Related party transactions |
3 Months Ended |
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Mar. 31, 2017 | |
| Related Party Transactions [Abstract] | |
| Related party transactions |
Related party transactions and Joint Ventures
The Company has three affiliated companies, namely American DG Energy Inc., or American DG Energy, Ultra Emissions Technologies Ltd, and TTcogen LLC. These companies are related because either several of the major stockholders of those companies, have a significant ownership position in the Company or they joint ventures between Tecogen and other parties. Neither American DG Energy own any shares of the Company, nor does the Company own any shares of American DG Energy.
On December 23, 2013, the Company entered into a Senior Convertible Promissory Note with Michaelson Capital Special Finance Fund LP (see Note 3). This agreement came with board observation rights causing the related party status.
On June 15, 2015, the Company entered into a Non-Revolving Line of Credit Agreement with John N. Hatsopoulos, the Company's Co-Chief Executive Officer and a Company Director (see Note 3).
The Company provides office space and certain utilities to American DG Energy based on a monthly rate set at the beginning of each year. This sublease was signed on July 1, 2014 and subsequently amended. The lease will expire on July 1, 2017. The agreement contains an automatic monthly renewal at expiration. In addition, the Company pays certain operating expenses, including benefits and insurance, on behalf of American DG Energy. The Company is reimbursed for these costs. In January of 2017, Tecogen purchased a large quantity of used equipment from American DG Energy for approximately $985,000. Tecogen plans to sell this equipment to specific customers in the coming quarters.
Ultra Emissions Technologies Ltd.
On December 28, 2015, the Company entered into a joint venture agreement relating to the formation of a joint venture company (the “JV”) organized to develop and commercialize Tecogen’s patented technology (“Ultera® Technology”) designed to reduce harmful emissions generated by engines using fossil fuels. The joint venture company, called Ultra Emissions Technologies Limited, was organized under the laws of the Island of Jersey, Channel Islands.
The Company received a 50% equity interest in the JV in exchange for a fully paid-up worldwide license to use Tecogen’s Ultera emissions control technology in the field of mobile vehicles burning fossil fuels. The other half of the joint venture equity interests were purchased for $3,000,000 by a small group of offshore investors. Warrants to purchase additional equity securities in the JV were granted to all parties pro rata. If the venture is not successful, all licensed intellectual property rights will revert to Tecogen.
The JV is expected to have losses as it performs the necessary research and development with the Ultera technology. On August 2, 2016, Tecogen exercised 2,000,000 warrants (the "Ultratek Warrants"), in the JV, at $1.00 per share, for an aggregate amount of $2 million. The funds used to exercise the Ultratek Warrants were acquired by the Company from the holders of certain Company warrants (the "Tecogen Warrant Holders"), when they partially exercised their Tecogen warrants (the "Tecogen Warrants"), in July of 2016. The Tecogen Warrant Holders exercised a total of 675,000 Tecogen Warrants with a $4.00 exercise price, resulting in cash proceeds of $2,700,000 to the Company, which the Company then used some of the proceeds to invest in the JV. An additional $6,500,000 was raised from other outside investors for a total equity investment to date of $13,500,000. Due to this additional capital raise, Tecogen's ownership has decreased to 43%.
The Company is accounting for its interest in the JV using the equity method. Income and losses will be recorded consistent with an agreement between the JV shareholders as to how income and losses will be allocated. These allocations are consistent with the allocation of cash distributions and liquidating distributions of the JV. The shareholder agreement calls for Tecogen's investment to be returned before any other shareholder if the venture does not achieve commercialization. As a result, as of March 31, 2017, Tecogen has not recorded any of the income or losses of the JV.
TTcogen LLC
On May 19, 2016, the Company along with Tedom a.s., a corporation incorporated in the Czech Republic and a European combined heat and power product manufacturer, ("Tedom") entered into a joint venture, where the Company will hold a 50% participating interest and the remaining 50% interest will be with Tedom. As part of the joint venture, the parties agreed to create a Delaware limited liability company, TTcogen LLC ("TTcogen"), to carry out the business of the venture. Tedom granted TTcogen the sole and exclusive right to market, sell, offer for sale, and distribute certain products as agreed to by the parties throughout the United States. The product offerings of the joint venture expand the current Tecogen product offerings to the MicroCHP of 35kW to large 4,000kW plants. Tecogen agreed to refer all appropriate sale leads to TTcogen regarding the products agreed to by the parties and Tecogen shall have the first right to repair and maintain the products sold by TTcogen.
The TTcogen operations will be accounted for using equity method accounting. Any losses on the initial operation of the entity will not be consolidated in Tecogen's financial statements. Since Tecogen does not guarantee obligations of TTcogen, losses or liabilities of the joint venture are not recorded on the Company's financial statements. Using equity method accounting, as the venture becomes profitable with the expected growth, realized gains from profits will be added to the an investment asset account on the consolidated balance sheet.
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