and improvements
|
6,609
|
6,454
|
10-26
years
|
|||||||
Machinery,
equipment and software
|
57,174
|
53,449
|
3-8
years
|
|||||||
Furniture
and fixtures
|
2,443
|
2,468
|
10
years
|
|||||||
Equipment
leased to others
|
—
|
2,063
|
3
years
|
|||||||
Power
plants for use under power purchase agreements
|
17,743
|
17,743
|
10
years
|
|||||||
Construction
in progress
|
6,713
|
5,009
|
||||||||
91,206
|
87,710
|
|||||||||
Less,
accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
(52,445
|
)
|
(48,098
|
)
|
||||||
Total
|
$
|
38,761
|
$
|
39,612
|
Depreciation
expense was approximately $6.6 million and $7.0 million for the nine months
ended July 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively.
Note
6. Share-Based Compensation
The
Company has shareholder approved equity incentive plans and a shareholder
approved Section 423 Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”), which are described in
more detail below.
Equity
Incentive Plans
The
Board
adopted the 1998 and 2006 Equity Incentive Plans (collectively, “the Plans”).
Under the terms of the Plans, 8.5 million shares of common stock may be granted
as options or stock to our officers, key employees and directors. As of July
31,
2008, 0.8 million shares were available for grant. Pursuant to the Plans, the
Board is authorized to grant incentive stock options or nonqualified options
and
stock appreciation rights to our officers and key employees and may grant
nonqualified options and stock appreciation rights to our directors. Stock
options and stock appreciation rights have restrictions as to transferability.
The option exercise price shall be fixed by the Board, but in the case of
incentive stock options, shall not be less than 100 percent of the fair market
value of the shares subject to the option on the date the option is granted.
Stock appreciation rights may be granted in conjunction with options granted
under the Plans. Stock options that have been granted are generally exercisable
commencing one year after grant at the rate of 25 percent of such shares in
each
succeeding year and have a 10-year maximum term. There were no stock
appreciation rights outstanding at July 31, 2008.
11
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
Notes
to
Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
(Tabular
amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
On
November 1, 2005, we adopted SFAS No. 123R, “Share-Based Payment” utilizing the
modified prospective approach. This statement supersedes APB Opinion No. 25,
“Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees”, which we used to account for
share-based compensation transactions prior to November 1, 2005. The
compensation expense for Share-Based Plans is recognized on a straight-line
basis over the vesting period of each award. Share-based compensation included
in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months
ended
July 31, 2008 and 2007 was as follows:
|
Three Months Ended
July 31,
|
Nine Months Ended
July 31,
|
|||||||||||
2008
|
2007
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||||
Cost
of product sales and revenues
|
$
|
251
|
$
|
160
|
$
|
729
|
$
|
539
|
|||||
Cost
of research and development contracts
|
61
|
78
|
201
|
216
|
|||||||||
General
and administrative expense
|
810
|
737
|
2,556
|
2,334
|
|||||||||
Research
and development expense
|
208
|
264
|
701
|
821
|
|||||||||
Total
share-based compensation
|
$
|
1,330
|
$
|
1,239
|
$
|
4,188
|
$
|
3,910
|
Certain
share-based compensation is capitalized and included on the Consolidated Balance
Sheets as of July 31, 2008 and October 31, 2007. These amounts were not material
during either period presented above. The fair value of each option award is
estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option valuation model
that uses the assumptions noted in the following table. Expected volatility
is
based on a combination of the historical volatility of the Company’s stock and
the implied volatility from traded options. We use historical data to estimate
the expected term of options granted.
Three Months Ended
July 31,
|
Nine Months Ended
July 31,
|
||||||||||||
2008
|
2007
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||||
Expected
life (in years)
|
6.8
|
6.6
|
6.7
|
6.5
|
|||||||||
Risk-free
interest rate
|
3.75
|
4.81
|
%
|
3.22
|
4.55
|
%
|
|||||||
Volatility
|
63.7
|
57.1
|
%
|
64.0
|
61.3
|
%
|
|||||||
Dividend
yield
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
The
following table summarizes the Plans’ stock option activity for the nine months
ended July 31, 2008.
Number of
options
|
Weighted
average
option price
|
||||||
Outstanding
at October 31, 2007
|
5,325,341
|
$
|
11.11
|
||||
Granted
|
1,272,169
|
8.53
|
|||||
Exercised
|
(316,625
|
)
|
3.08
|
||||
Forfeited/Cancelled
|
(159,616
|
)
|
11.28
|
||||
Outstanding
at July 31, 2008
|
6,121,269
|
$
|
11.01
|
The
weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted during the three
and
nine months ended July 31, 2008 was $5.16 and $5.42, respectively, and was
$4.60
and $4.44 for options granted during the three and nine months ended July 31,
2007, respectively. The total intrinsic value of options outstanding and options
exercisable at July 31, 2008 was $2.9 million and $2.0 million, respectively.
The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the three and nine months
ended July 31, 2008 was $0.04 million and $2.2 million, respectively, and was
$0.01 million and $7.2 million for the three and nine months ended July 31,
2007.
12
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
Notes
to
Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
(Tabular
amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
The
following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding and
exercisable at July 31, 2008:
Options Outstanding
|
Options Exercisable
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Range of exercise
prices
|
Number
outstanding
|
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
life (years)
|
Weighted
average
exercise
price ($)
|
Number
exercisable
|
Weighted
average
exercise
price ($)
|
||||||||||||||||||
$
|
0.28
|
-
|
$
|
5.10
|
106,000
|
0.7
|
1.63
|
106,000
|
1.63
|
||||||||||||||
$
|
5.11
|
-
|
$
|
9.92
|
3,548,078
|
7.8
|
7.96
|
1,467,596
|
7.65
|
||||||||||||||
$
|
9.93
|
-
|
$
|
14.74
|
1,665,573
|
5.8
|
12.11
|
1,283,545
|
12.60
|
||||||||||||||
$
|
14.75
|
-
|
$
|
19.56
|
310,618
|
2.7
|
16.85
|
310,618
|
16.85
|
||||||||||||||
$
|
19.57
|
-
|
$
|
24.39
|
235,000
|
2.5
|
23.01
|
235,000
|
23.01
|
||||||||||||||
$
|
24.40
|
-
|
$
|
29.21
|
27,000
|
2.5
|
26.15
|
27,000
|
26.15
|
||||||||||||||
$
|
29.22
|
-
|
$
|
34.03
|
165,000
|
2.4
|
29.91
|
165,000
|
29.91
|
||||||||||||||
$
|
34.04
|
-
|
$
|
48.49
|
64,000
|
2.2
|
38.50
|
64,000
|
38.50
|
||||||||||||||
6,121,269
|
6.4
|
11.01
|
3,658,759
|
12.66
|
As
of
July 31, 2008, total compensation cost related to nonvested stock options not
yet recognized was $10.8 million, which is expected to be recognized over the
next 2.6 years on a weighted-average basis.
During
the nine months ended July 31, 2008, we issued 9,387 shares of common stock
with
a value of $0.07 million to directors as compensation (in lieu of cash). During
the nine months ended July 31, 2007, we issued 8,391 shares of common stock
with
a value of $0.07 million to directors as compensation (in lieu of cash). These
shares were fully vested at the date of grant.
Employee
Stock Purchase Plan
Our
shareholders adopted the ESPP on April 30, 1993. The ESPP has been amended
from time to time by the Board. The total shares allocated to the ESPP are
900,000. Under the ESPP, eligible employees have the right to purchase shares
of
common stock at an exercise price for each offering period equal to the lesser
of (i) 85 percent of the last reported sale price of the Company’s common stock
on the first business day of the offering period, or (ii) 85 percent of the
last
reported sale price of the common stock on the last business day of the offering
period, in
either
case rounded up to avoid impermissible trading fractions.
Any
shares issued pursuant to the ESPP shall contain a legend restricting the
transfer or sale of such common stock for a period of six months after the
date
of purchase.
As
of
July 31, 2008, there were 267,217 shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance
under the ESPP. These shares may be adjusted for any future stock splits.
13
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
Notes
to
Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
(Tabular
amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Number of
Shares
|
||||
Balance
at October 31, 2007
|
308,270
|
|||
Issued
@ $5.67
|
(25,716
|
)
|
||
Issued
@ $7.51
|
(15,337
|
)
|
||
Balance
at July 31, 2008
|
267,217
|
The
weighted-average grant date fair value of shares issued under the ESPP during
the nine months ended July 31, 2008 was $3.28.
