Plug Power (PLUG) Risk Factors

Our fuel cell systems use hydrogen gas in catalytic reactions. While our products do not use this fuel in a combustion process, hydrogen gas is a flammable fuel that could leak and combust if ignited by another source. Further, any such accidents involving our products or other products using similar flammable fuels could materially suppress demand for, or heighten regulatory scrutiny of, our products. Our expansion into electrolyzer manufacturing, hydrogen production, and the transport of hydrogen fuel similarly involve hydrogen in either gaseous or liquified form. Additionally, the production of hydrogen through electrolysis also results in the generation of oxygen. As a result, oxygen must be separated and controlled during the hydrogen production process. Such activities are subject to potential risks and liabilities associated with flammable gases. The risk of product liability claims and associated adverse publicity is inherent in the development, manufacturing, marketing and sale of fuel cell products, electrolyzers, hydrogen production, and in products fueled by hydrogen, which is a flammable gas. Any liability for damages resulting from malfunctions or design defects could be substantial and could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, an actual or perceived problem with our products could adversely affect the market's perception of our products resulting in a decline in demand for our products, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. See Part I, Item 3, "Legal Proceedings".

Our products and services depend largely on the availability of hydrogen. Although we are in the process of building multiple hydrogen production plants, our business could be materially and adversely affected by an inadequate availability of hydrogen or our failure to secure hydrogen supply at competitive prices. We commenced producing liquid hydrogen at our Georgia facility in January 2024. There is no assurance that our hydrogen production will scale at the rate we anticipate or that we will complete additional hydrogen production plants on schedule or at all. Additionally, we are dependent upon hydrogen suppliers to provide us with hydrogen for the commercialization of our products and services. We have experienced supply chain issues relating to the availability of hydrogen, including but not limited to suppliers utilizing force majeure provisions under existing contracts, which has led to volume constraints, delay in our deployments and service margin improvements, and negatively impacted the amount of hydrogen we have been able to provide under certain of our supply and other agreements. If hydrogen suppliers elect not to participate in the material handling market,or if supply chain issues relating to the availability of hydrogen continue, insufficient supplies of hydrogen may result. If hydrogen is not readily available or if hydrogen prices are such that energy produced by our products costs more than energy provided by other sources, then our products could be less attractive to potential users and our products' value proposition could be negatively affected which could materially and adversely affect our sales and the deployment of our products and services.

Recent economic conditions and political instability in the geographic markets we serve, such as tight credit markets, inflation, low consumer confidence, limited capital spending, and changes in government priorities, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, factors such as increased interest rates have made it more difficult for us to find debt capital solutions efficiently. In addition, if there is a government shutdown in the United States, especially a prolonged shutdown, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, the Inflation Reduction Act ("IRA"), which contains numerous credits and tax incentives that may be beneficial to us, was adopted in August 2022 and interagency guidance processes were ongoing through 2023, but final regulations are still pending. A prolonged U.S. government shutdown could cause uncertainty or delay in such determinations, which could impact the timing of any benefits we anticipate receiving under the IRA. In addition, a government shutdown may impact the availability and administration of government funding, which may impact our ability to secure a loan with the U.S. Department of Energy, or our ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to properly capitalize and continue our operations. With respect to our customers, the demand for our products and services is sensitive to their production activity, capital spending and demand for their products and services. In the past couple of years, we have observed increased economic uncertainty in the United States and abroad, including inflation and higher interest rates. Impacts of such economic weakness include falling overall demand for goods and services, leading to reduced profitability, reduced credit availability, higher borrowing costs, reduced liquidity, volatility in credit, equity and foreign exchange markets, and bankruptcies. These developments have led to supply chain disruption and transportation delays which have caused incremental freight charges, which have negatively impacted our business and our results of operations. In addition, as our customers react to global economic conditions, we have seen them reduce spending on our products and take additional precautionary measures to limit or delay expenditures and preserve capital and liquidity. In recent months, we have pursued price increases across our offerings including equipment, service and hydrogen fuel, which may cause customers to change or delay their purchasing decisions with us. Reductions in customer spending on our solutions, delays in customer purchasing decisions, lack of renewals, inability to attract new customers, uncertainty about business continuity as well as pressure for extended billing terms or pricing discounts, could limit our ability to grow our business and negatively affect our operating results and financial condition. Additionally, many of our customers operate in markets that may be impacted by market uncertainty, trade and tariff policies, costs of goods sold, currency exchange rates, central bank interest rate changes, foreign competition, offshoring of production, oil and natural gas prices, geopolitical developments, labor shortages, inflation, and a variety of other factors beyond our control. Any of these factors could cause customers to idle or close facilities, delay purchases, reduce production levels, or experience reductions in the demand for their own products or services, and other conditions affecting the profitability and financial stability of our customers could negatively impact our sales growth and results of operations.

