UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year endedFiscal Year Ended December 31, 20222023

Or

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from _____ to _____

Commission File NumberNumber: 001-41306

 

 

001-41306ALTERNUS CLEAN ENERGY, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

87-1431377

CLEAN EARTH ACQUISITIONS CORP.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Delaware

87-1431377

(State or Other Jurisdictionother jurisdiction of

Incorporation
incorporation
or Organization)

organization)

(I.R.S. Employer


Identification Number) 

No.)

360 Kingsley Park Drive, Suite 250, Fort Mill, South Carolina 29715

(803) 280-1468

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (803) 280-1468

12600 Hill Country Blvd, Building R
Suite 275, Bee Cave, Texas

78738

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

(Zip Code)

(800) 508-1531

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each classEach Class

Trading Symbol(s)Symbol

Name of each exchange on which registered

Class A common stock,Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share

CLINALCE

The NASDAQNasdaq Stock Market LLC

Warrants, each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock

CLINW

The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC

Rights to acquire one-tenth (1/10) of one share of Class A common stock

CLINR

The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC

Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock, one right and one-half of one redeemable warrant

CLINU

The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act: None.

None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

Yes No

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 requirementrequirements for the past 90 days.

Yes No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Yes     No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company”company, in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer

Accelerated Filer

Accelerated filer

Filer

Non-accelerated filerNon-Accelerated Filer

Smaller reporting company

Reporting Company

Emerging Growth Company

Emerging growth company

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)U.S.C.7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b).

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2Rule12b-2 of the Act). Yes

Yes:     No:   No 

As of June 30, 2022, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, theThe aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting securitiesstock held by non-affiliates was approximately $227.2 million,of the Registrant on June 30, 2023, based on the number of shares held by non-affiliates and the last reported salesclosing price of $10.43 for shares of the registrant’sRegistrant’s Class A common stock as reported by The Nasdaq Stock Market, was approximately $84,807,477. Shares of that date.

As of March 30, 2023, there were 23,890,000 shares of Class A common stock beneficially owned by each executive officer and 7,666,667director have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates.

The number of shares outstanding of Class Bthe Registrant’s common stock, of the registrant issued and outstanding.par value $0.0001 per share, on April 15, 2024 was 80,076,664.

Documents Incorporated by Reference: None.Reference

None

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
PART I

6

Item 11.

Business

6

1

Item 1A.

Risk Factors

18

11

Item 1B.

Unresolved Staff Comments

44

36

Item 1C.

Cybersecurity37
Item 2.

Properties

44

38

Item 3.

Legal Proceedings

44

38

Item 4.

Mine Safety DisclosureDisclosures

44

38

PART II

Item 5.

Market Forfor Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

45

39

Item 6.

[RESERVED]Reserved]

46

40

Item 7.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

46

40

Item 7A.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

48

59

Item 8.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

48

F-1

Item 9.

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

49

60

Item 9A.

Controls and Procedures

49

60

Item 9B.

Other Information

49

62

Item 9C.

Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections

49

62

PART III

50

Item 10.

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

50

63

Item 11.

Executive Compensation

55

72

Item 12.

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

56

74

Item 13.

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

58

75

Item 14.

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

64

78

PART IV

65

Item 15.

Exhibits, and Financial Statement Schedules

65

79

Item 16.

Form 10-K Summary

67

81

i

TableSPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Contents

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Unless otherwise providedSection 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

references to “we,” “us,” “company” or “our company” refer to Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp.;
references to our “sponsor” refer to Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, a company affiliated with our officers, directors and advisors.
references to “anchor investor” are to certain funds advised by Antara Capital LP, an unaffiliated qualified institutional buyer;
references to “completion window” are to the period following the closing of the offering at the end of which, if we have not completed our initial business combination, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions and as further described herein; the completion window ends May 28, 2023, or August 28, 2023 if our sponsor (or its affiliates or designees) has deposited $2.3 million into the trust account for the three-month extension;
references to “founder shares” are to 7,666,667 shares of our Class B common stock issued by us to our initial stockholders;
references to “initial holders” or “initial stockholders” are to our sponsor and any other holders of our founder shares immediately prior to our initial public offering;
references to our “initial public offering” means the initial public offering of 23,000,000 of our units, each unit consisting of one share of our Class A common stock, one right to receive one-tenth of one share of our Class A common stock, for no additional consideration, upon the consummation of an initial business combination, and one-half of one warrant, where each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of our Class A common stock, which was consummated on February 28, 2022;
references to our “management” or our “management team” refer to our officers, directors and advisors;
references to “private placement” refer to the private placement of 890,000 private units purchased by our sponsor, which was consummated simultaneously with the completion of our initial public offering, at a purchase price of $10.00 per unit for a total purchase price of $8.9 million;
references to “private shares” are to an aggregate of 890,000 shares of our Class A common stock included within the private units purchased by our sponsor in the private placement;
references to “private units” are to the 890,000 units purchased by our sponsor in the private placement, each private unit consisting of one private share and one-half of one private warrant;
references to “private warrants” are to redeemable warrants to purchase an aggregate of 445,000 shares of our Class A common stock included within the private units purchased by our sponsor in the private placement;
references to our “public shares” are to shares of our Class A common stock sold as part of the units in our initial public offering (whether they were purchased in the initial public offering or thereafter in the open market);
references to “public stockholders” refer to the holders of our public shares, which may include our initial holders and members of our management team if and to the extent they have purchased public shares, provided that any such holder’s status as a “public stockholder” shall only exist with respect to such public shares;
references to our “rights” are to the rights sold as part of the units in our initial public offering (whether they were purchased in the initial public offering or thereafter in the open market); and
references to “trust account” are to the trust account into which $232,300,000 of the net proceeds of the initial public offering and private placement were deposited for the benefit of the public stockholders.

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Table of Contents

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements contained in this Annual Report, which reflect10-K regarding our current views with respect to future events and financial performance, as well as our strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues, losses, projected costs, prospects, plans and any other statementsobjectives of a future ormanagement are forward-looking nature, constitute “forward-looking statements” for the purposes of federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, anystatements. Any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The wordsIn some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” andor the negative of such terms or other similar expressions may identifyexpressions. These forward-looking statements butare based on management’s current expectations, assumptions, hopes, beliefs, intentions and strategies regarding future events and are based on currently available information as to the absenceoutcome and timing of these words does not meanfuture events. Although we believe such expectations and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently uncertain and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this Annual Reportare beyond our control. In addition, management’s assumptions about future events may include, for example, statements about:

prove to be inaccurate. All readers are cautioned that the ability of our officers and directors to generate potential investment opportunities;
our ability to complete our initial business combination;
our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination;
the allocation by our officers and directors of their time to other businesses and their potential conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination;
our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;
our pool of prospective target businesses;
failure to maintain the listing on, or the delisting of our securities from, NASDAQ or an inability to have our securities listed on NASDAQ or another national securities exchange following our initial business combination;
potential changes in control if we acquire one or more target businesses for stock;
our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;
the lack of a market for our securities;
the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; or
our financial performance.

The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are based on our current expectationsnot guarantees of future performance and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurancewe cannot assure any reader that future developments affecting ussuch statements will be thoserealized or that we have anticipated. Thesethe forward-looking statements involveevents and circumstances will occur.

As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance tomay be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. TheseSome factors that could cause actual results to differ include:

our ability to successfully integrate into our business and recognize the anticipated benefits of recently completed business combinations and related transactions and generate profit from their operations;

changes in applicable laws or regulations;

a financial or liquidity crisis;

the effects of inflation and changes in interest rates;

a financial or liquidity crisis; geopolitical factors, including, but not limited to, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war;

the risk of global and regional economic downturns;

the projected financial information, anticipated growth rate, and our market opportunity;

foreign currency, interest rate, exchange rate and commodity price fluctuations;

various environmental requirements;

retention or recruitment of executive and senior management and other key employees;

the possibility that Alternus may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors;

our ability to maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting;

our ability to manage its growth effectively;

our ability to achieve and maintain profitability in the future;

our ability to access sources of capital to finance operations and growth;

the success of strategic relationships with third parties;

ii

the impact of reduction, modification or elimination of government subsidies and economic incentives (including, but not limited to, with respect to solar parks);

the impact of decreases in spot market prices for electricity;

dependence on acquisitions for our growth;

inherent risks relating to acquisitions and our ability to manage its growth and changing business;

risks relating to developing and managing renewable solar projects;

risks relating to photovoltaic plant quality and performance;

risks relating to planning permissions for solar parks and government regulation;

Alternus need for significant financial resources (including, but not limited to, for growth in its business);

the need for financing in order to maintain future profitability;

the lack of any assurance or guarantee that we can raise capital or meet its funding needs;

our limited operating history; and

and other factors detailed herein under the section entitled “Risk Factors.”.

Given these risks and uncertainties, include, but areyou should not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors”.place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Should one or more of thesethe risks or uncertainties materialize,described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, or should any of ourunderlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respectsand plans could differ materially from those projectedexpressed in theseany forward-looking statements. Additional information concerning these and other factors that may impact the operations and projections discussed herein may be disclosed under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” contained in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our periodic filings with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available publicly on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity and performance as well as other events and circumstances may be materially different from what we expect. We undertake no obligation to update or revise anyqualify all of our forward-looking statements whether asby these cautionary statements.

Market and Industry Data

This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes market and industry data and forecasts that Alternus has derived from publicly available information, reports of governmental agencies, various industry publications, other published industry sources and internal data and estimates. All market and industry data used herein involve a resultnumber of newassumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such estimates. Although we are responsible for the disclosure contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and we believe the information future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

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Table of Contents

Summary of Risk Factors

Our businessfrom industry publications and other third-party sources included herein is reliable, such information is inherently imprecise and we have not had this information verified by any independent sources. The industry in which Alternus operates is subject to numerous risksa high degree of uncertainty and uncertainties,risk due to a variety of factors, including those highlighted in the section title “Risk Factors,” that represent challenges that we face in connection with the successful implementation of our strategy. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in the section titled “Riskof this Annual Report on Form 10-K entitled “Risk Factors.alone orThese and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in combination with other events or circumstances, maythe estimates made by the independent parties and by us.

iii

SUMMARY OF RISK FACTORS

The following is a summary of some of the risks and uncertainties that could materially adversely affect our ability to effect a business, combination, and may have an adverse effect on our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations. Such risks include, but are not limited to:This summary should be read together with the more detailed description of each risk factor disclosed under “Item 1A: Risk Factors” contained in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We are an early stage company with no operating history and, accordingly, you will not have any basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieveOur substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our business, objective.financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to consummate a business combination, including withDecreases in the Seller (defined on page 6),spot market price of electricity could harm our public stockholders may be forced to wait untilrevenue and reduce the endcompetitiveness of the completion window before receiving distributions from the trust account.solar parks in grid-parity markets.