The
fair
value of shares under the ESPP are determined at the grant date using the
Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following weighted average
assumptions:
Nine months ended
July 31, 2008
|
||||
Expected
life (in years)
|
.5
|
|||
Risk-free
interest rate
|
2.1
|
%
|
||
Volatility
|
69
|
%
|
||
Dividend
yield
|
—
|
Incentive
Compensation
Stock
may
be issued to employees as part of FuelCell Energy’s annual incentive bonus (in
lieu of cash). During the nine months ended July 31, 2008, 140,271 shares of
common stock with a value of $1.1 million were issued as incentive bonus (in
lieu of cash). During the nine months ended July 31, 2007, 133,419 shares of
common stock were issued with a value of $0.9 million as incentive bonus (in
lieu of cash).
Note
7. Shareholders' Equity
Changes
in shareholders’ equity were as follows for the nine months ended July 31,
2008:
Balance
at October 31, 2007
|
$
|
134,022
|
||
Increase
in additional paid-in-capital for stock-based compensation
|
4,231
|
|||
Increase
in additional paid-in-capital for stock issued under employee benefit
plans
|
2,331
|
|||
Common
stock sales
|
1,494
|
|||
Series
B Preferred dividends
|
(2,406
|
)
|
||
Net
loss
|
(69,873
|
)
|
||
Balance
at July 31, 2008
|
$
|
69,799
|
14
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
Notes
to
Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
(Tabular
amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Note
8. Segment Information and Major Customers
Under
SFAS No. 131, “Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related
Information,” we use the “management” approach to reporting segments. The
management approach designates the internal organization that is used by
management for making operating decisions and assessing performance as the
source of reportable segments. SFAS No. 131 also requires disclosures about
products and services, geographic areas, and major customers. Under SFAS No.
131, we have identified one business segment: fuel cell power plant production
and research.
Enterprise-wide
Information
Enterprise-wide
information provided on geographic revenues is based on the customer’s ordering
location. The following table presents revenues (greater than 10 percent of
our
total revenues) by geographic area:
Three months ended
July 31,
|
Nine months ended
July 31,
|
||||||||||||
Revenues:
|
2008
|
|
2007
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||
United
States
|
$
|
19,293
|
$
|
9,429
|
$
|
41,063
|
$
|
21,591
|
|||||
South
Korea
|
7,081
|
1,643
|
30,021
|
*
|
|||||||||
Canada
|
*
|
*
|
*
|
3,562
|
|||||||||
Germany
|
*
|
2,316
|
*
|
4,033
|
____
*
Less
than 10 percent of total revenues in period
Information
about Major Customers
We
contract with a small number of customers for the sales of our products and
research and development contracts. During the three months ended July 31,
2008,
we had an individual customer that accounted for $7.1 million, two customers
that accounted for $4.5 million each, and an individual customer that accounted
for $4.4 million of total revenues. During the nine months ended July 31, 2008,
we had individual customers that accounted for $30.0 million and $13.9 million
of total revenue during that period.
During
the three months ended July 31, 2007, we had individual customers that accounted
for $5.6 million, $2.3 million, $1.6 million, and $1.4 million of total
revenues. During the nine months ended July 31, 2007, we had individual
customers that accounted for $9.7 million, $4.0 million, and $3.6 million of
total revenues.
15
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
Notes
to
Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
(Tabular
amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Note
9. Earnings Per Share
Basic
and
diluted earnings per share are calculated using the following data:
Three months ended
July 31,
|
Nine months ended
July 31,
|
||||||||||||
2008
|
2007
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||||||
Weighted
average basic common shares
|
68,703,812
|
67,939,527
|
68,499,395
|
59,967,137
|
|||||||||
Effect
of dilutive securities(1)
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|||||||||
Weighted
average basic common shares adjusted for diluted calculations
|
68,703,812
|
67,939,527
|
68,499,395
|
59,967,137
|
____
(1) |
We
computed earnings per share without consideration of potentially
dilutive
instruments because losses incurred would make them antidilutive.
Future
potentially dilutive stock options that were in-the-money at July
31, 2008
and 2007 totaled 1,793,467 and 1,580,233 million,
respectively. Future potentially dilutive stock options that were
not
in-the-money at July 31, 2008 and 2007 totaled 4,327,802 and 3,707,033
million, respectively.
We also have future potentially dilutive warrants issued, which vest
and
expire over time.
As of July 31, 2008, 37,500 warrants were vested with an exercise
price of
$9.89 and we also had 750,000 unvested warrants.
|
Note
10. Supplemental Cash Flow Information
The
following represents supplemental cash flow information:
Nine Months Ended
July 31,
|
|||||||
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Cash
paid during the period for:
|
|||||||
Interest
|
$
|
67
|
$
|
72
|
|||
Supplemental
disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:
|
|||||||
Accrued
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
|
$
|
146
|
$
|
128
|
|||
Sales
of common stock (1)
|
149
|
—
|
|||||
Accrued
Common Stock Issued for Bonus Incentive
|
1,050
|
942
|
|||||
Impact
on investing activities resulting from the sale of the power plant
used
under a power purchase agreement to Sierra Nevada Brewing
Co.(2)
|
—
|
(3,943
|
)
|
____
(1) |
Sales
of common stock confirmed during the period and settled subsequent
to July
31, 2008.
|
(2) |
In
December 2006, we completed the sale of the 1 MW power plant that
had been
operating under a power purchase agreement to the Sierra Nevada Brewing
Co. The net book value of the asset of approximately $3.9 million
that was
recorded in property, plant and equipment as of October 31, 2006,
was
recorded in cost of product sales and revenues upon the sale of the
asset.
In addition, this sale resulted in the assumption by the buyer of
certain
of our incentive fund liabilities resulting in a $2.2 million decrease
in
deferred revenue liabilities, which was recorded in cost of product
sales
and revenues.
|
16
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
Notes
to
Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
(Tabular
amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Note
11. Commitments and Contingencies
Restricted
cash and cash equivalents
We
have
pledged approximately $10.0 million of our cash and cash equivalents as
collateral and letters of credit for certain banking relationships and customer
contracts, of which approximately $9.1 million supported letters of credit
that
expire on various dates through December 31, 2008.
17
ITEM
2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS
OF
OPERATIONS
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
(“MD&A”) is provided as a supplement to the accompanying financial
statements and footnotes to help provide an understanding of our financial
condition, changes in our financial condition and results of operations. The
MD&A is organized as follows:
Caution
concerning forward-looking statements. This
section discusses how certain forward-looking statements made by us throughout
the MD&A are based on management’s present expectations about future events
and are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and changes in
circumstances.
Overview
and recent developments.
This
section provides a general description of our business. We also briefly
summarize any significant events occurring subsequent to the close of the
reporting period.
Critical
accounting policies and estimates.
This
section discusses those accounting policies and estimates that are both
considered important to our financial condition and operating results and
require significant judgment and estimates on the part of management in their
application.
Results
of operations.
This
section provides an analysis of our results of operations for the three and
nine
months ended July 31, 2008 and 2007. In addition, a description is provided
of
transactions and events that impact the comparability of the results being
analyzed.
Liquidity
and capital resources.
This
section provides an analysis of our cash position and cash flows.
Recent
accounting pronouncements.
This
section summarizes recent accounting pronouncements and their impact on the
Company.
CAUTION
CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with the accompanying
Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included within our 2007
Form 10-K. In addition to historical information, this Form 10-Q and the
following discussion contain forward-looking statements. All forward-looking
statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those projected. Factors that could cause
such
a difference include, without limitation, general risks associated with product
development, manufacturing, changes in the utility regulatory environment,
potential volatility of energy prices, rapid technological change, ability
to
reach product cost objectives, and competition, as well as other risks set
forth
in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including those
set
forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Form 10-K for the year ended
October 31, 2007.
OVERVIEW
AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Overview
FuelCell
Energy is the world leader in the development and manufacture of fuel cell
power
plants for ultra-clean, efficient and reliable electric power
generation. Our products are designed to meet the 24/7 baseload power needs
of commercial, industrial, government, and utility customers. To date our
products have generated over 230 million kilowatt hours of electricity and
are
generating power at over 45 locations around the world.
We
have
been developing fuel cell technology since our founding in 1969. Our core
carbonate fuel cell products (“Direct FuelCell®”
or
“DFC®
Power
Plants”) offer stationary power generation applications for customers. In
addition to our current commercial products, we continue to develop our next
generation of carbonate fuel cell and hybrid products as well as planar solid
oxide fuel cell (“SOFC”) technology with our own and government research and
development funds.