Our contracts are primarily denominated in U.S. dollars, and therefore substantially all of our revenue is not subject to foreign currency risk. However, a strengthening of the U.S. dollar could increase the real cost of our offerings to our customers outside of the United States, which could adversely affect our operating results. In addition, an increasing portion of our operating revenues and operating expenses are earned or incurred outside of the United States, and an increasing portion of our assets are held outside of the United States. These operating revenues, expenses, and assets are denominated in foreign currencies and are subject to fluctuations due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. If we are not able to successfully hedge against the risks associated with currency fluctuations, our operating results could be adversely affected. Additionally, global events as well as geopolitical developments, including regional conflicts in Europe, fluctuating commodity prices, trade tariff developments, and inflation have caused, and may in the future cause, global economic uncertainty and uncertainty about the interest rate environment, which could amplify the volatility of currency fluctuations. We have not engaged in the hedging of foreign currency transactions to date, so we may not be able to effectively offset the adverse financial impacts that may result from unfavorable movements in foreign currency exchange rates, which could adversely affect our operating results.

We believe that the near term growth of alternative energy technologies will be affected by the availability and size of government and economic incentives. Many of these government incentives expire, phase out over time, may be reduced or discontinued, no longer have available funding, may be implemented differently by changes in administrative agencies, or require renewal by the applicable authority. For example, in August 2022, President Biden signed the IRA into law. The IRA contains hundreds of billions in credits and incentives for the development of renewable energy, clean hydrogen, clean fuels, EVs and supporting infrastructure and carbon capture and sequestration, among other provisions. The IRA contains numerous credits and tax incentives that may be relevant to us, including: (i) a new Section 45V Credit for Production of Clean Hydrogen, which provides a production tax credit of up to $3 per kg of qualified clean hydrogen over a 10-year credit period for the production of qualified clean hydrogen at a qualified facility in the United States; (ii) an extension and amendment of the Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Qualified Fuel Cell Properties, which provides a tax credit based on capital investment in a variety of renewable and conventional energy technologies to incentive investment in new energy resources and more efficient use of fuel, including fuel cell technology; (iii) a new Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Energy Storage Technologies, which expands the applicability of the investment tax credit to include standalone energy storage projects, among other things; (iv) an amended Section 48C Qualified Advanced Energy Project Credit, which provides an investment tax credit through a competitive application process administered through the Department of Energy equal to 6% or 30% of the investment with respect to advanced energy projects; (v) a new Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit, which provides varying credit amounts with respect to the production of certain components manufactured in the United States; and (vi) a new Section 48E Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit, which provides a tax credit for investment in facilities that generate clean electricity, among other provisions. There is uncertainty as to how the provisions under the IRA will be interpreted and implemented. The Company's ability to ultimately benefit from IRA tax credits and incentives, including the aforementioned, is not guaranteed and is dependent upon the implementation, guidance, rulemakings, and/or regulations from the federal government. Several of these credits and tax incentives, in particular the new Section 45V Credit for Production of Clean Hydrogen, have received substantial public interest and have been subject to debate, and divergent views on potential implementation, guidance, rules, and regulatory principles by a diverse group of interested parties – some of whom are advocating for limitations to Section 45V that could be materially adverse to the Company and its near term hydrogen generation projects. Specifically, guidance, rules, or regulations limiting a hydrogen production facility's use of renewable energy credits, environmental attributes, and grid electricity could limit the Company's ability to benefit from the Section 45V Credit for Production of Clean Hydrogen. As the Company has endeavored numerous hydrogen generation projects prior to the promulgation of Section 45V's guidance, there is no guarantee that the Company's projects will comply with the final eligibility requirements of Section 45V. Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Treasury issued a notice of proposed rulemaking on the Section 45V Credit for Production of Clean Hydrogen in December 2023. The notice contained draft regulatory requirements that, if finalized, could have material adverse impacts to the Company's hydrogen generation projects – both current and planned. In particular, the draft regulation contains numerous provisions unfavorable for the use of grid electricity and renewable energy credits, which are essential to the Company's ability to claim the Section 45V credit for hydrogen produced at our projects. Relatedly, draft regulations on the Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Energy Storage Technology contain provisions preventing taxpayers from claiming the energy storage credit for hydrogen storage property not exclusively used for energy-related purposes; and further, draft regulations on the Section 45X Advancement Manufacturing Production Credit are not favorable for fulsome inclusion of fuel cells, electrolyzer, and hydrogen technologies. There is no guarantee that the U.S. Treasury Department's final regulations will be more advantageous for the Company; and in fact, the final regulatory requirements could become less favorable than the draft regulation in the notice of proposed rulemaking. The effect of the final regulations on our business is not yet known but if we are not able to comply with the final eligibility requirements and our competitors are able to do so, our business may be adversely affected. Furthermore, future legislative enactments, administrative actions, changes or amendments to clean energy tax credits, policies or other incentives might be more favorable to other technologies or could limit, amend, repeal, or terminate policies or other incentives that the Company currently hopes to leverage. Any reduction, elimination, or discriminatory application of expiration of tax incentives or other government subsidies and economic incentives, or the failure to renew such tax credits, governmental subsidies, or economic incentives, may result in the diminished economic competitiveness of our products to our customers and could materially and adversely affect the growth of alternative energy technologies, including our products, as well as our future operating results and liquidity.