Our public stockholderspower purchase agreements may not be afforded an opportunitysuccessfully completed.

The seasonality of our Subsidiaries’ operations may materially affect our business, results of operations, cash flow, and financial condition.

The acquisition of renewable energy facilities or of companies that own and operate renewable energy facilities is subject to votesubstantial risk.

The delay between making significant upfront investments in solar parks and receiving revenue could materially and adversely affect our liquidity, business and results of operations.

Solar project development is challenging and may ultimately not be successful and miscalculations in planning a project may negatively affect engineering procurement and construction (“EPC”) prices, all of which could increase the costs, delay or cancel a project, and have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, results of operations and profit margins.

Development activities may be subject to cost overruns or delays, which may materially and adversely affect our financial results and results of operations.

Impact of RePowerEU programme on our proposed business combination.and future prospects.

PV plants quality or PV plants performance.

Operation and maintenance of renewable energy projects involve significant risks that could result in unplanned outages, reduced output, interconnection or termination issues, or other adverse consequences.

We and any third parties with which we do business may be subject to cyber-attacks, network disruptions, and other information systems breaches, as well as acts of terrorism or war that could have a material adverse effect on our business, NAV, financial condition, and results of operations, as well as result in significant physical damage to our renewable energy projects.

We depend on certain key personnel and loss of these key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to risks associated with fluctuations in the prices of PV modules and balance-of-system components or in the costs of design, construction and labor.

Refurbishment of renewable energy facilities involve significant risks that could result in unplanned power outages or reduced output.

Our initial stockholders have agreedproject operations may be adversely affected by weather and climate conditions, natural disasters and adverse work environments.

Business interruptions, whether due to vote in favorcatastrophic disasters or other events, could adversely affect Alternus’ operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Global economic conditions and any related ongoing impact of supply chain constraints and the market of our initialproduct and service could adversely affect our results of operations.

Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates may negatively affect our revenue, cost of sales and gross margins and could result in exchange losses.

If we fail to comply with financial and other covenants under debt arrangements, our financial condition, results of operations and business combination.prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
Past performance by our management team may notIf the ownership of Solis and all of its subsidiaries were to be indicative of future performance of an investment in our company.
You will not be entitledtransferred to protections normally afforded to investors of blank check companies, such as a shorter period of time to consummate an initial business combination.
We are not limited to evaluation in a particular industry, sector or geographic area, and are thus unable to ascertain merits or risks where we ultimately operate.
We may change our acquisition criteria, in which case many of the disclosures contained herein would not be applicable and you would be investing in our company without any basis on which to evaluate the potential target business we may acquire.
We may issue shares of our capital stock or debt securities to complete a business combination, which would dilute your equity interest and likely cause a change in control of our ownership.
We may issue shares of our capital stockSolis bondholders in connection with a business combination at a price that is lower thanan event of default under the prevailing market price.Solis Bond, the majority of our operating assets and related revenues and EBIDTA would be eliminated.

We have a working capital deficiencyare subject to counterparty risks under our FiT price support schemes and our management has determined that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”Green Certificates (“GC”) Schemes.

iv

Our international operations require significant management resources and present legal, compliance and execution risks in multiple jurisdictions.

The development and installation of solar energy systems is highly regulated; we may fail to comply with laws and regulations in the countries where it develops, constructs and operates solar power projects and the government approval process may change from time to time, which could severely disrupt our business operations.

Existing rules, regulations and policies pertaining to electricity pricing and technical interconnection of customer-owned electricity generation may not continue, and changes to these regulations and policies might deter the purchase and use of solar energy systems and negatively impact development of the solar energy industry.

Risk related to legal rights to real property in foreign countries.

The Company conducts its business operations globally and is subject to global and local risks related to economic, regulatory, tax, social and political uncertainties.

Recent increases in inflation and in the United States and internationally could adversely affect our business.

The solar energy industry is a new and evolving market, which may not grow to the size or at the rate we expect.

Our stockholders maybusiness prospects could be held liableharmed if solar energy is not widely adopted or sufficient demand for claims by third parties against ussolar energy systems does not develop or takes longer to develop than we anticipate.

Our business has benefited from the declining cost of solar energy system components, and might be harmed to the extent that declines in the cost of distributions received by them.such components stabilize or that such costs increase in the future.

Although average selling prices of solar modules in many global markets have declined for several years, recent spot pricing for solar modules has increased, in part, due to elevated commodity and freight costs.

Our directors may decide not to enforceShortages in the supply of silicon could adversely affect the availability and cost of the solar photovoltaic modules used in our sponsor’s indemnification obligations, resulting in asolar energy systems.

A material reduction in the amountretail price of fundselectricity charged by electric utilities or other retail electricity providers would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Electric utility statutes and regulations and changes to such statutes or regulations might present technical, regulatory and economic barriers to the purchase and use of our solar service offerings that may significantly reduce demand for such offerings.

Technological changes in the trust account available for distributionsolar power industry could render our products uncompetitive or obsolete, which could reduce our market share and cause our revenue and net income to decline.

The ability to deliver electricity to our public stockholders.various counterparties requires the availability of and access to interconnection facilities and transmission systems.

Changes in the market for directorsWe may pursue acquisitions that involve inherent risks related to potential internal control weaknesses and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and expensive to complete an initial business combination.
Cyber incidents or attacks could lead to information loss or corruption and result in operation disruption and/or financial loss.
Our warrant agreement and rights agreement designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings

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thatsignificant deficiencies which may be initiated by holderscostly for us to remedy and could impact management assessment of internal control effectiveness.

Uncertain global macro-economic and political conditions could materially adversely affect our warrantsresults of operations and rights,financial condition.

Our stock price is subject to volatility, which could limit the ability of warrant holders or right holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our ability to successfully effect a business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following a business combination, and we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct.
Our officers, directors and sponsor are subject to conflicts of interests, including those caused by allocating their time to other business, potential financial benefit from a business combination occurring, and potential negotiation for employment or consulting agreements with a target business.
NASDAQ may delist our securities from listing on its exchange which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We may only be able to complete one business combination, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services.material adverse impact on investors and employee retention.

Due diligence efforts may not reveal all relevant considerations or liabilities of a target business.
We may seek a business combination with a financially unstable business, which could subject us to volatile revenues, cash flows or earnings.
Because of our structure, other companies may have a competitive advantage and we may not be able to consummate an attractive business combination.
We may be unable to obtainmaintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq in the future.

We may issue additional financing, if required, to complete a business combinationshares of common stock or to fund the operationsother equity securities without your approval, which would dilute your ownership interests and growth of the target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Our initial stockholders control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote.
Our outstanding warrants may have an adverse effect ondepress the market price of our common stockstock.

Delaware law and make it more difficult to effect a business combination.
The per-share amount heldprovisions in our trust account may drop below $10.10 per public share due to numerous reasons, including third party claims.
If our security holders exercise their registration rights, it may have an adverse effect oncertificate of incorporation and bylaws could make a merger, tender offer, or proxy contest difficult, thereby depressing the markettrading price of our sharescommon stock.

If we fail to establish and maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting, as a public company, our ability to produce accurate and timely financial statements could be impaired, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting and the trading price of our common stock and the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effect a business combination.decline.
Our initial business combination and structure thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our stockholders, rights holders and warrant holders.
If we effect a business combination with a company located in a foreign jurisdiction, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, subject to limited exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.

4

Business combinations with businesses in the clean and sustainable energy industries entail special considerations and risks, including supply chain disruptions, uncertainty of customer demand, economic downturns and insufficient insurance coverage.

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PART I

Item 1. BUSINESSBusiness

Overview

Each of the terms “Alternus,” the “Company,” “we,” “our,” “us,” and similar terms used herein refer collectively to Alternus Clean Energy, Inc., formerly known as Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp., and where appropriate, our wholly owned subsidiaries.

The Company

The Company was incorporated on May 14, 2021 under the laws of Delaware and currently has 28 employees; 14 employees are located Dublin, Ireland, 10 are located at the Company’s headquarters located in Fort Mill, SC, 1 remote employee in the US and 3 are located in Europe . Our employees perform various services such as business development, finance and management functions.

We are an independent clean energy producer that develops, installs, and operates a blank check company formed fordiverse portfolio of utility scale solar PV parks in North America and Europe, as long-term owners. You may also hear the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganizationterm IPP, or independent power producer, to describe similar business combination with one or more businesses, whichcompanies, however we referwant to throughout this Annual Report as our initial business combination. We have generated no operating revenues to date, and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues until we consummate our initial business combination.

While our efforts to identify a prospective target business are not necessarily limited to a particular industry, sector or region, we capitalizefocus on the expertiseclean nature of our management team, boardthe energy generated from the solar parks we own and advisors (collectively, our “Team”) in the clean and renewable energy industry. Our goal is to identify and pursue businesses that participate in the global energy transition ecosystem that are facilitating the way that energy is produced, stored, transmitted, distributed and consumed, all while reducing or mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Weoperate.

As a long-term owner operator, we focus on companies that serve key and evolving segments in the clean energy ecosystem, including those involved in carbon, hydrogen, sustainable agriculture, and renewable energy, which are becoming increasingly intertwined. Additional areas of focus include, but are not limited to, energy storage, distributed energy, zero-emission transportation, carbon utilization, low or carbon-free industrial applications and sustainable manufacturing.