18
Our
proprietary carbonate DFC power plants electrochemically (without combustion)
produce electricity directly from readily available hydrocarbon fuels, such
as
natural gas and biogas fuels. Customers buy fuel cells to reduce cost and
pollution and improve reliability. Electric generation without combustion
significantly reduces harmful pollutants such as sulfur and nitrogen oxides,
and
particulate matter. Greater efficiency also results in less fuel needed per
kilowatt hour of electricity generated, thereby reducing exposure to volatile
fuel costs and minimizing operating costs. Higher fuel efficiency results in
lower emissions of carbon dioxide, a major component of harmful greenhouse
gases.
We
believe that compared to other power generation technologies, our products
offer
significant advantages including:
·
|
Ultra-clean
(e.g. virtually zero emissions), quiet
operation
|
·
|
High
fuel efficiency
|
·
|
Reliable,
24/7 baseload power
|
·
|
Ability
to site units locally
|
·
|
Potentially
lower cost power generation
|
·
|
Byproduct
heat ideal for cogeneration (combined heat and power)
applications.
|
Typical
customers for our products include manufacturers, mission critical institutions
such as correction facilities and government installations, hotels, utilities
and customers who can use renewable gas for fuel such as breweries, food
processors, and wastewater treatment facilities. With increasing demand for
renewable and ultra-clean power options, and increased uncertainty in electric
markets, our customers gain control of power generation economics, reliability,
and emissions. Our fuel cells also offer flexible siting and easy permitting.
Recent
Developments
Fiscal
2008 Commercial Power Plant Orders
During
the fiscal year, the following product sales orders were received by the
Company:
·
|
In
April 2008, POSCO Power ordered 25.6 megawatts (“MW”) of MW-class power
plants and fuel cell modules, valued at approximately $70.0 million,
for
delivery in 2009. Initially we will ship complete power plants to
POSCO
Power. In 2009, we will begin to ship fuel cell modules, together
with
complete sets of balance of plant components. POSCON (a POSCO affiliated
company) will do the balance of plant assembly with our technical
support.
In the second half of 2009, we will begin to ship fuel cell modules
only,
and POSCO will be responsible for procurement and manufacturing of
all
balance of plant components.
|
·
|
In
February 2008, CFC Solutions ordered stack components totaling
approximately 0.8 MW.
|
·
|
In
December 2007, The Linde Group (Linde), the world’s largest industrial
gases company, ordered a DFC300 and 3 DFC1500 power plants (3.9 MW).
(Refer to additional discussion below in
Backlog.)
|
·
|
In
December 2007, Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) in southern
California ordered three DFC300 power plants (0.75 MW) to provide
power
for its wastewater operations.
|
·
|
In
December 2007, POSCO Power ordered two DFC3000 power plants (4.8
MW).
|
Connecticut
Project 150 Program
Connecticut’s
Department of Public Utility Control approved financial commitment letters
for
three projects producing approximately 16 MW of electricity using six of our
DFC3000 power plants. Subsequently, energy purchase agreements between the
project developers and the utilities were completed. The projects for which
we
are currently negotiating contracts are:
19
·
|
A
9.0 MW DFC-ERG system will be located at a natural gas letdown station
in
Milford, Conn. The system will generate heat and electricity required
for
the station’s management of the natural gas pipeline resulting in an
electrical efficiency of approximately 60 percent.
|
·
|
Two
projects at Connecticut hospitals, a 4.8 MW DFC power plant for Stamford
Hospital and a 2.4 MW power plant at Waterbury Hospital. The hospitals
will use the byproduct heat generated by our power plants for heating,
air
conditioning, laundries and sterilization, and achieve system efficiencies
of approximately 60 percent.
|
Manufacturing
Production and Capacity Expansion
Our
current manufacturing production rate was increased to an annualized rate of
30
MW, up from 11 MW in the prior year, in order to meet demand for our products.
We
are
increasing our production capacity to 60 MW annually and expect to complete
this
expansion in 2009 at a total cost of approximately $15.0 million. In connection
with this project, the Connecticut Development Authority approved a $4.0 million
loan to expand the Company’s Torrington, Connecticut manufacturing facility,
expand its workforce, and extend its Torrington facility lease through 2015.
This loan closed in April 2008. At July 31, 2008, we had an outstanding balance
of $2.5 million.
Federal
Investment Tax Credit
In
the
United States, the federal investment tax credit (ITC) for renewable energy
installations expires in its current form at year-end 2008. The timing of a
new
federal investment tax credit is not certain at this time. Certain contracts
and
orders may be impacted by this delay. The timing of equipment sale contracts
for
the 16 MW of projects awarded under the Connecticut Project 150 program is
contingent on passage of a new ITC bill.
Backlog
In
July
of 2008, the Company entered into a contract change order with The Linde Group
which adjusted scheduled power plant deliveries beyond 2008 due to Linde’s
customer requirements. Production will not begin on this contract until the
ITC
is extended beyond 2008. As a result of this contract modification, the Company
has adjusted its backlog $17.2 million to exclude the Linde contract and
related service agreement pending the outcome of the ITC
legislation.
As
of
July 31, 2008, product sales backlog totaled approximately $100.7 million,
including approximately $15.2 million related to long-term service agreements.
This compares to a product sales backlog of $49.6 million, including
approximately $12.5 million related to long-term service agreements, as of
July
31, 2007.
Available
Information
Our
annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports
on
Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports will be made available free of
charge through the Investor Relations section of our website
(www.fuelcellenergy.com) as soon as practicable after such material is
electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Material contained on our website is not incorporated by reference
in this report. Our executive offices are located at 3 Great Pasture Road,
Danbury, CT 06813.
20
CRITICAL
ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
Revenue
Recognition
We
contract with our customers to manufacture and install fuel cell components
and
power plants under long-term contracts, provide services under contracts and
perform research and development. We recognize revenue using a method similar
to
the percentage-of-completion method.
Product
sales and revenues include revenues from power plant sales, service contracts,
electricity sales under power purchase agreements (“PPAs”) and incentive
funding. Revenues from power plant sales are recognized proportionally as costs
are incurred and assigned to a customer contract by comparing the estimated
total manufacture and installation costs for each contract to the total contract
value. For contracts under which there are contractual contingencies, revenue
is
deferred until such contingencies are cleared. Revenues from service contracts
are generally recognized ratably over the contract. For service contracts that
include a fuel cell stack replacement, a portion of the total contract value
is
recognized as revenue at the time of the stack replacement and the remainder
of
the contract value is recognized ratably over the contract. Revenues from
electricity sales under PPAs are recognized as power is produced. Revenues
from
incentive funding are recognized ratably over the term of the incentive funding
agreement. As of July 31, 2008, our commercial backlog totaled $100.7 million,
of which $15.2 million related to long-term service contracts.
As
our
fuel cell products are in their initial stages of development and market
acceptance, actual costs incurred could differ materially from those previously
estimated. Once we have established that our fuel cell products have achieved
commercial market acceptance and future costs can be reasonably estimated,
then
estimated costs to complete an individual contract, in excess of revenue, will
be accrued immediately upon identification.
Revenues
on fuel cell research and development contracts are recognized proportionally
as
costs are incurred and compared to the estimated total research and development
costs for each contract. In many cases, we are reimbursed only a portion of
the
costs incurred or to be incurred on the contract. Revenues from government
funded research, development, and demonstration programs are generally
multi-year, cost reimbursement and/or cost-shared type contracts, or cooperative
agreements. We are reimbursed for reasonable and allocable costs up to the
reimbursement limits set by the contract or cooperative agreement.
While
government research and development contracts may extend for many years, funding
is often provided incrementally on a year-by-year basis if contract terms are
met and Congress has authorized the funds. As of July 31, 2008, research and
development sales backlog totaled $5.5 million, of which 87 percent is funded.
Should funding be temporarily delayed or if business initiatives change, we
may
choose to devote resources to other activities, including internally funded
research and development.
Warrant
Value Recognition
Warrants
have been issued as sales incentives to certain of our distribution partners.
These warrants vest as orders from our business partners exceed stipulated
levels. Should warrants vest, or when management estimates that it is probable
that warrants will vest, we record a proportional amount of the fair value
of
the warrants against related revenue as a sales discount.
Inventories
During
the procurement and manufacturing process of a fuel cell power plant, costs
for
material, labor, and overhead are accumulated in raw materials and
work-in-process inventory until they are transferred to a customer contract,
at
which time they are recorded in cost of sales.
