Company: ARRY
Filing Date: 2025-03-03
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001820721-25-000023
Chunk: 28

Company: Array Technologies, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-03-03
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 28
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ated by electric utilities and organized electric markets with respect to fees, practices, and rate design, heavily influence the market for electricity generation products and services. These regulations and policies often affect electricity pricing and the interconnection of generation facilities, and can be subject to frequent modifications by governments, regulatory bodies, utilities and market operators. For example, changes in fee structures, electricity pricing structures, regional market rules and system permitting, interconnection and operating requirements can deter purchases of renewable energy products, including solar energy systems, by reducing anticipated revenues or increasing costs or regulatory burdens for would-be system purchasers. The resulting reductions in demand for solar energy systems could harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. 

A significant development in renewable-energy pricing policies in the U.S. occurred when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) issued a final rule amending regulations that implement a section of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (“PURPA”) on July 16, 2020, which FERC upheld on rehearing on November 19, 2020. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied petitions for review of the regulations on November 5, 2023. Among other requirements, PURPA mandates that electric utilities buy the output of certain renewable generators, including qualifying solar energy facilities, below established capacity thresholds. PURPA also requires that such sales occur at a utility’s “avoided cost” rate. FERC’s reforms to its PURPA regulations include modifications (1) to how regulators and electric utilities may establish avoided cost rates for new contracts, (2) that reduce from 20 MW to 5 MW the capacity threshold above which a renewable-energy qualifying facility is rebuttably presumed to have non-discriminatory market access, thereby removing the requirement for certain utilities to purchase its output, (3) that require regulators to establish criteria for determining when an electric utility incurs a legally enforceable obligation to purchase from a PURPA qualifying facility, and (4) that reduce barriers for third parties to challenge a renewable facility’s PURPA eligibility. These regulations took effect on February 16, 2021, but the net effect of these changes is uncertain, as some changes will not become fully effective until states and other jurisdictions implement the new authorities provided by FERC. In general, however, FERC’s PURPA reforms have the potential to reduce prices for the output from certain new renewable generation projects while also narrowing the scope of PURPA eligibility for new projects. These effects could reduce opportunities and demand for