We believe that clean energy and sustainability solutions are revolutionizing many traditional industries and creating numerous investment opportunities which are soundly driven by important long-term global trends, such as the cost of carbon emissions, regulatory incentive programs, and consumers’ increasing value placed on clean energy products and services, in addition to advancements in technology providing for more cost-effective solutions and alternatives to fossil fuels. We believeensuring that the regulatory frameworks incentivizing the adoption of sustainable practices and technologies will become increasingly favorable to the sectors thatprojects we are targeting. These trends provide long-term benefits for companies thatacquire or develop and distribute services and products that take partinstall for our own use are designed to deliver the most efficient operating results over the full project lifetime, which averages over 30 years. The solar parks benefit from long-term government offtake contracts and/or Power Purchase Agreements (“PPAs”) with investment grade off-takers with terms of an integrated approach15 – 20 years, plus energy sales to local power grids, typically for 5 to 15 years at a time during the continued decarbonizationfull life of the economy.projects.

We target the growth-oriented subsectors

As of the clean and sustainable energy industry that present particularly attractive investment opportunities. WeApril 2024, we have approximately 8 operating parks, a global focustotal of 44 MWp in our approach. We do not intend to acquire early stage start-up companies, companies with speculative business plans or companies that are excessively leveraged. We are not, however, required to complete our initial business combination with a clean and sustainable energy business and, as a result, we may pursue a business combination beyond that sector and scope. We seek to acquire high-quality businesses that can generate attractive, risk-adjusted returns for stockholders.

Our objective is to generate attractive returns and create value for our stockholders by applying our strategy of capitalizing on the experience, operational and financial expertise and contacts of our Team. Our Team has particular deep experience and expertise in SPACs, clean and sustainable energy investing, M&A, financing, initial public offerings, private equity and venture capital. Our Team includes executives who have successfully invested in businesses around the world. We will seek to capitalize on the significant clean energy experience and contacts of Aaron Ratner, our Chief Executive Officer, Martha Ross, our Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Nicholas Parker, the Chairman of our Board of Directors, and Candice Beaumont, Bradford Allen and Michael Vahrenkamp, our other board members, to identify, evaluate, acquire and operate a target business. We also call on the deep experience and global networks of our advisors. We look to acquire and manage a business that can benefit from our Team’s global experience within the clean and sustainable energy sectors and related areas. If we elect to pursue an investment outside of the clean and sustainable energy industry, our management’s expertise related to that industry may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation and the information containedcirca $16 million in this Annual Report regarding that industry might not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire.recurring annual revenues.

At December 31, 2022, we had not yet commenced operations. All activity through December 31, 2022 relates to the Company’s formation, its initial public offering, and identifying a target company for our initial business combination.

The registration statement for our initial public offering was declared effective on February 23, 2022. On February 28, 2022, we consummated the initial public offering of 23,000,000 units generating gross proceeds of $230,000,000.

Simultaneously with the closing of the initial public offering, we consummated the sale of 890,000 private units at a price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement to our sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $8,900,000.

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Following the closing of the initial public offering on February 28, 2022, an amount of $232,300,000 ($10.10 per unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the units in the initial public offering and the private units was placed in a trust account and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of a business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business combination during the completion window; or (iii) the distribution of the trust account, if we are unable to complete a business combination within the completion window or upon any earlier liquidation of us.

Business Combination Agreementwith Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp.

On October 12, 2022, weClean Earth Acquisitions Corp. (“CLIN”) entered into a Business Combination Agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) with Alternus Energy Group Plc (the “Seller”). Pursuantbusiness combination agreement, as amended by that certain First Amendment to the Business Combination Agreement, we will acquiredated as of April 12, 2023 (the “First BCA Amendment”) (as amended by the First BCA Amendment, the “Initial Business Combination Agreement”), and as amended and restated by that certain subsidiariesAmended and Restated Business Combination Agreement, dated as of December 22, 2023 (the “A&R BCA”) (the Initial Business Combination Agreement, as amended and restated by the A&R BCA, the “Business Combination Agreement”), by and among Clean Earth, Alternus Energy Group Plc (“AEG”) and the Sponsor. Following the approval of the Seller, for upInitial Business Combination Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby at the special meeting of the stockholders of Clean Earth held on December 4, 2023, the Company consummated the Business Combination on December 22, 2023 (the “Closing”). In accordance with the Business Combination Agreement, Clean Earth issued 57,500,000 shares of common stock of Clean Earth, par value $0.0001 per share, to 90 million shares. Initially, we will issue 55 million shares at closing (subjectAEG, and AEG transferred to a working capital adjustment capped at 1 million additional shares) plus up to 35 million shares subject to certain earn-out provisions, which will be depositedClean Earth, and Clean Earth received from AEG, all of the issued and outstanding equity interests in escrowthe Acquired Subsidiaries (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) (the “Equity Exchange,” and will be released if certain conditions are met.

The closing oftogether with the other transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement, is expectedthe “Business Combination”). In connection with the Closing, the Company changed its name from Clean Earth Acquisition Corp. to closeAlternus Clean Energy, Inc.

Business Model

As a vertically integrated business, Alternus operates across all key segments of the solar project development life cycle from ‘greenfield’ planning and permitting phases, through to construction and long-term revenue and margin generation from sales of energy to customers. This integration of activities under one common ownership and management creates a ‘production line’ of new projects supporting organic growth, and visibility of pipeline, in the second quarter of 2023,business going forward. This business model is designed to lock in lasting shareholder value by significantly reducing capex for newly developed projects, and is subject to customary closing conditions as set forthlowering acquisition costs for acquired projects at pre-operation from other market participants.

The earlier in the Business Combination Agreement.

Concurrently with the executioncycle that we acquire new solar projects means we retain more of the Business Combination Agreement,project market value created as it passes each milestone. If we entered into (A) a Sponsor Support Agreement withacquire projects further along the sponsor andvalue chain then we pay more capital (and value) out to third parties for those projects. The value creation at each stage results from the Seller pursuant to which the sponsor agreed to vote in favorde-risking of the Business Combination, waive its redemption rights, agreeprojects as they get closer to not transfer securitiesoperation and as a result, attract higher valuations at the later stages as the project risk declines.


Alternus Clean Energy Project Stage Classification

 

This method of operation is designed to bring the Company, and waive any anti-dilution or similar protections with respectvalue created during the development cycle directly to founder shares; and (B) an Investor Rights Agreement with the sponsor and the Seller, which provides for certain governanceAlternus, thereby reducing capital expenditure requirements registration rights andto build out a lockup agreement. The closing of the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain customary closing conditions of the respective parties.

On October 6, 2022, we and the representative of the underwriters executed a revised Underwriting Agreement to reduce a portion of the deferred underwriting commissions payable by $3,622,500, resulting in a deferred underwriting fee payable of $4,427,500.

Business Strategy

We are a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting an initial business combination. We intend to acquire a high-quality growth business or asset that can generate attractive, risk-adjusted returns for stockholders. To that end, our acquisition and value creation strategy is to identify, acquire and, after our initial business combination, enhance the growth of a company in the clean and sustainable energy industry that complements the experience and expertise of our management team, our board members and our advisors. Our selection process leverages our Team’s extensive global network of relationships, deep industry knowledge across multiple geographies, transaction execution experience and deal sourcing capabilities that provide access to a broad spectrum of acquisition opportunities.

Our goal is to identify and pursue businesses that participate in the global energy transition ecosystem that are facilitating the way that energy is produced, stored, transmitted, distributed and consumed, all while reducing or mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. We focus on companies that serve key and evolving segments in the clean energy ecosystem, including those involved in carbon, hydrogen, sustainable agriculture, and renewable energy, which are becoming increasingly intertwined. Additional areas of focus include, but are not limited to, energy storage, distributed energy, zero-emission transportation, carbon utilization, low or carbon-free industrial applications and sustainable manufacturing.

We believe that clean energy and sustainability solutions are revolutionizing many traditional industries and creating numerous investment opportunities which are soundly driven by important long-term global trends, suchlarger portfolio, as the cost of carbon emissions,acquisition and value captured can be reinvested in future growth. In addition, it provides greater certainty of future revenue streams as the projects owned today reach planned operation dates in the future. This is what drives the stair step revenue growth in the business. As of the date of this Annual Report, Alternus owns 533MW of projects in the development phase, all of which are expected to reach full operation and revenue generation over the next three to four years, in line with industry norms.

Alternus generates its new project pipeline by working closely with a cultivated network of local and international project development partners that provide a continuous pipeline of new projects for acquisition and construction.

We believe that a benefit of being a long-term owner of these projects is the stairstep long term recurring income created from the stable and predictable income streams as the cumulative operational portfolio grows. Every time we add a new project into the portfolio, we get a potential lift in long term incomes that then accumulates each time. Other participants in our market sometimes ‘build-to-sell’ the projects they develop and/or install, making their annual numbers more one-off and volatile. Our business model is designed to steadily add long-term income, locking in sustainable returns and value for shareholders as we stair step up growth.

Organization structured as focused expert teams.

In order to maximize the value created from this integrated project approach, Alternus is structured into three operating groups, reflecting each of the project development phases — development, installation, operation. Each operating group brings decades of experience and expertise to their respective segment and allows them to operate independently as required, to achieve greatest cost efficiencies and market focus, but with the coordination and support of a larger organization behind them. The operating groups are supported by specialist in-country management and corporate functions to ensure best overall collaboration to a common goal of long-term project ownership across multiple countries.


 

Revenue model

Alternus has a straight-forward revenue model. The sun shines on the panels in the parks and the clean energy produced is delivered directly to national utility power grids. Revenues are generated by multiplying the energy produced – measured in megawatt hours (MWh) – by the rate received for these hours. The rates received from either local government or investment grade commercial customers are either contracted under long term contracts - typically 10 to 15 years – or from local energy markets at the rates prevailing as the energy is delivered. At any one time, Alternus aims to have approximately 70% of the energy rates contracted long term. This revenue mix approach creates high margin and long-term predictable income streams that provides us with more flexible debt options that we deploy in ways to maximize returns on equity.

The following chart illustrates our revenue model, although there can be no assurance that we will achieve these results:

 


Vision and Strategy

The Company aims to become one of the leading producers of clean energy in Europe and the US by 2030 and to have commenced delivery of 24/7 clean energy to national power grids. The Company’s business strategy of developing to own and operate a diverse portfolio of solar PV assets that generate stable long-term incomes, in countries which currently have unprecedented positive market forces, positions us for sustained growth in the years to come.