Our
inventories and advance payments to vendors are stated at the lower of cost
or
market (“LCM”) price. As we currently sell products at or below cost, we provide
for an LCM adjustment to the cost basis of inventory and advances to vendors.
This adjustment is computed by comparing the current sales prices of our power
plants to estimated costs of completed power plants. In certain circumstances,
for long-lead-time items, we will make advance payments to vendors for future
inventory deliveries, which are recorded as a component of other current assets
on the consolidated balance sheet. As of July 31, 2008 and October 31, 2007,
the
LCM adjustment to the cost basis of inventory and advance payments to vendors
was approximately $13.9 million and $16.8 million, respectively, which equates
to a reduction of approximately 30 and 33 percent, respectively, of the gross
inventory value.
21
Internal
Research and Development Expenses
We
conduct internally funded research and development activities to improve current
or anticipated product performance and reduce product life-cycle costs. These
activities relate to manufacturing process improvements, cost reduction,
technology improvement, and technology development, as we work to develop new
products to meet the needs of customers. These costs are classified as research
and development expenses on our consolidated statements of operations.
Share-Based
Compensation
On
November 1, 2005, we adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No.
123R, “Share-Based Payments” (SFAS 123R). Share-based payment transactions with
employees, which primarily consist of stock options, and third parties, require
the application of a fair value methodology that involves various assumptions.
The fair value of our options awarded to employees is estimated on the date
of
grant using the Black-Scholes option valuation model that uses the following
assumptions: expected life of the option, risk-free interest rate, expected
volatility of our common stock price and expected dividend yield. We estimate
the expected life of the options using historical data and the volatility of
our
common stock is estimated based on a combination of the historical volatility
and the implied volatility from traded options. Share-based compensation of
$1.3
million and $4.2 million was recognized in the consolidated statement of
operations for the three and nine months ended July 31, 2008, respectively.
Refer to Note 6 of the consolidated financial statements for additional
information.
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
Management
evaluates the results of operations and cash flows using a variety of key
performance indicators. Indicators that management uses include revenues
compared to prior periods and internal forecasts, costs of our products and
results of our “cost-out” initiatives, and operating cash use. These are
discussed throughout the ‘Results of Operations’ and ‘Liquidity and Capital
Resources’ sections.
22
Comparison
of Three Months ended July 31, 2008 and July 31, 2007
Revenues
and costs of revenues
The
following tables summarize the components of our revenues and cost of revenues
for the three months ended July 31, 2008 and 2007 (dollar amounts in thousands),
respectively:
Three Months Ended
July 31, 2008
|
Three Months Ended
July 31, 2007
|
Percentage
Increase /
(Decrease) in
Revenues
|
||||||||||||||
|
Revenues
|
Percent of
Revenues
|
Revenues
|
Percent of
Revenues
|
||||||||||||
Revenues: | ||||||||||||||||
Product sales and revenues
|
$
|
23,220
|
83
|
%
|
$
|
7,807
|
58
|
%
|
197
|
%
|
||||||
Research
and development contracts
|
4,684
|
17
|
%
|
5,737
|
42
|
%
|
(18
|
)%
|
||||||||
Total
|
$
|
27,904
|
100
|
%
|
$
|
13,544
|
100
|
%
|
106
|
%
|
Three Months Ended
July 31, 2008
|
Three Months Ended
July 31, 2007
|
Percentage
Increase /
(Decrease)
in Cost of
Revenues
|
||||||||||||||
|
Cost of
Revenues
|
Percent of
Cost of
Revenues
|
Cost of
Revenues
|
Percent of
Cost of
Revenues
|
||||||||||||
Cost of revenues: | ||||||||||||||||
Product sales
and revenues
|
$
|
39,010
|
90
|
%
|
$
|
14,903
|
76
|
%
|
162
|
%
|
||||||
Research
and development contracts
|
4,373
|
10
|
%
|
4,718
|
24
|
%
|
(7
|
)%
|
||||||||
Total
|
$
|
43,383
|
100
|
%
|
$
|
19,621
|
100
|
%
|
121
|
%
|
Total
revenues for the three months ended July 31, 2008 increased by $14.4 million,
or
106 percent, to $27.9 million compared to the same period last year. Total
cost
of revenue for the three months ended July 31, 2008 increased by $23.8 million,
or 121 percent, to $43.4 million.
Product
sales and revenues
Product
sales and revenue increased $15.4 million to $23.2 million for the three months
ended July 31, 2008, compared to $7.8 million for the same period in 2007.
Revenue during the quarter included approximately $15.4 million of power plant
sales, $5.2 million related to site engineering and construction work for
projects where the Company is responsible for complete power plant system
installation, $1.9 million related to service agreements and component sales
and
approximately $0.7 million of revenue related to PPAs. Revenues are higher
due
to increased sales orders over the prior year quarter for our fuel cell power
plants. As of July 31, 2008, we increased our production volume to an annualized
rate of 30 MW compared to an 11 MW rate in 2007.
Cost
of
product sales and revenues increased to $39.0 million for the three months
ended
July 31, 2008, compared to a $14.9 million during the same period in 2007.
The
ratio of product cost to sales was 1.68 to 1 during the third quarter of 2008,
compared to 1.91-to-1 during the third quarter of 2007. The improved cost ratio
is primarily attributable to increased sales of MW-class power plants, compared
to the prior year, and reduction of unit costs across all product
lines.
During
the third quarter of 2008, the cost ratio was impacted by a manufacturing defect
that impacted fuel cell stack production costs by $2.0 million. The cost ratio
was unfavorably impacted in the quarter by higher aftermarket costs resulting
from a larger fleet of power plants in the field.
Cost
of
product sales and revenues includes costs to manufacture and ship our power
plants or power plant components to customer locations, site engineering and
construction costs where the Company is responsible for complete power plant
system installation, warranty and aftermarket costs required to service power
plants for customers with long-term service agreements
(including maintenance and stack replacements). Cost of sales
also includes PPA operating costs and adjustments required to value
our inventory at the lower of cost or market.
23
As
of
July 31, 2008, product sales backlog totaled approximately $100.7 million,
including approximately $15.2 million related to long-term service agreements.
This compares to a product sales backlog of $49.6 million, including
approximately $12.5 million related to long-term service agreements, as of
July
31, 2007. The increase in backlog is primarily attributable to increased order
flow from the South Korea and California markets. In 2007, we signed a 10-year
manufacturing and distribution agreement with POSCO Power, Korea's largest
independent power producer and a subsidiary of POSCO, one of the world's largest
producers of steel. South Korea’s clean energy program requires that power first
be exported to the utility grid, so the incentive favors the installation of
multi-MW power stations. POSCO Power ordered 30.4 MW of DFC power plants in
fiscal 2008 and 7.8 MW during fiscal 2007.
Our
products do not ship on an even production schedule. The shipment date to
customers depends on a number of factors that are outside of our control,
including siting requirements, timing of construction and permits. We do not
have the sales or order history to quantify trends as of yet. We expect to
continue to sell our DFC products at prices lower than our production costs
until production volumes increase and we are able to further reduce product
costs through our cost reduction programs.
Research
and development contracts
Research
and development revenue decreased by $1.0 million to $4.7 million for the three
months ended July 31, 2008, compared to $5.7 million for the same period in
2007. The decrease in revenue compared to the prior year is the result of the
timing of development activities on our contract with the Department of Energy’s
(DOE) Office of Fossil Energy to develop multi-MW coal-based SOFC power
plant.
Cost
of
research and development contracts decreased to $4.4 million during the third
quarter of 2008, compared to $4.7 million for 2007. Margin from research and
development contracts for the third quarter was approximately $0.3 million
or 7
percent, compared to 17 percent in the third quarter of 2007. Margin percentage
on research and development contracts will vary with the level of cost share
the
Company is required to contribute.
As
of
July 31, 2008, research and development sales backlog totaled approximately
$5.4
million of which Congress has authorized funding of $4.8 million, compared
to
$21.0 million as of July 31, 2007. We expect our current contracts with the
DOE
under the SOFC and Vision 21 programs to be completed this fiscal year. The
Company expects to submit a proposal for Phase 2 of the SOFC development program
that could result in a contract with a value estimated to be in the range of
$20
to 30 million over a two to three year period.
Administrative
and selling expenses
Administrative
and selling expenses for the quarter ended July 31, 2008 totaled $4.9 million,
an increase of $0.2 million, compared to $4.7 million in the same period of
the
prior year. This increase is primarily due to higher bid and proposal and
marketing expenses related to growing order volume and increased proposal
activity.