We have in the past experienced and may in the future experience problems with the operation of our current information technology systems or the technology systems of third parties on which we rely, as well as the development and deployment of new information technology systems, that could adversely affect, or even temporarily disrupt, all or a portion of our operations until resolved. The inability to implement new systems or delays in implementing new information technology systems may also affect our ability to realize projected or expected cost savings. Additionally, the inability to implement or any delays in implementing new security measures can also affect our ability to protect against increasingly sophisticated threat actors. Any systems failures could impede our ability to timely collect and report financial results in accordance with applicable laws. Information technology system and/or network disruptions could harm the Company's operations. Failure to effectively prevent, detect, and recover from security compromises or breaches, including cyber-attacks, could result in the misuse of company assets, unauthorized use or publication of our trade secrets and confidential business information, disruption to the company, diversion of management resources, regulatory inquiries, legal claims or proceedings, reputational damage, loss of sales, reduction in value of our investment in research and development, among other costs to the company. We have experienced and may continue to experience both successful and unsuccessful attempts to gain unauthorized access to our information technology systems on which we maintain proprietary and confidential information. For example, in or around March 2023, an unauthorized actor accessed our computer network and executed a ransomware attack, resulting in the encryption of certain of our computer systems, including systems used to store proprietary and confidential data, and exfiltration of personal information related to certain individuals. Upon detection, we took immediate steps to contain, assess and remediate the incident, including engaging outside legal counsel and external forensic investigators. We restored the affected systems and our business remained operational with no material disruption during the restoration period. Based on information available to date, we do not believe the ransomware event has had a material impact on our business. However, as a result of the incident, we have incurred costs in addressing the incident, including costs related to investigation, containment, restoration, and remediation. The risk of a security compromise, breach, or disruption, particularly through cyber-attacks, or cyber intrusion, including by computer hackers, insider threats, and cyber terrorists, has generally increased as cyber-attacks have become more prevalent and harder to detect and fight against and threat actors continue to become more sophisticated in their malicious techniques. Additionally, outside or unauthorized parties may attempt to access our confidential information through other means, for example by fraudulently inducing our employees to disclose confidential information through phishing emails or deceptive advertising campaigns. We actively seek to prevent, detect, and investigate any unauthorized access. These threats are also continually evolving, and as a result, will become increasingly difficult to detect. In addition, the increased prevalence of employees working from home may exacerbate the aforementioned cybersecurity risks. Despite the implementation of network security measures, our information technology system have been and could be penetrated by outside or unauthorized parties. Going forward, we may expend additional resources, expenses, and legal and professional fees to further enhance the security of our information technology systems and continually assess our current security measures. In addition, we may be subject to governmental investigations, enforcement actions, regulatory fines or litigation, or we may suffer from reputational damage or public statements against us as a result of unauthorized access to our information technology systems.

Some of the orders we accept from customers require certain conditions or contingencies to be satisfied, or may be cancelled, prior to shipment or prior to commissioning or installation, some of which are outside of our control. Orders for the Company's products and services approximated $1.2 billion as of the year ended December 31, 2023. The time periods from receipt of an order to shipment date and installation vary widely and are determined by a number of factors, including the terms of the customer contract and the customer's deployment plan. For example, we have experienced delays in product launches, and there may also be product redesign or modification requirements that must be satisfied prior to shipment of units under certain of our agreements. If the designs are not finalized on schedule or the redesigns or modifications are not completed, some or all of our orders may not ship or convert to revenue. In certain cases, we disclose anticipated, pending orders with prospective customers for our various products, including PEM fuel cell, electrolyzer, stationary product and hydrogen sales; however, those prospective customers may require certain conditions or contingencies to be satisfied prior to entering into a purchase order with us, some of which are outside of our control. Such conditions or contingencies that may be required to be satisfied before we receive a purchase order may include, but are not limited to, successful product demonstrations or field trials. Converting orders into revenue is also dependent upon our customers' ability to obtain financing. Some conditions or contingencies that are out of our control may include, but are not limited to, government tax policy, government funding programs, and government incentive programs. Additionally, some conditions and contingencies may extend for several years. We may have to compensate customers, by either reimbursement, forfeiting portions of associated revenue, or other methods depending on the terms of the customer contract, based on the failure on any of these conditions or contingencies. While not probable, this could have an adverse impact on our revenue and cash flow.