To achieve its goals, the Company intends to pursue the following strategies:

Continue our growth strategy which targets acquiring independent solar PV projects that are in development, in construction, newly installed or already operational, in order to build a diversified portfolio across multiple geographies;

Developer and Agent Relationships: long term relationships with high-quality developer partners, both local and international, can reduce competition in acquisition pricing and provide the Company with exclusive rights to projects at varying stages of development. Additionally, the Company works with established agents across Europe. Working with both groups provides the Company with an understanding of the market and in some cases enables it to contract for projects at the pre- market level. This allows the Company to build a structured pipeline of projects in each country where it currently operates or intends to operate.

Expand our pan-European IPP portfolio in regions with attractive returns on investments, and increase the Company’s long-term recurring revenue and cash flow;

Long-term FIT (feed-in tariff) contracts combined with the Company’s efficient operations are expected to provide for strong and predictable cash flows from projects and allow for high leverage capacity and flexibility of debt structuring. Our strategy is to reinvest of project cash flows into additional solar PV projects to provide non-dilutive capital for Alternus to “self-fund” organic growth;

Optimization of financing sources to support long-term growth and profitability in a cost-efficient manner;

As a renewable energy company, we are committed to growing our portfolio of clean energy parks across Europe in the most sustainable way possible. The Company is highly aware and conscious of the ever growing need to mitigate the effects of climate change which is evident by its core strategy. As the Company grows, it intends to establish a formal sustainability policy framework in order to ensure that all project development is carried out in a sustainable manner mitigating any potential local and environmental impacts identified during the development, construction and operational process.

Given the long-term nature of our business, the Company does not operate its business on a quarter-by-quarter basis, but rather, with long-term shareholder value creation as a priority. The Company aims to maximize return for its shareholders by developing its own parks from the ground up and/or acquiring projects during the development cycle, installation stage, or already operational.

On some projects, the Company will look to provide construction management (EPCM) services in-house where the margins normally paid to third parties can be retained in the group and reinvested into new projects reducing the need for additional equity issuances.

We intend that the parks we own and operate will have a positive cash flow with long-term income streams at the lowest possible risk. To this end we use Levelized Cost of Energy (“LCOE”) as a key criterion to ranking the projects we consider for development and/or acquisition. The LCOE calculates the total cost of ownership of the parks over their expected life reflected as a rate per megawatt hour (MWh). Once the income rates for the selected projects are higher than this rate, the project will be profitable for its full life — including initial capex costs. The Company will continue to operate with this priority as we continue to invest in internal infrastructure and additional solar PV power plants to increase installed power and resultant stable long-term revenue streams.

Our Operating Subsidiaries

As of the date of filing, the Company is a holding company that operates through 8 operating subsidiaries, as listed in Exhibit 21.1 to this Annual Report.


Competitive Strengths

The Company believes the following competitive strengths have contributed and will continue to contribute to its success:

The Company is a clean energy owner operator at its core and therefore comfortable in operating across all aspects of the solar PV project value chain from development and installation through to long term operational ownership. This is as opposed to simply buying operating parks where higher levels of competition exist from market participants — such as specialist investment funds — with lower costs of capital are more prominent.

Entering at earlier stages of the value chain allows Alternus opportunities to build and/or acquire projects earlier in the process and to lock out these types of competitors in certain situations;

The Company’s existing owned and contracted solar PV projects pipeline — over 1.5GW as of the date of this Annual Report — provides it with clear and actionable opportunities to grow power generation and earnings in the near term.

About 50% of planned growth to 2026 is already owned or contracted today and is driven by some of our development projects reaching production in the period and also by current contracted acquisitions completing as we expect;

We believe that being a long-term owner operator of renewable projects is an important distinction for Alternus in the marketplace. As a long term owner, we focus on ensuring that the parks we own are designed for the most efficient operations and built to last and built to sell to other parties that require shorter term investment returns as an example.

This approach, we believe, makes us more attractive to our developer partners in-country who want a partner that has a repeat nature and one that’s obviously also more flexible in the approach and more in tune with the realities of project development than funds or larger participants typically are.

In addition, we believe this also makes it very attractive to both banks and local governments who prefer long-term focused market participants, as it prevents them from having to deal with multiple owners over time, which we believe has become a benefit for Alternus over single project developers in certain markets, when competing projects may be chasing the same grid connections, for example;

The Company’s track record of identifying and entering new countries, coupled with our on-the-ground capabilities and cultivated network of development partners gives us potential competitive advantages in developing and operating solar parks across Europe and the US;

The Company is technology and supplier agnostic and as such has the flexibility to choose from a broad range of leading manufacturers, top tier advisors and suppliers and equipment vendors around the globe that should allow us to continue to benefit from falling component and service costs; and

The Company is led by a highly experienced management team and supported by strong, localized execution capabilities across all key functions and locations.

Competitive Landscape

Energy generation is a capital-intensive business with numerous industry participants. The Company competes to acquire solar PV parks and project rights with other renewable energy developers, IPPs and financial investors based on the cost of capital, development expertise, pipeline, price, operations and management expertise, global footprint, brand reputation and the ability to monetize green attributes of renewable power.

As such the Company faces significant competition in two distinct areas, specifically projects in the installation and operational phase. Each segment has different competitors due to the nature of market participants as outlined below.

Contracted means that binding contracts or share purchase agreements (SPAs) have been signed. Closing of the transaction therefore is subject to the projects achieving the conditions precedent to complete the acquisition and or suitable financing.


Competitor TypeCompetitor StrengthCompetitor WeaknessHow the Company Competes

● 

Pension Funds

Insurance Companies

Lower cost of capital

Large funds available to deploy

Tend to focus exclusively on acquiring operational parks (even if just completed)Focus on fragmented mid-size solar PV segment

● 

Other energy Companies

Specialist Investment Funds

● May also commission projects to be constructed for them — but large ones

Generally, will not take any construction or development risk

Only acquire large scale projects due to minimum transaction size requirement

Entering the PV value cycle earlier with niche and strategic partners, thereby locking competitors out of projects the Company acquires from small developer partners who cannot access these competitors due to their size

● 

May or may not take construction or development risk

Smaller operators will have similar cost of capital as Alternus

● Provide minimum purchase commitments of developed projects under exclusive right of first refusal contracts that locks out other potential competitors.

Notwithstanding the above, it is management’s belief that the solar PV market is experiencing high growth on a global level. There is also an increasing demand for projects from both government and corporations. Although there are many competitors and participants in this environment, there does not appear to be significant industry consolidation and it remains a very fragmented market.

With the Company’s established niche focus on partner and project acquisition, we believe that we currently compete effectively in the markets we engage in. In addition, the Company believes that our current growth strategy as well as being a public reporting company, we will have opportunities to consolidate certain market participants and segments in certain geographies over time that may not be available to other participants not similarly situated. If successful, the Company’s market position will be further enhanced, and we can sustain competitiveness in the medium to long term.

Nevertheless, the Company expects to face increased competition in all aspects of its business, target markets and industry segments, financing options, and partner availability as markets mature as countries reach their targeted renewable energy generation.


The Market

Alternus currently operates in two key regions, Europe and the United States. Both regions are currently experiencing unprecedented market forces creating a generational opportunity as the world continues its world is on a one- time, permanent transition from fossil to clean energy.

The same drive is now seen in the US where the Inflation Reduction Act supported renewables through tax equity extensions and increases in order to grow the renewable significantly by 2030.

 

It’s not just about climate anymore in Europe, it is now also all about energy independence, driven by the recent geopolitical turmoil in the region. This is encapsulated in the comment by Mrs. von der Leyen, President of the European Commission who states that “Energy security is one of the most pressing topics for Europe. The EU will diversify away from Russian fossil fuels and will invest heavily in clean renewable energy.” Renewables in Europe are in a clear direction of growth, with forecasted growth targets being over four times the current size by just 2030. The EU has unveiled massive support packages, both financial and regulatory, to speed up this deployment.

Given our transatlantic operations, integrated operating model and strong execution track record, management coupled with long-term ownership and stable, predictable income streams, management believes that Alternus represents an attractive opportunity for investors on both sides of the Atlantic to actively participate in both the European and American energy transitions.

Solar Continues Strong Growth as Leading and Lowest Cost Renewable Source

In 2021, 167.8 GW of solar capacity was grid-connected globally, a 21% growth over the 139.2 GW added the year before, establishing yet another global annual installation record for the sector. This brings the total operating solar fleet to 940 GW by the end of 2021, with the Terawatt milestone already achieved in May 2022.

This remarkable growth has no match among any other power generation technology. Out of the over 300GW of new global renewable power generating capacity, solar alone installed more capacity than all other renewable technologies combined, claiming a share of 56%. Solar also deployed more capacity than all fossil fuel power generation technologies together in 2021. At the same time, however, solar still meets only a small share of around 4% of the global electricity demand, while over 70% is provided by non- renewable sources, according to Solar Power Europe in their Global Outlook for Solar Power 2022-2026, published in May 2022.

Solar’s success story over other technologies has many reasons, but a key factor is its steep cost reduction curve over the last decade, which has made solar the global cost leader. While the cost of solar has been lower than fossil fuel generation and nuclear for several years, it is also now lower than wind in many regions around the world. The Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) analysis, version 15.0, published in October 2021 by US investment bank Lazard, shows how the downward trip of utility-scale solar cost has progressed by a further 3% compared to the previous year. The spread with conventional generation technologies is widening, considering that the cost of gas and nuclear went up. Solar’s cost decrease has truly been extraordinary: compared to 2009 solar power generation cost has decreased by 90%.1

1SolarPower Europe (2022): Global Market Outlook for Solar Power 2022-2026. — May 2022


Solar electricity generation cost in comparison with conventional power sources 2021

 

Global Solar Market Developments 2023 to 2026

The mid-term global economic outlook is hard to predict and will depend a lot on the development of the war in Ukraine. The IMF forecasted in its April- released World Economic Outlook ‘War Sets Back the Global Recovery’ that global growth will slow from 6.1% in 2021 to 3.6% in 2022 and 2023, and further decrease beyond. Still, the world should see very strong demand for solar for the four years starting from 2023 to 2026, as this clean technology not only offers a price hedge, but also energy security on the national and individual levels, this according to Solar Power Europe in their Global Market Outlook for Solar Power 2022-2026.