Research
and development expenses
Research
and development expenses totaled $5.7 million during the three months ended
July
31, 2008, a decline of $1.3 million, compared to $7.0 million recorded in the
same period of the prior year. The decrease is due to a shift of engineering
resources to commercial activities including planning for the Company’s
production and capacity ramp, increased research contract activities, and
supporting the installed power plant base. Research and development activities
in the quarter include approximately $2.6 million related to product
development, primarily the new MW-class power plants which are being launched
as
new products and certified during this fiscal year. Advanced technology
development, including extending stack life, increasing power output, and
developing advanced manufacturing processes, totaled approximately $2.9 million
during the quarter.
24
Loss
from operations
Loss
from
operations for the three months ended July 31, 2008 totaled $26.1 million,
which
is approximately $8.4 million higher than the $17.7 million loss recorded in
the
comparable period last year. The primary drivers to the increased loss were
a
higher loss on product sales of $8.6 million due to higher production volumes,
lower research and development contracts margin of approximately $0.8 million,
and higher selling, general and administrative expenses of approximately $0.2
million. These increases were partially offset by lower research and development
expenses of approximately $1.3 million.
Loss
from equity investments
Our
investment and loan to Versa Power, Inc. totaled approximately $10.9 million
and
$12.2 million as of July 31, 2008 and October 31, 2007, respectively. Our
current ownership interest is 39 percent and we account for Versa under the
equity method of accounting. Our shares of equity losses for the three months
ended July 31, 2008 and 2007 were $0.2 million and $0.4 million, respectively.
The decrease in equity losses is attributable to lower losses at Versa.
Interest
and other income, net
Interest
and other income, net, was $0.9 million for the three months ended July 31,
2008, compared to $3.2 million in the same period in 2007. The Company
recognized state research and development tax credits totaling $0.5 million
in
the quarter, compared to $1.2 million for the three months ended July 31, 2007
on lower allowable research and development activity. Interest and other income
also declined approximately $1.8 million due to lower average cash and
investment balances and lower interest rates than the comparable period.
Provision
for income taxes
We
believe that due to our commercialization efforts, our DFC products will
continue to incur losses. Based on projections for future taxable income over
the period in which the deferred tax assets are realizable, management believes
that uncertainty exists surrounding the recoverability of the deferred tax
assets. Therefore, we have not recognized any tax benefit related to current
or
prior year losses and other deferred tax assets.
25
Comparison
of Nine Months ended July 31, 2008 and July 31, 2007
Revenues
and costs of revenues
The
following tables summarize the components of our revenues and cost of revenues
for the nine months ended July 31, 2008 and 2007 (dollar amounts in thousands),
respectively:
Nine Months Ended
July 31, 2008
|
Nine Months Ended
July 31, 2007
|
Percentage
|
||||||||||||||
|
Revenues
|
Percent of
Revenues
|
Revenues
|
Percent of
Revenues
|
Increase in
Revenues
|
|||||||||||
Revenues: | ||||||||||||||||
Product
sales and revenues
|
$
|
59,428
|
80
|
%
|
$
|
21,567
|
68
|
%
|
176
|
%
|
||||||
Research
and development contracts
|
15,138
|
20
|
%
|
10,194
|
32
|
%
|
48
|
%
|
||||||||
Total
|
$
|
74,566
|
100
|
%
|
$
|
31,761
|
100
|
%
|
135
|
%
|
Nine Months Ended
July 31, 2008
|
Nine Months Ended
July 31, 2007
|
Percentage
|
||||||||||||||
|
Cost of
Revenues
|
Percent of
Cost of
Revenues
|
Cost of
Revenues
|
Percent of
Cost of
Revenues
|
Increase in
Cost of
Revenues
|
|||||||||||
Cost of revenues: | ||||||||||||||||
Product
sales and revenues
|
$
|
98,207
|
88
|
%
|
$
|
44,679
|
84
|
%
|
120
|
%
|
||||||
Research
and development contracts
|
13,644
|
12
|
%
|
8,758
|
16
|
%
|
56
|
%
|
||||||||
Total
|
$
|
111,851
|
100
|
%
|
$
|
53,437
|
100
|
%
|
109
|
%
|
Total
revenues for the nine months ended July 31, 2008 increased by $42.8 million,
or
135 percent, to $74.6 million from $31.8 million during the nine months ended
July 31, 2007.
Product
sales and revenues
Product
sales and revenue increased by 80 percent or $37.9 million to $59.4 million
for
the nine months ended July 31, 2008, compared to $21.6 million for the same
period in 2007. Revenue during the nine month period included approximately
$44.0 million of power plant sales, $7.6 million related to site engineering
and
construction work for projects where the Company is responsible for complete
power plant system installation, $5.3 million related to service agreements
and
component sales and approximately $2.4 million of revenue related to PPAs.
Revenues are higher due to increased orders for our fuel cell power plants.
As
of July 31, 2008, we have increased our production volume to an annualized
rate
of 30 MW compared to an 11 MW rate in 2007.
Cost
of
product sales and revenues increased to $98.2 million for the nine months ended
July 31, 2008, compared to $44.7 million during the same period in 2007. The
ratio of product cost to sales was 1.65 to 1 during the nine months ended July
31, 2008, compared to 2.07 to 1 during the same period a year ago. The cost
ratio has been favorably impacted in fiscal 2008 by the shift to MW production
and lower unit costs across all product lines.
Cost
of
product sales and revenues includes costs to manufacture and ship our
power
plants or power plant components to customer locations, site engineering
and
construction costs where the Company is responsible for complete power
plant
system installation, warranty and aftermarket costs required to service
power
plants for customers with long-term service agreements
(including maintenance and stack replacements). Cost of sales
also includes PPA operating costs and adjustments required to value
our inventory at the lower of cost or market.
Research
and development contracts
Research
and development revenue increased $4.9 million to $15.1 million for the nine
months ended July 31, 2008, compared to $10.2 million for the same period in
2007. Cost of research and development contracts increased to $13.6 million
during the nine months ended July 31, 2008, compared to $8.8 million for 2007.
Margin from research and development contracts for the nine months ended July
31, 2008 was approximately $1.4 million or 10 percent, compared to 14 percent
year to date 2007. Margin percentage on research and development contracts
will
vary with the level of cost share the Company is required to contribute.
Research and development contract revenue and costs were primarily related
to
the DOE’s large-scale SOFC hybrid and Vision 21 programs.
26
Administrative
and selling expenses
Administrative
and selling expenses increased $1.6 million to $15.5 million during the nine
months ended July 31, 2008, compared to $13.9 million in the same period of
the
prior year. Bid and proposal and other marketing activities were approximately
$1.2 million higher over the prior year. Other increases included higher stock
based compensation, business insurance, and professional fees as a result of
the
growth in the business.
Research
and development expenses
Research
and development expenses decreased to $17.2 million during the nine months
ended
July 31, 2008, compared to a $20.5 million increase recorded in the same period
of the prior year. The decrease is due to a shift of engineering resources
to
commercial activities, including planning for our production and capacity ramp,
increased research contract activities, and supporting the installed power
plant
base.
Loss
from operations
Loss
from
operations increased by approximately $14.0 million to $70.0 million for the
nine months ended July 31, 2008 compared to $56.0 million recorded in the
comparable nine month period last year. The primary drivers to the increased
loss were a higher loss on product sales of $15.7 million due to higher
production volumes and higher selling, general, and administrative expenses
of
approximately $1.7 million. These increases were partially offset by lower
internal research and development of approximately $3.3 million. Net results
benefited from a favorable product mix and lower per unit production costs
compared to the comparable prior year period.
Loss
from equity investments
Our
ownership interest in Versa at July 31, 2008 was 39 percent and we account
for
the investment under the equity method of accounting. Our share of equity losses
for the nine months ended July 31, 2008 and 2007 were $1.3 million and $1.0
million, respectively. The increase in equity losses is attributable to higher
losses at Versa.
Interest
and other income, net
Interest
and other income, net, was $2.8 million for the nine months ended July 31,
2008,
compared to $5.7 million for the same period in 2007. The company recognized
state research and development tax credits totaling $0.5 million in the nine
months ended July 31, 2008, compared to $1.2 million for the comparable period
in 2007 on lower allowable research and development activity. Interest income
also decreased during the period by $2.4 million due to lower average invested
balances and lower interest rates.
Provision
for income taxes
We
believe that due to our efforts to commercialize our DFC products, we will
continue to incur losses. Based on projections for future taxable income over
the period in which the deferred tax assets are realizable, management believes
that uncertainty exists surrounding the recoverability of the deferred tax
assets. Therefore, we have not recognized any tax benefit related to current
or
prior year losses and other deferred tax assets.
