Description of business and basis of presentation |
9 Months Ended |
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Sep. 30, 2023 | |
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |
| Description of business and basis of presentation |
Description of Business and Basis of Presentation Description of Business
Tecogen Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “we,” “our,” or “us,” or “Tecogen”) designs, manufactures, markets, and maintains high efficiency, ultra-clean cogeneration products. These include natural gas engine driven combined heat and power (CHP) systems, chillers and heat pumps for multi-family residential, commercial, recreational and industrial use. We are known for products that provide customers with substantial energy savings, resiliency from utility power outages and for significantly reducing a customer’s carbon footprint. Our products are sold with our patented Ultera® emissions technology which nearly eliminates all criteria pollutants such as nitrogen oxide ("NOx") and carbon monoxide ("CO"). We developed Ultera® for other applications including stationary engines and forklifts. We were incorporated in the State of Delaware on September 15, 2000.
We have wholly-owned subsidiaries American DG Energy, Inc. ("ADGE") and Tecogen CHP Solutions, Inc., and we own a 51% interest in American DG New York, LLC ("ADGNY"), a joint venture. ADGE and ADGNY distribute, own, and operate clean, on-site energy systems that produce electricity, hot water, heat and cooling. ADGE and ADGNY own the equipment that is installed at customers' facilities and sell the energy produced to the customer on a long-term contractual basis.
Our operations are comprised of three business segments:
•our Products segment, which designs, manufactures and sells industrial and commercial cogeneration systems;
•our Services segment, which provides operations and maintenance ("O&M") services for our products under long term service contracts, and
•our Energy Production segment, which installs, operates and maintains distributed generation electricity systems that we own and sells energy generated by such systems in the form of electricity, heat, hot water and cooling to our customers under long-term energy sales agreements.
The majority of our customers are located in regions with the highest utility rates, typically California, the Midwest and the Northeast.
On July 20, 2022, we announced our intention to increase focus on opportunities relating to Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). Tecogen believes that CEA offers an exciting opportunity to apply the company’s expertise in clean cooling, power generation, and greenhouse gas reduction to address critical issues affecting food and energy security. However, we have not taken any formal steps to enter this business as of the date of the filing of this report.
Our common stock is quoted on OTC Markets Group, Inc.'s OTCQX Best Market tier and trades under the symbol "TGEN."
On May 18, 2017, we acquired 100% of the outstanding common stock of American DG Energy Inc., formerly a related entity, in a stock-for-stock merger.
On March 15, 2023, we entered into an agreement ("Agreement") with Aegis Energy Services, LLC (“Aegis”) pursuant to which Aegis agreed to assign to us and we agreed to assume certain Aegis maintenance agreements, we agreed to purchase certain assets, and related matters (“Acquisition”). On April 1, 2023, the Acquisition closed. Under the Agreement, we agreed to acquire from Aegis and assume Aegis rights and obligations arising on or after April 1, 2023, under maintenance agreements pursuant to which Aegis provided maintenance services for approximately 200 cogeneration systems, and acquired certain vehicles and inventory used by Aegis in connection with the performance of such maintenance services, and, following closing hired eight (8) Aegis employees to provide services with respect to such maintenance agreements. At closing, we acquired eight (8) Aegis vehicles for consideration consisting of $170,000 in cash. Also, we issued credits against outstanding accounts receivable due from Aegis in the amount of $300,000 for the acquisition of inventory that Aegis used to provide maintenance services. See Note 8. - Aegis Contract and Related Asset Acquisition.
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 8 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2023.
The condensed consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2022 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements at that date included in our annual report of Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 ("2022 Form
10-K"), but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements.
For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in Tecogen's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of entities in which we have a controlling financial interest. Those entities include our wholly-owned subsidiaries American DG Energy Inc., Tecogen CHP Solutions, Inc., and a joint venture, American DG New York, LLC, in which American DG Energy Inc. holds a 51% interest. Investments in partnerships and companies in which we do not have a controlling financial interest but where we have significant influence are accounted for under the equity method. Any intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Our operations are comprised of three business segments. Our Products segment designs, manufactures and sells industrial and commercial cogeneration systems as described above. Our Services segment provides operation and maintenance services to customers for our products. Our Energy Production segment installs, operates and maintains distributed generation electricity systems that we own and sells energy generated by such systems in the form of electricity, heat, hot water and cooling to our customers under long-term sales agreements.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America 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 financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Liquidity
At September 30, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $646,161, a decrease of $1,267,808 or 66.2% from the cash and cash equivalents balance at December 31, 2022. During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, our Products revenue was negatively impacted. Our Products have long sales cycles and the reduced business development activity in the aftermath of COVID-19 resulted in what we believe is a temporary reduction in Products revenue.
Based on our current operating plan, we believe existing resources, including existing cash, cash flows from operations and the funds available to us under loans from certain related parties will be sufficient to meet our working capital requirements for the next twelve months. However, we may need to generate sufficient additional cash from operations to finance the company during the periods beyond twelve months.
On October 9, 2023, we entered into an agreement with each of John N. Hatsopoulos, a director and principal shareholder of registrant, and Earl R. Lewis, III, a director, pursuant to which Mr. Hatsopoulos agreed to provide financing to us of up to $1 million, and Mr. Lewis agreed to provide financing to us of $500,000, and potentially an additional $500,000 at his discretion. On October 10, 2023, we issued a promissory note and borrowed $500,000 from Mr. Hatsopoulos. The loan bears interest at 5.12% per annum and is repayable one year from the date of the issuance of the related promissory note. The proceeds of the loans are expected to be used for general working capital purposes.
If sufficient funds from operating activities are not available to finance our business and operations, we may need to raise additional capital through debt financing or an equity offering to meet our operating and capital needs. There can be no assurance we will be able to raise such additional debt or equity financing or upon terms that are acceptable to us.
Income Taxes
The provisions for income taxes in the accompanying unaudited consolidated statements of operations differ from that which would be expected by applying the federal statutory tax rate primarily due to losses for which no benefit is recognized.
Employee Retention Credit
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) was signed into law providing numerous tax provisions and other stimulus measures, including an employee retention credit (“ERC”), which is a refundable tax credit against certain employment taxes. The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 extended and expanded the availability of the ERC.
As a result of our election to use an alternative quarter, we qualified for the ERC in the first, second and third quarters of 2021 because our gross receipts decreased by more than 20% from the first, second and third quarters of 2019. As a result of averaging 100 or fewer full-time employees in 2019, all wages paid to employees in the first, second and third quarters of 2021, excluding the wages applied to the Paycheck Protection Program Second Draw Loan, were eligible for the ERC. During the three months ended June 30, 2021, we recorded an ERC benefit for the first and second quarters of 2021 of $713,269 and, in the three months ended September 30, 2021 we recorded an ERC benefit for the third quarter of 2021 of $562,752, respectively, in other income (expense), net in the our condensed consolidated statements of operations. On April 14, 2022, we received $564,027 from the Internal Revenue Service representing the ERC claim for the third quarter of 2021 and $1,275 of accrued interest. We received $667,121 from the Internal Revenue Service on January 12, 2023 representing a partial payment of the ERC claimed from the first and second quarters of 2021 and $15,775 of accrued interest, which is reported in other income (expense) in our condensed consolidated statements of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. A current receivable in the amount of $46,148 is included in our condensed consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2023.
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