The strong growth on the demand side is expected to be facilitated by massive new production capacity expansions across the solar value chain coming online, including silicon. Every serious PV manufacturer seems to invest in additional capacities, while newcomers are entering the space, and investors seriously look into it. Beyond the Chinese leaders getting even larger, global trade frictions, increasingly ESG related, are feeding the narrative for local production hubs as the importance of solar as a key technology for more energy independence is increasingly understood by policy makers.

Seasonality and Resource Availability

The amount of electricity produced, and revenues generated by, the Company’s solar generation facilities is dependent, in part, on the amount of sunlight, or irradiation, where the assets are located. As shorter daylight hours in winter months result in less irradiation, the electricity generated by these facilities will vary depending on the season.

Irradiation can also be variable at a particular location from period to period due to weather or other meteorological patterns, which can affect operating results. As the majority of the Company’s solar power plants are located in the Northern Hemisphere (Europe) the Company expects its current solar portfolio’s power generation to be at its lowest during the first and fourth quarters of each year.

Therefore, the Company expects its first and fourth quarter solar revenue to be lower than in other quarters. As a result, on average, each solar park generates approximately 15% of its annual revenues in Q1 every year, 37% in each of Q2 and Q3, and the remaining 11% in Q4. The Company’s costs are relatively flat over a year, and so it will always report lower profits in Q1 and Q4 as compared to the middle of the year.


Our Portfolio

 

Alternus owns a diversified portfolio of solar PV parks in both the United States and Europe. The portfolio is at various stages in the solar value chain with 44MWp operating and generating revenues, c. 45MWp currently in construction and c. 257 MWp expected to reach construction ready status in 2024 and start generating revenues during 2025. The remaining 224MWp of development projects are expected to reach construction ready status after 2024.

The Company’s operating portfolio consists of over eight owned and operational parks in Romania and the United States, totaling 44MWp of installed capacity. The Romanian parks operate under a “green certificate” government incentive scheme over a minimum of 15 years whereby the projects earn a certain number of Green Certificates (GC’s) for the energy produced that are then subsequently sold to the Romanian energy market. Approximately six GC’s are earned for every MWh produced at a price of 29.4 € per MWh. In addition to the GC income, the parks also earn additional income in the Romania energy market for the same energy produced, or under PPA contracts with local energy companies, from rates prevailing at the time the energy is delivered to the grid.

Our US projects benefit from a long term contract of 35-years for 100% of the energy produced and delivered at an equivalent rate of $75 per MWh.

The following table lists the owned portfolio and under contract solar PV parks as of the date of this Annual Report:

  MWs owned    
Country (Installed and operational)  (In development
and under
construction)
  Total
(MW)
 
Romania  40.1   --   40.1 
Italy  --   210.0   210.0 
Spain  --   257.0   257.0 
United States  3.8   59.2   63.0 
Total  43.9   526.2   570.1 

Government Regulations

Environmental

The Company is subject to environmental laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which it owns and operates renewable energy facilities. These laws and regulations generally require that governmental permits and approvals be obtained and maintained both before construction and during operation of these renewable energy facilities. The Company incurs costs in the ordinary course of business to comply with these laws, regulations and permit requirements. The Company does not anticipate material capital expenditures for environmental compliance for its renewable energy facilities in the next several years. While the Company does not expect that the costs of compliance would generally have a material impact on its business, financial condition or results of operations, it is possible that as the size of its portfolio grows, it may become subject to new or modified regulatory regimes that may impose unanticipated requirements on the business as a whole that the Company did not anticipate with respect to any individual renewable energy facility. Additionally, environmental laws and regulations frequently change and often become more stringent, or subject to more stringent interpretation or enforcement, and therefore future changes could require the Company to incur materially higher costs which could have a material negative impact on its financial performance or results of operations.


Regulatory Matters, Government Legislation and Incentives

In Romania, Italy, Spain and the United States, the Company is generally subject to the regulations of the relevant energy regulatory agencies applicable to all producers of electricity under the relevant FiT or other governmental incentive programs (including the FiT rates); however, it is not subject to regulation as a traditional public utility (i.e., regulation of its financial organization and rates other than FiT rates).

As the size of the Company’s portfolio grows, or as applicable rules and regulations evolve, it may become subject to new or modified regulatory regimes that may impose unanticipated requirements on the business as a whole that were not anticipated with respect to any individual renewable energy facility. Any local, state, federal or international regulations could place significant restrictions on the Company’s ability to operate its business and execute its business plan by prohibiting or otherwise restricting the sale of electricity. If the Company was deemed to be subject to the same state, federal or foreign regulatory authorities as traditional utility companies, or if new regulatory bodies were established to oversee the renewable energy industry in Europe or in international markets, its operating costs could materially increase, adversely affecting results of operations.

The Company has established various incentives and financial mechanisms to reduce the cost of renewable energy and to accelerate the adoption of PV solar and other renewable energies in each of the countries in which the Company operates. These incentives include tax credits, cash grants, favorable tax treatment and depreciation, rebates, GCs, net energy metering programs, FiTs, other governmental incentive programs and consumers’ increasing value placedother incentives. These incentives help catalyze private sector investments in renewable energy and efficiency measures. Changes in the government incentives in each of these jurisdictions could have a material impact on clean energy productsthe Company’s financial performance.

Implications of Being an “Emerging Growth Company”

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (i) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of our common stock pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act; (ii) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenues of $1.235 billion or more; (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years; or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under applicable SEC rules. We expect that we will remain an emerging growth company for the foreseeable future, but cannot retain our emerging growth company status indefinitely and services,will no longer qualify as an emerging growth company on or before the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of our common stock pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act. For so long as we remain an emerging growth company, we are permitted and intend to rely on exemptions from specified disclosure requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.

These exemptions include:

being permitted to provide only two years of audited financial statements, in addition to any required unaudited interim financial statements, with correspondingly reduced “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” disclosure;

not being required to comply with the requirement of auditor attestation of our internal controls over financial reporting;

not being required to comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements;

reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation; and

not being required to hold a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

We have taken advantage of certain reduced reporting requirements in additionthis Annual Report. Accordingly, the information contained herein may be different than the information you receive from other public companies in which you hold stock.

An emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This allows an emerging growth company to advancements in technology providing for more cost-effective solutions and alternatives to fossil fuels. We believe that the regulatory frameworks incentivizingdelay the adoption of sustainable practicescertain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have irrevocably elected to avail ourselves of this extended transition period and, technologies will become increasingly favorable to the sectors that we are targeting. These trends provide long-term benefits for companies that develop and distribute services and products that take part of an integrated approach to the continued decarbonization of the economy.

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Our Team is uniquely positioned to source and evaluate deals globally. We believe that our expertise and experience in major worldwide markets allow us to source and compare targets across markets, offering us the broadest pool of targets and the possibility to maximize returns. In addition to attractive targets in the U.S. and other developed markets, we have access to companies in other world markets which offer, in some cases, highly attractive growth prospects at more advantageous valuation multiples. Our Team also has access to proprietary opportunities across the globe within the clean and sustainable energy space that can be leveraged to drive value. Our Team is unique in that we have executives that have operated across continents and have team members on the ground in multiple jurisdictions, enabling us to identify and evaluate rapidly growing businesses at an early stage. Our Team also has access to proprietary global deal flow from our family office and other investor relationships. Additionally, members of our Team have exceptional regulatory backgrounds and insights.

Our Team has a demonstrated extensive track record of value creation and enhancement with clean and sustainable energy. Our Team’s experience, resources and track record includes founding successful startups across multiple industries, venture capital investing and startup advisory, sustainable infrastructure project development, financing and execution, acquiring and integrating private investment companies, financial institution assets and taking them public, and international expansion.

We believe that our Team has the experience, resources and track record to execute a successful transaction, the operational expertise to navigate the financial regulatory landscape and an understanding of purchasing, integrating and growing clean energy assets. We understand value at each stage of the financial life cycle, allowing us to evaluate not only what transactions make sense, but also those on which we should pass.

The following differentiated value propositions will allow us to bring to the public market a highly attractive business:

Successful investment and M&A track record across public and private markets;
Established deep relationships and insights within private equity and clean energy sectors globally;
Proven experience in consummating transactions;
Operational expertise to add value and help grow and optimize businesses post acquisition;
Decades of experience in clean energy and technology investing;
Sustainable infrastructure project development and execution;
Leadership team;
Proprietary deal flow; and
Comprehensive set of competencies in clean energy, decarbonization and other energy transition investment themes.

Effecting Our Initial Business Combination

General

We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations until our initial business combination. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of the initial public offering and the private placement, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination.

Accordingly, stockholders are investing without first having an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any one or more business combinations. A business combination may involve the acquisition of, or merger with, a company which does not need substantial additional capital, but which desires to establish a public trading market for its shares, while avoiding what it may deem to be adverse consequences of undertaking a public offering itself. These include time delays, significant expense, loss of voting control and compliance with various federal and state securities laws. In the alternative, we may seek to consummate a business combination with a company that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth. While we may seek to effect

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simultaneous business combinations with more than one target business, we will probably have the ability, as a result, of our limited resources, to effect only a single business combination.

Sources of target businesses

We believe based on our management’s business knowledge and past experience that there are numerous potential candidates available. Our principal means of identifying potential target businesses is through the extensive contacts and relationships of our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors. While our officers and directors are not required to commit any specific amount of time in identifying or performing due diligence on potential target businesses, our officers and directors believe that the relationships they have developed over their careers and their access to our sponsor’s contacts and resources will generate a number of potential business combination opportunities that will warrant further investigation. Target business candidates are also brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, venture capital funds, private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds, management buyout funds and other members of the financial community. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses they think we may be interested in on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this Annual Report and know what types of businesses we are targeting.

Our officers and directors must present to us all target business opportunities that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations. We may engage the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on a formal basis, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. In no event, however, will our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers, directors or their respective affiliates be paid any compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the payment of consulting, success or finder fees in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, the repayment of the IPO Promissory Note and reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses. Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their respective affiliates, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

We have no present intention to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors or sponsor. However, we are not restricted from entering into any such transactions and may do so if (i) such transaction is approved by a majority of our disinterested independent directors and (ii) we obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view.

Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination

Subject to our Team’s pre-existing fiduciary obligations and the limitations that a target business have a fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, and that we must acquire a controlling interest in the target business, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target business. We have not established any specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses. In evaluating a prospective target business, our management may consider a variety of factors, including one or more of the following: (1) financial condition and results of operation; (2) growth potential; (3) brand recognition and potential; (4) experience and skill of management and availability of additional personnel; (5) capital requirements; (6) competitive position; (7) barriers to entry; (8) stage of development of the products, processes or services; (9) existing distribution and potential for expansion; (10) degree of current or potential market acceptance of the products, processes or services; (11) proprietary aspects of products and the extent of intellectual property or other protection for products or formulas; (12) impact of regulation on the business; (13) regulatory environment of the industry; (14) costs associated with effecting the business combination; (15) industry leadership, sustainability of market share and attractiveness of market industries in which a target business participates; and (16) macro competitive dynamics in the industry within which the company competes.

These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular business combination will be based, to the extent relevant, on the above factors as well as other considerations deemed relevant by our management in effecting a business combination consistent with our business objective. In evaluating a prospective target business, we conduct an extensive due diligence review which encompasses, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and inspection of facilities, as well as

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review of financial and other information which is made available to us. This due diligence review is conducted either by our management or by unaffiliated third parties we engage.

The time and costs required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete the business combination cannot presently be ascertained with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which a business combination is not ultimately completed will result in a loss to us and reduce the amount of capital available to otherwise complete a business combination.

Fair market value of target business

NASDAQ listing rules require that the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on NASDAQ for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.

We anticipate structuring a business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or a newly formed subsidiary or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we could acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target; however, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of trust account balance test.

The fair market value of the target will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public stockholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board is not able to independently determine that the target business has a sufficient fair market value, we will obtain an opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We will not be required to obtain an opinion from an investment banking firm as to the fair market value if our board of directors independently determines that the target business complies with the 80% threshold.

Lack of business diversification

We may seek to effect a business combination with more than one target business, although we expect to complete our business combination with just one business. Therefore, at least initially, the prospects for our success may depend entirelyadopt new or revised accounting standards on the future performancedates on which adoption of such standards is required for other public reporting companies.

We are also a single business operation. Unlike other entities that“smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and have elected to take advantage of certain of the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. In addition, we intend to focus our searchscaled disclosure available for an initial business combination in a single industry. By consummating a business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:smaller reporting companies.

subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate subsequent to a business combination, and
Result in our dependency upon the performance of a single operating business or the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.


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Table of ContentsCorporate Information

If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses and such businesses are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent onWe were originally known as Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp. Following the simultaneous closingsapproval of the other acquisitions, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete the business combination. With multiple acquisitions, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers)Initial Business Combination Agreement and the additional risks associated withtransactions contemplated thereby at the subsequent assimilationspecial meeting of the operations and services or productsstockholders of Clean Earth held on December 4, 2023 (the “Special Meeting”), we consummated the acquired companies in a single operating business.

Limited ability to evaluate the target business’ management

Although we scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of the target business’ management will prove to be correct.Business Combination. In addition, we cannot assure you that the future management will have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of our officers and directors, if any, in the target business following a business combination cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that some of our key personnel will remain associated in senior management or advisory positions with us following a business combination, it is unlikely that they will devote their full-time efforts to our affairs subsequent to a business combination. Moreover, they would only be able to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiationClosing, we changed our name from Clean Earth Acquisition Corp. to Alternus Clean Energy, Inc.

Our principal executive offices are located at 360 Kingsley Park Drive, Suite 250, Fort Mill, South Carolina 29715. Our main telephone number is (803) 280-1468. Our website is https://alternusce.com/.

Available Information

Our website address is https://alternusce.com/. We make available on our website, free of the business combinationcharge, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and could provide for themCurrent Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/those reports filed or our securities for services they would render to the company after the consummation of the business combination. While the personal and financial interests of our key personnel may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, their ability to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. Additionally, we cannot assure you that our officers and directors will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.

Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.

Stockholders may not have the ability to approve our initial business combination

We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder votefurnished pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, subject to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by lawSection 13(a) or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons.

Presented in the table below are the types of initial business combinations we may consider and whether stockholder approval is currently required under Delaware law for each such transaction.

Whether

Stockholder

Approval is

Type of Transaction

Required

Purchase of assets

No

Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the company

No

Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company

No

Merger of the company with a target

Yes

In connection with any proposed business combination, we will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or do not vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. Except as required by law or the rules of NASDAQ, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder

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approval. If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each stockholder may tender all of his, her or its shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. Whether we seek stockholder approval or engage in a tender offer, we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. We have no specified maximum percentage threshold for redemptions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and even those public stockholders who vote in favor of our initial business combination have the right to redeem their public shares. As a result, this may make it easier for us to consummate our initial business combination.

We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, we may need to have more than $5,000,001 in net tangible assets immediately prior to or upon consummation and this may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. Public stockholders may therefore have to wait until the end of the completion window in order to be able to receive a pro rata share of the trust account.

Our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed (1) to vote any shares of common stock owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination, (2) not to redeem any shares of common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination and (3) not sell any shares of common stock in any tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination.

None of our officers, directors, sponsor, advisors, initial stockholders or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units or shares of Class A common stock from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, if we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination and a significant number of stockholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against such proposed business combination or that they wish to redeem their shares, our officers, directors, sponsor, advisors, initial stockholders or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence the vote and reduce the number of redemptions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers, directors, sponsor, initial stockholders and their affiliates will not make purchases of shares of Class A common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-515(d) of the Exchange Act which are rules designed to stop potential manipulation of a company’s stock.

Permitted purchases of our securities

In the event we seek stockholder approval of our business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and NASDAQ rules. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. They will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. We have adopted an insider trading policy which requires insiders to refrain from purchasing shares during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information and to clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as such purchases will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on the circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.

In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the

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Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.

The purpose of such purchases would be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.

In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our common stock may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.

Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against the business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.

Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates will not make purchases of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.

Redemption rights

At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, public stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or do not vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, less any taxes then due but not yet paid. Alternatively, we may provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares of our Class A common stock to us through a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less any taxes then due but not yet paid.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the public shares, without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our sponsor or its affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the public shares could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our sponsor or its affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the public shares, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those stockholders that hold more than 15% of the public shares) for or against our initial business combination.

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Our sponsor, initial stockholders and our officers and directors will not have redemption rights with respect to any shares of common stock owned by them, directly or indirectly, whether acquired prior to the initial public offering or purchased by them in the initial public offering or in the aftermarket.

We may require public stockholders, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination.

There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced delivery process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a nominal amount and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders seeking to exercise redemption rights prior to the consummation of the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated this may result in an increased cost to stockholders.

Any proxy solicitation materials we furnish to stockholders in connection with a vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring stockholders to satisfy such certification and delivery requirements. Accordingly, a stockholder would have from the time the stockholder received our proxy statement up until the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination to deliver his shares if he wishes to seek to exercise his redemption rights. This time period varies depending on the specific facts of each transaction. However, as the delivery process can be accomplished by the stockholder, whether or not he is a record holder or his shares are held in “street name,” in a matter of hours by simply contacting the transfer agent or his broker and requesting delivery of his shares through the DWAC System, we believe this time period is sufficient for an average investor. However, we cannot assure you of this fact. Please see the risk factor entitled “In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, we may require stockholders who wish to redeem their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.” for further information on the risks of failing to comply with these requirements.

Any request to redeem such shares once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the vote on the proposed business combination or the expiration of the tender offer. Furthermore, if a holder of public shares delivered his certificate in connection with an election of their redemption and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, he may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically).

If the initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any shares delivered by public holders.

Liquidation if no initial business combination

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we have until May 28, 2023 to complete an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination by May 28, 2023, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination); provided that our sponsor (or its affiliates or designees), must deposit into the trust account additional funds of $2,300,000 ($0.10 per unit), for the three-month extension, in exchange for a non-interest-bearing, unsecured promissory note. Our stockholders will not be entitled to vote on our extension of time to consummate an initial business combination from 15 months to up to 18 months as described above or redeem their shares in connection with such extension. If we have not completed an initial business combination within the completion window, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights

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or liquidating distributions with respect to our rights or warrants, which will expire without value to the holders if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window.

Our sponsor, officers and directors will not be entitled to rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. However, if our sponsor, officers or directors acquire public shares in or after the initial public offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window.

Our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect our public stockholders’ ability to redeem or sell their shares to us in connection with a business combination as described herein or affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business combination within the completion window unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest not previously released to us but net of franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, initial stockholders, executive officers, directors or any other person.

Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our outstanding public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window may be considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. It is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following May 28, 2023, and, therefore,practicable after we do not intend to complyelectronically file such material with, those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claimsor furnish it to, the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.

Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window is not considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidation distribution.

Because we will not be complying with Section 280 of the DGCL, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent ten years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses.

We are required to seek to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage) and any prospective target businesses enter into agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account. As a result, the claims that could be made against us will be limited, thereby lessening the likelihood that any claim would result in any liability extending to the trust. We therefore believe that any necessary provision for creditors will be reduced and should not have a significant impact on our ability to distribute the funds in the trust account to our public stockholders. Nevertheless, the underwriters of the initial public offering will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that other vendors, service providers and prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. Nor is there any guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.10 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us, but we cannot assure you that it will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether

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our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely that our sponsor will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. Additionally, the agreement our sponsor entered into specifically provides for two exceptions to the indemnity it has given: it will have no liability (1) as to any claimed amounts owed to a target business or vendor or other entity who has executed an agreement with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account, or (2) as to any claims for indemnification by the underwriters of the initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As a result, if we liquidate, the per-share distribution from the trust account could be less than $10.10 due to claims or potential claims of creditors.

We anticipate notifying the trustee of the trust account to begin liquidating such assets promptly after May 28, 2023 and anticipate it will take no more than ten business days to effectuate such distribution. The holders of the founder shares and private shares have waived their rights to participate in any liquidation distribution from the trust account with respect to such shares. There will be no distribution from the trust account with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless. We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets held outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, our sponsor has contractually agreed to advance us the funds necessary to complete such liquidation and has contractually agreed not to seek repayment for such expenses.