27
LIQUIDITY
AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Cash,
cash equivalents, and investments totaled approximately $104.4 million as of
July 31, 2008, compared to $153.6 million as of October 31, 2007. Net cash
and
investments used during the third quarter of 2008 was $17.1 million and the
fiscal year to date total is approximately $49.2 million.
Cash
Inflows and Outflows
Cash
and
cash equivalents as of July 31, 2008 totaled $50.9 million, reflecting a
decrease of $42.1 million from the balance reported as of October 31, 2007.
The
key components of our cash inflows and outflows from continuing operations
were
as follows:
Operating
Activities:
During
the nine months ended July 31, 2008, we used $45.3 million in cash for operating
activities, compared to operating cash usage of $42.7 million during the nine
months ended July 31, 2007. Cash used in operating activities during the first
nine months of fiscal 2008 consisted of a net loss for the period of
approximately $69.9 million, offset by non-cash adjustments totaling $13.8
million, including $4.2 million of share-based compensation and depreciation
expense of $6.6 million.
The
change in cash related to net working capital totaled approximately $10.8
million. Changes favorable to working capital included an increase in accounts
payable and accrued expenses of $6.7 million related to higher procurement
for
increased production volumes. Deferred revenue and customer deposits also
increased by $12.2 million due to increased customer orders in the period.
Customers make milestone payments during the production cycle for their power
plants. Offsetting these increases were higher accounts receivable and other
assets totaling $11.1 million and lower inventories of $2.5 million.
Investing
Activities: During
the nine months ended July 31, 2008, net cash provided by investing activities
totaled $1.2 million, compared with approximately $28.0 million in the
comparable period of 2007. For the nine months ended July 31, 2008, capital
expenditures totaled $5.7 million primarily related to expanding our
manufacturing capacity to an annual minimum of 60 MW of production. This
expansion is expected to be completed in 2009 at a total cost of approximately
$15.0 million.
Also
during the nine-month period, approximately $69.6 million of investments in
U.S.
treasury securities matured and new U.S. treasury purchases totaled $62.8
million.
Financing
Activities: During
the nine months ended July 31, 2008, net cash provided by financing activities
was approximately $2.1 million, compared to $94.6 million in 2007. Activity
in
the first nine months of fiscal 2008 included $2.8 million for the payment
of
dividends on preferred stock and repayment of debt of $0.5 million. These cash
outflows in the first nine months of fiscal 2008 were offset by receipts of
$2.8
million from the sale of common stock and common stock issued for stock plans,
and $2.7 million of cash borrowed from the Connecticut Development Authority
on
a $4.0 million debt line established in the second quarter of fiscal 2008 for
equipment purchases associated with manufacturing capacity expansion. During
the
third quarter of fiscal 2007, we completed two common stock offerings with
net
proceeds of $95.5 million.
Sources
and Uses of Cash and Investments
We
continue to invest in new product development and market development and, as
such, we are not currently generating positive cash flow from our
operations. Our operations are funded primarily through sales of equity
securities and cash generated from customer contracts, including cash from
product sales, service and PPAs, incentive funding, government research and
development contracts, and interest earned on investments. We anticipate that
our existing capital resources, together with anticipated revenues, will be
adequate to satisfy our financial requirements and agreements through at least
the next twelve months.
28
Our
future cash requirements depend on numerous factors including future involvement
in research and development contracts, implementing our cost reduction efforts
and increasing annual order volume.
Future
involvement in research and development contracts
Our
research and development contracts are generally multi-year, cost reimbursement
contracts. The majority of these are U.S. Government contracts that are
dependent upon the government’s continued allocation of funds and may be
terminated in whole or in part at the convenience of the government. We will
continue to seek research and development contracts. To obtain these contracts,
we must continue to prove the benefits of our technologies and be successful
in
our competitive bidding.
Implementing
cost reduction efforts on our fuel cell products
Reducing
product cost is essential for us to further penetrate the market for our fuel
cell products. Cost reductions will reduce and may eliminate the need for
incentive funding programs and are critical to our attaining profitability.
Currently available incentives allow our product pricing to compete with
grid-delivered power and other distributed generation technologies.
Our
2 MW
Santa Clara ‘proof-of-concept’ project in 1996-1997 cost more than
$20,000/kilowatt (“kW”) to produce. In 2003, we shipped our first commercial
product, a DFC300 to the Kirin Brewery which cost approximately $10,000 per
kW.
Since 2003, we have implemented a multi-disciplined cost reduction program
that
reduced product costs by approximately 70 percent. In 2008, the Company is
targeting cost reductions of 20 percent from current levels for the MW-class
DFC1500 and DFC3000 power plants through a power output increase, global
sourcing and continued manufacturing improvements. Product cost reductions
come
from several areas:
·
|
engineering
improvements;
|
·
|
technology
advances;
|
·
|
supply
chain management;
|
·
|
production
volume; and
|
·
|
manufacturing
process improvements
|
In
the
last couple of years, the two biggest contributors to our cost reductions have
come from value engineering activities to reduce the design cost of our products
and improvements in our core technology.
In
the
first half of 2008, we were producing products largely designed in 2006 and
early 2007. In the second half of 2008, we are producing lower-cost MW-class
units. By the fourth quarter, we will also see multi-MW products starting to
become a larger percentage of our production and we expect cost ratios to
improve as a result.
Technology
advances also reduce product costs through the ability to generate more power
from the fuel cells. We have already demonstrated the ability to uprate our
products with our successful uprate of the 250 kW stack to 300 kW in August
2006. Validation testing is underway on our next uprated stacks that will
increase the power output by approximately 17%. We expect to increase the power
output of the DFC1500 and DFC3000 to 1.4 MW and 2.8 MW respectively, and go
into
production in mid-2009.
We
are
also working on stack life increases that are expected to result in lower
operating and maintenance costs across the entire product line. In the 2008
first quarter, our new five-year stack went into production, extending the
life
of the DFC fuel cell’s core technology by two years and significantly reducing
cost of maintenance and operation.
29
Increasing
annual order volume
In
addition to the cost reduction initiatives discussed above, we need to increase
annual order volume. Increased production volumes lower costs by leveraging
supplier/purchasing opportunities, creating opportunities for incorporating
manufacturing process improvements, and spreading fixed costs over higher units
of production. Our manufacturing and conditioning facilities have 50 MW of
annual production capacity. Based upon existing backlog, we ramped our
production volumes to an annualized rate of 30 MW as of July 31, 2008. Our
current product sales backlog is 34.6 MW and totals approximately $85.5 million.
This is a 130 percent increase over the product backlog reported as of July
31,
2007. We see continued opportunities for increased order volume in our key
markets, including Asia, California and Connecticut.
The
Company sells both completed power plants and fuel cell modules. Of the current
product backlog, approximately 90 percent is for MW-class complete power plants
and fuel cell modules. Based on the current backlog, we expect the mix of
production to move primarily to DFC3000 power plants and fuel cell modules
in
fiscal 2009. Volume increases and design changes incorporated into production
in
the latter half of 2009 are expected to drive multi-MW power plants and fuel
cell modules to gross margin profitability. Combined with historical cost out
achievements and successful execution of our new initiatives, we believe we
can
reach gross margin breakeven on product sales at a sustained annual order and
production volume of approximately 35 MW to 50 MW, depending on product mix,
geographic location, incentives and credits, and other variables such as fuel
prices. We believe that our net income breakeven can be achieved at a sustained
annual order and volume production of approximately 75 to 100 MW assuming a
favorable mix of sub-MW and MW sales of complete power plants. If this mix
trends more toward MW and multi-MW orders of complete power plants, we believe
that the gross margin and net income breakeven volumes can be lower. If the
mix
trends towards fuel cell module only sales orders, we believe that the gross
margin and net income breakeven volumes would be higher.
Commitments
and Significant Contractual Obligations
A
summary
of our significant future commitments and contractual obligations as of July
31,
2008 and the related payments by fiscal year is summarized as follows (in
thousands):
Payments Due by Period
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Total
|
Less
than 1
Year
|
1 – 3
Years
|
3 – 5
Years
|
More
Than
5 Years
|
|||||||||||
Contractual
Obligation:
|
||||||||||||||||
Capital
and operating lease commitments (1)
|
$
|
3,904
|
$
|
1,072
|
$
|
852
|
$
|
897
|
$
|
1,083
|
||||||
Term
loans (principal and interest)
|
3,872
|
722
|
655
|
730
|
1,765
|
|||||||||||
Purchase
commitments(2)
|
53,421
|
51,755
|
1,666
|
—
|
—
|
|||||||||||
Series
I Preferred dividends payable (3)
|
24,296
|
489
|
12,815
|
2,443
|
8,549
|
|||||||||||
Series
B Preferred dividends payable (4)
|
4,854
|
3,206
|
1,648
|
—
|
—
|
|||||||||||
Totals
|
$
|
90,347
|
$
|
57,244
|
$
|
17,636
|
$
|
4,070
|
$
|
11,397
|
(1)
|
Future
minimum lease payments on capital and operating
leases.
|
(2)
|
Purchase
commitments with suppliers for materials supplies, and services incurred
in the normal course of business.
|
(3)
|
Quarterly
dividends of Cdn.$312,500 accrue on the Series 1 preferred shares
(subject
to possible reduction pursuant to the terms of the Series 1 preferred
shares on account of increases in the price of our common stock).
We have
agreed to pay a minimum of Cdn.$500,000 in cash or common stock annually
to Enbridge, Inc., the holder of the Series 1 preferred shares, so
long as
Enbridge holds the shares. Interest accrues on cumulative unpaid
dividends
at a 2.45 percent quarterly rate, compounded quarterly, until payment
thereof. Using an exchange rate of Cdn.$.977 to U.S.$1.00 (exchange
rate
on July 31, 2008), cumulative unpaid dividends and accrued interest
of
approximately $8.2 million on the Series 1 preferred shares were
outstanding as of July 31, 2008. For
the purposes of this disclosure, we have assumed an exchange rate
of
Cdn.$.977 to U.S.$1.00 (exchange rate on July 31, 2008) and that
the
minimum dividend payments would be made through 2010. In 2010, we
would be
required to pay any unpaid and accrued dividends. Subsequent to 2010,
we
would be required to pay annual dividend amounts totaling Cdn.$1.25
million. We have the option of paying these dividends in stock or
cash.
|
30
(4)
|
Dividends
on Series B Preferred Stock accrue at an annual rate of 5% paid quarterly.
The obligations schedule assumes we will pay preferred dividends
on these
shares through November 20, 2009, at which time the preferred shares
may
be subject to mandatory conversion at the option of the Company.
|
In
April
2008, we received approval from the Connecticut Department of Public Utility
Control on the financing commitment for the 9.0 MW Milford, Connecticut DFC-ERG
project under Connecticut’s Clean Energy Fund Project 150. Under the financial
commitment, we will provide 20 percent or $7.1 million toward financing the
construction of this project. Our development partner, Energy East Corporation,
will provide the remaining 80 percent of the construction phase financing.
The
commitment is contingent on entering into final contracts with Energy East
for
the DFC-ERG project.
In
April
2008, we entered into a new 10-year loan agreement with the CDA allowing for
a
maximum amount borrowed of $4.0 million. At July 31, 2008, we had an outstanding
balance of $2.5 million on this loan. The stated interest rate is 5 percent
and
the loan will be collateralized by the assets procured under this loan as well
as $4.0 million of additional machinery and equipment. Repayment terms require
(i) interest only payments on outstanding balances through November 2009 and
(ii) interest and principal payments commencing in December 2009 through May
2018.
In
April
2006, Bridgeport FuelCell Park, LLC (“BFCP”), one of our wholly-owned
subsidiaries, entered into a loan agreement for $0.5 million, secured by assets
of BFCP. Loan proceeds were designated for pre-development expenses associated
with the development, construction, and operation of a fuel cell generation
facility in Bridgeport, Connecticut (the “Project”). The outstanding balance on
this loan was $0.6 million, including accrued interest, as of July 31, 2008.
In
December 2006, we entered into a master equipment lease agreement for $2.5
million of equipment. As of July 31, 2008, capital lease obligations under
this
lease agreement were $0.4 million. Lease payment terms are thirty-six months.
We
have
pledged approximately $10.0 million of our cash and cash equivalents as
collateral and letters of credit for certain banking relationships and customer
contracts, of which approximately $9.1 million supported letters of credit
that
expire on various dates through December 31, 2008.
Research
and development cost-share contracts
We
have
contracted with various government agencies as either a prime contractor or
sub-contractor on cost-share contracts and agreements. Cost-share terms require
that participating contractors share the total cost of the project based on
an
agreed upon ratio with the government agency. As of July 31, 2008, our research
and development sales backlog totaled $5.4 million. We will incur additional
research and development cost-share related to this backlog totaling
approximately $1.8 million which will not be reimbursed by the government.
Our
current contract with the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy is for the first phase
of their three-phase program to develop multi-MW coal-based SOFC power plants.
Phase I is focused on SOFC cell and stack technology scale-up, as well as
developing a baseline and proof-of-concept system engineering design and
analysis, and is expected to be completed in September 2008. We expect to submit
a proposal to the DOE for Phase 2 of the SOFC development program that could
result in a contract with a value estimated to be in the range of $20 to $30
million over a three-year period.
We
expect
the Vision 21 program will be completed later this fiscal year. Under this
program, we completed significant development work on our Direct
FuelCell/Turbine , including a sub-MW demonstration. The Direct FuelCell/Turbine
achieved electrical efficiency of approximately 56 percent while running for
approximately 8,000 hours.
31
Product
sales contracts
Costs
to
manufacture and install our products exceed current market prices. As of July
31, 2008, we had product sales backlog of approximately $85.5 million. We do
not
expect the Company to achieve gross margin profitability until we achieve
sustained annual production volume of approximately 35 MW to 50 MW, depending
on
product mix, geographic location, incentives and credits and other variables
such as fuel prices. Based upon existing backlog, we ramped our production
volumes to an annualized rate of 30 MW compared to an approximate 11 MW run
rate
in the prior year.
Long-term
service agreements
We
have
contracted with certain customers to provide long-term service for fuel cell
power plants ranging from one to 13 years. Under the provisions of these
contracts, we provide services to maintain, monitor, and repair customer power
plants. In some contracts we provide for replacement of fuel cell stacks.
Pricing for service contracts is based upon estimates of future costs, which
given our products’ early stage of development could be materially different
from actual expenses. As of July 31, 2008, we had a service agreement sales
backlog of approximately $15.2 million.
Power
purchase agreements
As
of
July 31, 2008, we had 3 MW of power plants in operation under PPAs ranging
in
duration from 5 – 10 years. PPAs are a common arrangement in the energy
industry whereby a customer purchases energy from an owner and operator of
the
power generation equipment.
We
qualified for incentive funding for these projects in California under the
state’s Self-Generation Incentive Funding Program and from other government
programs. Funds are payable upon commercial installation and demonstration
of
the plant and may require return of the funds for failure of certain performance
requirements. Revenue related to these incentive funds is recognized ratably
over the performance period. As of July 31, 2008 we had deferred revenue
totaling $4.8 million on the consolidated balance sheet related to incentive
funding received on PPAs.
Under
the
terms of our PPAs, customers agree to purchase power from our fuel cell power
plants at negotiated rates, generally for periods of 5 to 10 years. Electricity
rates are generally a function of the customer’s current and future electricity
pricing available from the grid. Revenues are earned and collected under these
PPAs as power is produced. As owner of the power plants, we are responsible
for
all operating costs necessary to maintain, monitor and repair the power plants.
Under certain agreements, we are also responsible for procuring fuel, natural
gas, to run the power plants. The assets, including fuel cell power plants,
are
carried at the lower of cost or fair value on the Consolidated Balance Sheets
based on our estimates of future revenues and expenses. We are not required
to
produce minimum amounts of power under our PPAs and we have the right to
terminate PPAs by giving written notice to the customer, subject to certain
exit
costs.
32
RECENT
ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
In
December 2007, the FASB issued Statement No. 141 (revised 2007), Business
Combinations (“SFAS No. 141R”), and Statement No. 160, Noncontrolling Interests
in Consolidated Financial Statements (“SFAS No. 160”). SFAS No. 141R requires an
acquirer to measure the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed
and any noncontrolling interest in the acquiree at their fair values on the
acquisition date, with goodwill being the excess value over the net identifiable
assets acquired. This Statement also requires the fair value measurement of
certain other assets and liabilities related to the acquisition such as
contingencies and research and development. SFAS No. 160 clarifies that a
noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary should be reported as equity in the
consolidated financial statements. Consolidated net income should include the
net income for both the parent and the noncontrolling interest with disclosure
of both amounts on the consolidated statement income. The calculation of
earnings per share will continue to be based on income amounts attributable
to
the parent. The effective date for both Statements is the beginning of fiscal
year 2010. We have not yet determined the impact, if any, that the adoption
of
SFAS No. 141R and SFAS No. 160 could have on our consolidated financial
statements.