If we are unable to complete an initial business combination and expend all of the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the private placement, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the initial per-share redemption price would be $10.10. As discussed above, the proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of public stockholders.

Our public stockholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of our failure to complete a business combination within the completion window, if the stockholders seek to have us redeem or purchase their respective shares upon a business combination which is actually completed by us or upon certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior to consummating an initial business combination. In no other circumstances shall a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy or insolvency case or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return to our public stockholders at least $10.10 per share.

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy or insolvency case or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after the end of the completion window, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.

Competition

In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than us and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses may be limited by our available financial resources.

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The following also may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses:

our obligation to seek stockholder approval of a business combination or engage in a tender offer may delay the completion of a transaction;
our obligation to redeem or repurchase shares of common stock held by our public stockholders may reduce the resources available to us for a business combination; and
our outstanding warrants, and the potential future dilution they represent.

Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. Our management believes, however, that our status as a public entity and potential access to the United States public equity markets gives us a competitive advantage over privately held entities having a similar business objective as ours in acquiring a target business with significant growth potential on favorable terms.

If we succeed in effecting a business combination, there will be, in all likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the target business. We cannot assure you that, subsequent to a business combination, we will have the resources or ability to compete effectively.

Facilities

We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 12600 Hill Country Blvd, Building R, Suite 275, Bee Cave, Texas 78738. An affiliate of our sponsor provides this office space to us at no cost. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers, adequate for our current operations.

Employees

We have two executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters and devote only as much time as they deem necessary to our affairs. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for the business combination and the stage of the business combination process the company is in. Accordingly, once a suitable target business to acquire has been located, management may spend more time investigating such target business and negotiating and processing the business combination (and consequently spend more time on our affairs) than had been spent prior to locating a suitable target business. We expect our executive officers to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the consummation of a business combination.

Periodic Reporting and Financial Information

We have registered our units, Class A common stock, rights and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants. The SEC maintains an Internet sitea website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers thatour filings at www.sec.gov. The information found on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or any other report we file electronically with or furnish to the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.SEC.

We will provide stockholders with audited

Item 1a. Risk Factors.

Investing in us involves a high degree of risk. Before you invest in us, you should carefully consider the following risks, as well as general economic and business risks, and all of the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Any of the following risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition and cause the trading price of our common stock to decline, which would cause you to lose all or part of your investment. When determining whether to invest, you should also refer to the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historicalrelated notes thereto, and the other financial statements may be required to be auditedinformation concerning us included elsewhere in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential targets we may conduct an initial business combination with because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the completion window. this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by uswe will achieve or maintain profitability and our auditor has expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a potential acquisition candidategoing concern.

We will have financial statements preparedneed to raise additional working capital to continue our normal and planned operations. We will need to generate and sustain significant revenue levels in accordance with the above requirements or that the potential target business will be ablefuture periods in order to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the above requirements. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met,

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become profitable, and, even if we do, we may not be able to maintain or increase our level of profitability. In addition, as a public company, we will incur accounting, legal and other expenses. These expenditures will make it necessary for us to continue to raise additional working capital. Our efforts to grow our business may be costlier than we expect, and we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to offset our increased operating expenses. We may incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons, including unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications and delays and other unknown events. Accordingly, substantial doubt exists about our ability to continue as a going concern and we cannot assure you that we will achieve sustainable operating profits as we continue to expand our business, and otherwise implement our growth initiatives.

The financial statements included with this Annual Report have been prepared on a going concern basis. We may not be able to generate profitable operations in the future and/or obtain the necessary financing to meet our obligations and pay liabilities arising from normal business operations when they come due. The outcome of these matters cannot be predicted with any certainty at this time. These factors raise substantial doubt that we will be able to continue as a going concern. We plan to continue to provide for our capital needs through sales of our securities and/or other financing activities. Our financial statements do not include any adjustments to the amounts and classification of assets and liabilities that may be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern.

Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We believe that our substantial indebtedness will increase as an independent power producer (“IPP”). As of December 31, 2023, we had $198.4 million in outstanding short-term borrowing. It is likely that we will continue to be highly leveraged. The degree to which we remain leveraged could have important consequences to stockholders of the Company, including, but not limited to:

making it more difficult for the Company to satisfy its obligations with respect to its other debt and liabilities;


increasing the Company’s vulnerability to, and reducing its flexibility to respond to, general adverse economic and industry conditions;

requiring the dedication of a substantial portion of the cash flow of the Company from operations to the repayment of principal of, and interest on, indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of such cash flow and limiting the ability to obtain additional financing to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, joint ventures or other general corporate purposes, such as payments to suppliers for PV modules and balance-of-system components and contractors for design, engineering, procurement, and construction services;

limiting the Company’s flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in its business and the competitive environment and the industry in which it operates; and

placing the Company at a competitive disadvantage as compared to its competitors, to the extent that they are not as highly leveraged.

If the Company incurs new debt or other obligations, the related risks the Company now faces, as described in this risk factor and elsewhere in these “Risk Factors,” could intensify.

Our business as an independent power producer requires significant financial resources, and our growth prospects and future profitability depends to a significant extent on the availability of additional funding options with acceptable terms. If we do not successfully undertake subsequent financing plan(s), it may have to sell certain of its solar parks.

Our principal resources of liquidity to date have been cash from its operations and borrowings from banks and its shareholders. We have leveraged bank facilities in certain countries in order to meet working capital requirements for its activities. Our principal use of cash has been for pipeline development, working capital, and general corporate purposes.

We will require significant amounts of cash to fund the acquisition, development, installation, and construction of our projects and other aspects of our operations. We may also require additional cash due to changing business conditions or other future developments, including any investments or acquisitions it may decide to pursue in order to remain competitive. Historically, we have used bank loans, bridging loans, and third-party equity contributions to fund its project acquisition and development. We expect to seek to expand our business with third-party financing options, including bank loans, equity partners, financial leases, and securitization. However, it cannot be guaranteed that we will be successful in locating additional suitable sources of financing in the time periods required or at all, or on terms or at costs that it finds attractive or acceptable, which may render it impossible for us to fully execute our growth plan.

Any debt financing may require restrictive covenants and additional funds may not be available on terms commercially acceptable to us, vis-à-vis  acquired assets and subsidiaries. Failure to manage discretionary spending and raise additional capital or debt financing as required may adversely impact our ability to achieve our intended business objectives.

We are a holding company that relies on distributions and other payments, advances and transfers of funds from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations.

We have no direct operations and derive all our revenue and cash flow from our subsidiaries. Because we conduct our operations through subsidiaries, we depend on those entities for payments or distributions in order to meet our obligations. The deterioration of the earnings from, or other available assets of, our subsidiaries for any reason could limit or impair their ability to pay us and adversely affect our operations.

The reduction, modification or elimination of government subsidies and economic incentives may reduce the economic benefits of existing solar parks and the opportunities to develop or acquire suitable new solar parks.

Government subsidies and incentives have primarily been in the form of FiT price support schemes, tax credits, net metering, and other incentives to end-users, distributors, system integrators and manufacturers of solar energy products. The availability and size of such subsidies and incentives depend, to a large extent, on political and policy developments relating to environmental concerns in a given country. Changes in policies could lead to a significant reduction in, or discontinuation of, the support for renewable energies in such country, which could, in turn, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.


Decreases in the spot market price of electricity could harm our revenue and reduce the competitiveness of solar parks in grid-parity markets.

The price of electricity from our solar parks is fixed through PPAs or FiTs for a majority of its owned capacity. A FiT is a policy designed to support the development of renewable energy sources by providing a guaranteed, above-market price for producers. FiTs usually involve long-term contracts, anywhere from 15 to 20 years, whereas the PPAs that currently provide the additional revenue are typically renewed and may be terminated annually. In countries where the price of electricity is sufficiently high such that solar parks can be profitably developed without the need for government price supports, solar parks may choose not to enter into PPAs and would instead sell based on the spot market price of electricity. Revenue for our solar parks in Italy and Romania could fluctuate with the electricity spot market after the expiration of any PPA, unless it is renewed. The market price of electricity can be subject to significant fluctuations.

Decreases in the spot price of electricity in such countries could render PV energy less competitive compared to other forms of electricity. Thus, the spot market price of electricity may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition.

Our power purchase agreements may not be successfully completed.

Payments by power purchasers under a PPA may provide the majority of a Subsidiary’s or a project’s cash flows. There can be no assurance that any or all of the power purchasers will fulfill their obligations under their PPAs or that a power purchaser will not become bankrupt, or that upon any such bankruptcy, its obligations under its respective PPA will not be rejected by a bankruptcy trustee. There are also additional risks relating to PPAs, including the occurrence of events beyond the control of a power purchaser that may excuse it from its obligation to accept and pay for the delivery of energy generated by the project company’s plant. The failure of a power purchaser to fulfill its obligations under any PPA or the termination of any PPA may have a material adverse effect on the respective project or project company and therefore on us.

The seasonality of our Subsidiaries’ operations may materially affect our business, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition.

The energy production industry is subject to seasonal variations as well as other significant events. For instance, the amount of electricity and revenues generated by our solar generation facilities is dependent in part, on the amount of sunlight, or irradiation, where the assets are located. Due to shorter daylight hours in winter months, there is less irradiation and the generation produced by these facilities will vary depending on the season.

The seasonality of our energy production may create increased demands on liquidity during periods when cash generated from operating activities are lower and we may also require additional equity or debt financing to maintain its solvency, which may not be available when required or available on commercially favorable terms. Thus, the Company may struggle to maintain sufficient financial liquidity to absorb the impact of seasonal variations in energy productions. Other significant events and seasonal variations may adversely affect the Company’s business, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition.

The acquisition of renewable energy facilities or of companies that own and operate renewable energy facilities is subject to substantial risk.

A significant part of our business model has been to acquire new renewable energy facilities and companies that own and operate renewable energy facilities. Acquisition of renewable energy facilities or of companies that own and operate renewable energy facilities is subject to substantial risk. While we believe that we have performed adequate due diligence on prospective acquisitions, we may not have been able to discover all potential operational deficiencies in such renewable energy facilities. In addition, our expectations for the operating performance of newly constructed renewable energy facilities as well as those under construction are based on assumptions and estimates made without the benefit of an operating history.