In
April 2008, the FASB issued Financial Staff Position (“FSP”) No. FAS
142-3, Determination of the Useful Life of Intangible Assets. FSP
No. FAS 142-3 amends the factors that should be considered in developing
renewal or extension assumptions used to determine the useful life of a
recognized intangible asset under SFAS No. 142, “Goodwill and Other
Intangible Assets.” The intent of the position is to improve the
consistency between the useful life of a recognized intangible asset under
SFAS
No. 142 and the period of expected cash flows used to measure the fair
value of the asset under SFAS No. 141R, and other U.S. generally accepted
accounting principles. The provisions of FSP No. FAS 142-3 are effective
for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008. FSP
No. FAS142-3 is effective for the Company’s fiscal year beginning November
1, 2009. We have not yet determined the impact, if any, that the adoption
of FSP No. FAS 142-3 could have on our consolidated financial
statements.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued Statement No. 157, Fair Value Measurements
(“SFAS No. 157”). This Statement defines fair value and expands disclosures
about fair value measurements. These methods will apply to other accounting
standards that use fair value measurements and may change the application of
certain measurements used in current practice. This Statement is effective
for
the beginning of fiscal year 2009, November 1, 2008 for the Company. In February
2008, the FASB issued FSP FAS 157-2, Effective Date of FASB Statement
No. 157, which delays the effective date of SFAS No. 157 for all
nonfinancial assets and nonfinancial liabilities, except those that are
recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring
basis (at least annually). FSP FAS 157-2 partially defers the effective date
of
SFAS 157 to fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2008, and
interim periods within those fiscal years for items within the scope of this
FSP. FSP FAS 157-2 is effective for us beginning November 1, 2009. We have
not yet determined the impact, if any, that the adoption of SFAS No. 157 and
FSP
FAS 157-2 could have on our consolidated financial statements.
In
February 2007, the FASB issued Statement No. 159, the Fair Value Option for
Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (“SFAS No. 159”). This Statement
permits entities to measure most financial instruments at fair value if desired.
It may be applied on a contract by contract basis and is irrevocable once
applied to those contracts. The Statement may be applied at the time of adoption
for existing eligible items, or at initial recognition of eligible items. After
election of this option, changes in fair value are reported in earnings. The
items measured at fair value must be shown separately on the balance sheet.
This
Statement is effective for the beginning of fiscal year 2009. The cumulative
effect of adoption, if any, would be reported as an adjustment to beginning
retained earnings. We have not yet determined the impact, if any, that the
adoption of SFAS No. 159 could have on our consolidated financial
statements.
In
March 2008, the FASB issued Statement No. 161, Disclosures about
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities – an amendment of FASB
Statement No. 133 (“SFAS No. 161”). SFAS No. 161 amends and
expands the disclosure requirements of FASB Statement No. 133 “Accounting
for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities” by establishing, among other
things, the disclosure requirements for derivative instruments and hedging
activities. This Statement requires qualitative disclosures about
objectives and strategies for using derivatives, quantitative disclosures about
fair value amounts of gains and losses on derivative instruments, and
disclosures about credit-risk-related contingent features in derivative
agreements. The provisions of SFAS No. 161 are effective for fiscal
years and interim periods beginning after November 15, 2008, with early
application encouraged. SFAS No. 161 is effective for the Company’s
second quarter of fiscal year ending October 31, 2009. We have not yet
determined the impact, if any, that the adoption of SFAS No. 161 could have
on
our consolidated financial statements.
33
Item
3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET
RISK
Interest
Rate Exposure
Our
exposures to market risk for changes in interest rates relate primarily to
our
investment portfolio and long term debt obligations. Our investment portfolio
as
of July 31, 2008 includes U.S. Treasury instruments with maturities averaging
three months or less, as well as U.S. Treasury notes with fixed interest rates
with maturities through October 2009. Cash is invested overnight with high
credit quality financial institutions. Based on our overall interest exposure
at
July 31, 2008, including all interest rate sensitive instruments, a near-term
change in interest rate movements of 1 percent would affect our results of
operations by approximately $0.5 million annually.
Foreign
Currency Exchange Risk
With
our
Canadian business entity, FuelCell Energy, Ltd., we are subject to foreign
exchange risk, although we have taken steps to mitigate those risks where
possible. As of July 31, 2008, approximately $0.07 million (less than one
percent) of our total cash, cash equivalents and investments was in currencies
other than U.S. dollars. The functional currency of FuelCell Energy, Ltd. is
the
U.S. dollar. We also make purchases from certain vendors in currencies other
than U.S. dollars. Although we have not experienced significant foreign exchange
rate losses to date, we may in the future, especially to the extent that we
do
not engage in currency hedging activities. The economic impact of currency
exchange rate movements on our operating results is complex because such changes
are often linked to variability in real growth, inflation, interest rates,
governmental actions and other factors. These changes, if material, may cause
us
to adjust our financing and operating strategies. Consequently, isolating the
effect of changes in currency does not incorporate these other important
economic factors.
Derivative
Fair Value Exposure
We
have
determined that our Series 1 Preferred shares include embedded derivatives
that
require bifurcation from the host contract and separate accounting in accordance
with SFAS 133, Accounting
for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities.
Specifically, the embedded derivatives requiring bifurcation from the host
contract are the conversion feature of the security and the variable dividend
obligation. The aggregate fair value of these derivatives included within
Long-term debt and other liabilities on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of
July 31, 2008 was $0.3 million. The fair value of these derivatives is based
on
valuation models using various assumptions including historical stock price
volatility, risk-free interest rate and a credit spread based on the yield
indexes of technology high yield bonds, foreign exchange volatility as the
Series 1 Preferred security is denominated in Canadian dollars, and the closing
price of our common stock. Changes in any of these assumptions will result
in
fluctuations in the derivative value and will impact the Consolidated Statement
of Operations. For example, a 25 percent increase from the closing price of
our
common stock at July 31, 2008 would result in an increase in the fair value
of
these derivatives and a charge to the Consolidated Statement of Operations
of
approximately $0.1 million, assuming all other assumptions remain the
same.
We
have
determined that the 2,286 warrants received in conjunction with our investment
in Versa during the third fiscal quarter of 2007 represent derivatives. The
fair
value of the warrants is based on the Black-Scholes valuation model using
historical stock price, volatility (based on a peer group since Versa’s common
stock is not publicly traded) and risk-free interest rate assumptions. The
fair
value of this derivative included within Investment and loan to affiliate on
our
Consolidated Balance Sheet as of July 31, 2008 was $0.2 million. Changes in
any
of these assumptions will result in fluctuations in the derivative value and
will impact the Consolidated Statement of Operations. For example, a 10 percent
increase in the volatility assumption used at July 31, 2008 would result in
an
increase in the fair value of this derivative and a charge to the Consolidated
Statement of Operations of approximately $14 thousand, assuming all other
assumptions remain the same.
34
Item
4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
The
Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures, which are designed to
provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in the
Company’s periodic SEC reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported
within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such
information is accumulated and communicated to its principal executive officer
and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions
regarding required disclosure.
We
carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation
of
our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, of the
effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and
procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that
evaluation, the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial
officer have concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures
were effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to
be
disclosed in the Company’s periodic SEC reports is recorded, processed,
summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and
forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to its
principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate,
to
allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
There
has
been no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred
during the last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably
likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial
reporting.
35
PART
II - OTHER INFORMATION
Item
6. Exhibits
Exhibit No.
|
Description
|
|
31.1
|
CEO Certification pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
|
|
31.2
|
CFO
Certification pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002
|
|
32.1
|
|
CEO
Certification pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002
|
32.2
|
|
CFO
Certification pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002
|
36
SIGNATURES
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.
FUELCELL
ENERGY, INC.
|
||
(Registrant)
|
||
September
5, 2008
|
|
/s/
Joseph G. Mahler
|
Date
|
|
Joseph
G. Mahler
Senior
Vice President, Chief Financial
Officer,
Treasurer and Corporate Secretary
(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)
|
37
INDEX
OF EXHIBITS
Exhibit No.
|
Description
|
|
31.1
|
CEO
Certification pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002
|
|
31.2
|
CFO Certification pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
|
|
32.1
|
|
CEO
Certification pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of
2002
|
32.2
|
|
CFO
Certification pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of
2002
|
38