If we consummate any future acquisition, in line with our business model, our capitalization and results of operations may change significantly, and shareholders will generally not have the opportunity to evaluate the economic, financial and other relevant information that we consider in determining the application of these funds and other resources. As a result, the consummation of acquisitions may have a material adverse effect on the our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Further, we may not be able to successfully integrate acquired businesses and, where desired, their product portfolios, and therefore the Company may not be able to realize the intended benefits of such acquisitions. The failure to integrate acquired businesses effectively may adversely impact the our business, results of operations or financial condition.


The delay between making significant upfront investments in solar parks and receiving revenue could materially and adversely affect our liquidity, business and results of operations.

There are generally multiple months between the initial significant upfront investments in solar parks, solar park development and obtaining permits to build solar parks which we expect to own and operate and when we begin to receive revenues from the sale of electricity generated by such solar parks after grid connection. Historically, we have relied on third-party equity contribution, bridging and bank loans to pay for costs and expenses incurred during project development, especially to third parties for PV modules and balance-of-system components and EPC and O&M services. Such investments may be non-refundable. Solar parks typically generate revenue only after becoming commercially operational and once they are able to sell electricity to the power grid. Between our initial investments in the development of solar parks (through its model of working with local developers) and their connection to the transmission grid, there may be adverse developments impacting such solar parks. The timing gap between its upfront investments and actual generation of revenue, or any added delay due to unforeseen events, could put strains on our liquidity and resources and materially and adversely affect its profitability and results of operations.

We may experience delays related to developing and maintaining renewable energy projects.

Development of solar power projects can take many months or years to complete and may be delayed for reasons beyond its control. Development usually requires a company to make some up-front payments for, among other things, land/rooftop use rights and permitting in advance of commencing construction, and revenue from these projects may not be recognized for several additional months following contract signing. Furthermore, we may become constrained in our ability to simultaneously fund other investments in such projects.

Development, operation and maintenance of renewable energy projects and related infrastructure expose us to numerous risks, including construction, environmental, regulatory, permitting, commissioning, start-up, operating, economic, commercial, political and financial risks. This involves risks of failure to obtain or substantial delays in obtaining: (i) regulatory, environmental or other approvals or permits; (ii) financing; (iii) leasing; and (iv) suitable equipment supply, operating and off-take contracts. Moreover, renewable energy assets are subject to energy regulation and require governmental licenses and approval for their operation. The failure to obtain, maintain or comply with the licenses and approvals relating to our assets and the resulting costs, fines and penalties, could materially and adversely affect our ability to operate the assets. Renewable energy projects also require significant expenditure before the assets begin to generate income and often require long-term investment to enable projects to generate expected levels of income. The development of solar power projects also requires significant management attention to negotiate the terms of engagement and monitor the progress of the projects which may divert management’s attention from other matters.

Solar project development is challenging and may ultimately not be successful and miscalculations in planning a project may negatively affect engineering procurement and construction (“EPC”) prices, all of which could increase the costs, delay or cancel a project, and have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, results of operations and profit margins.

The development of solar projects involves numerous risks and uncertainties and requires extensive research, planning and due diligence. We may be required to incur significant amounts of capital expenditure for land/rooftop use rights, interconnection rights, preliminary engineering, permits, legal and other expenses before we can determine whether a solar power project is economically, technologically or otherwise feasible. Success in developing a solar power project is contingent upon, among other things:

securing investment or development rights;

securing suitable project sites, necessary rights of way, satisfactory land/rooftop use or access rights in the appropriate locations with capacity on the transmission grid and related permits, including completing environmental assessments and implementing any required mitigation measures;

rezoning land, as necessary, to support a solar power project;

negotiating satisfactory EPC agreements;

negotiating and receiving required permits and approvals for project development from government authorities on schedule;

completing all required regulatory and administrative procedures needed to obtain permits and agreements;

procuring rights to interconnect the solar power project to the electric grid or to transmit energy;


paying interconnection and other deposits, some of which are non-refundable;

signing grid connection and dispatch agreements, power purchase agreements, or PPAs, or other arrangements that are commercially acceptable, including adequate for providing financing;

obtaining project financing, including debt financing and own equity contribution;

negotiating favorable payment terms with suppliers; and

completing construction on schedule in a satisfactory manner.

Successful completion of a particular solar project may be adversely affected by numerous factors, including without limitation:

unanticipated changes in project plans or defective or late execution;

difficulties in obtaining and maintaining governmental permits, licenses and approvals required by existing laws and regulations or additional regulatory requirements not previously anticipated;

potential challenges from local residents, environmental organizations, and others who may not support the project;

uncertainty in the timing of grid connection;

the inability to procure adequate financing with acceptable terms;

unforeseeable engineering problems, construction or other unexpected delays and contractor performance shortfalls;

labor, equipment and materials supply delays, shortages or disruptions, or work stoppages;

adverse weather, environmental and geological conditions, force majeure and other events outside of owner’s control; and

cost overruns, due to any one or more of the foregoing factors.

Accordingly, some of the solar power projects in our pipeline may not be completed or even proceed to construction. If several solar power projects are not completed, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Development activities may be subject to cost overruns or delays, which may materially and adversely affect our financial results and results of operations.

Development of our solar power projects may be adversely affected by circumstances outside of its control, including inclement weather, a failure to receive regulatory approvals on schedule or third-party delays in providing solar modules, inverters or other materials. Obtaining full permits for solar power projects is time consuming and we may not be able to meet the expected timetable for obtaining full permits for solar power projects in the pipeline. In addition, we usually rely on external contractors for the development and construction of solar power projects and may not be able to negotiate satisfactory agreements with them. If contractors do not satisfy their obligations or do not perform work that meets our quality standards or if there is a shortage of third-party contractors or if there are labor strikes that interfere with the ability of employees or contractors to complete their work on time or within budget, we could experience significant delays or cost overruns. Changes in project plans or designs, or defective or late execution may increase our costs and cause delays. Increases in the prices of solar products and balance-of-system components may increase procurement costs. Labor shortages, work stoppages or labor disputes could significantly delay a project or otherwise increase costs. In addition, delays in obtaining, our inability to obtain, or a lack of proper construction permits or post-construction approvals could delay or prevent the construction of solar power projects, commencing operation and connecting to the relevant grid.

We may not be able to recover any of these losses in connection with construction cost overruns or delays. In addition, in certain cases of delay, we might not be able to obtain any FiT or PPA at all, as certain FiTs or PPAs require that it connects to the transmission grid by a certain date. A reduction or forfeiture of FiT or PPA payments would materially and adversely affect the financial results and results of operations for that solar power project.


Impact of RePowerEU programme on our business and future prospects.

In May 2022, the European Commission published “REPowerEU”, billed as “a plan to rapidly reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels and fast forward the green transition”. The plan involves a number of initiatives to achieve this goal, including energy savings, identifying alternative sources of natural gas procurement like LNG imports, and expanded use of heat pumps in buildings. But the largest and most ambitious portion of the plan involves a “massive scaling up and speeding up of renewable energy in power generation, industry, buildings, and transport.” Such a large and ambitious plan comes with numerous associated risks and uncertainties as further described below.

Specifics related to accelerated renewable deployment include:

A dedicated EU Solar Strategy to double solar photovoltaic capacity by 2025 and install 600 GW by 2030 (in other words, building the same amount of solar in Europe in the next 3 years as built in the last 20)

This growth strategy will increase the solar industries’ dependency on raw materials and components being sourced from outside Europe. Diversification of the supply chain may delay implementation and increase costs. Additionally, implementation may result in political and regulatory bottlenecks at the country level with key stakeholder support critical within individual markets, which may be difficult to achieve.

A commission recommendation to tackle slow and complex permitting for major renewable energy projects, and recognition of renewable energy as an overriding public interest. This includes proposals to cut the permitting time for major renewable projects by half and a targeted amendment to the Renewable Energy Directive to recognize renewable energy as an overriding public interest;

The Renewable Energy Directive is applied differently across member states which could prove to be a barrier in tackling development timelines. Additionally, permitting is just one component of the project development cycle. Significant infrastructural upgrades such as those envisaged under major renewable energy projects, for example increasing grid availability may take longer than expected within the individual markets which reduces grid capacity in the medium term. This may affect the Company’s planned developments depending on the market, particularly those projects which are in the early stages of development.

Dedicated “go-to” areas for renewables to be put in place by member states, with shortened and simplified permitting processes in areas with lower environmental risks. The commission is making available datasets for its digital mapping tool to help member states quickly identify such “go-to” areas.

We may not have any development projects located in these “go-to” areas, and we would therefore not benefit from the shortened and simplified permitting processes.

PV plants quality or PV plants performance.

Insufficient quality of installed solar modules and other equipment resulting in faster than estimated degradation may lead to lower revenues and higher maintenance costs, particularly if the product guarantees have expired or the supplier is unable or unwilling to respect its obligations. Even well-maintained high-quality PV solar power plants may, from time to time, experience technical breakdown. Furthermore, widespread PV plant failures may damage our market reputation, reduce its market share and cause a decline of construction projects. Although a defect in our PV plants may be caused by defects in products delivered by its sub-suppliers which are incorporated into its PV plants, there can be no assurance that we will be entitled to or successful in claiming reimbursement, repair, replacement or damages from its sub-suppliers relating to such defects.

Our holding companies have a significant number of foreign subsidiaries with whom they have entered into many related party transactions. The relationship of such holding companies with these entities could adversely affect us in the event of their bankruptcy or similar insolvency proceeding.


Any reductions or modifications to, or the elimination of, governmental incentives or policies that support solar energy, including, but not limited to, tax laws, policies and incentives, renewable portfolio standards or feed-in-tariffs, or the imposition of additional taxes or other assessments on solar energy, could result in, among other items, the lack of a satisfactory market for the development and/or financing of new solar energy projects, our abandoning the development of solar energy projects, a loss of our investments in solar energy projects and reduced project returns, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We depend heavily on government policies that support utility scale renewable energy and enhance the economic feasibility of developing and operating solar energy projects in regions in which we operate or plan to develop and operate renewable energy facilities. The federal government and a majority of state governments in the United States provide incentives, such as tax incentives, renewable portfolio standards or feed-in-tariffs, that support or are designed to support the sale of energy from utility scale renewable energy facilities, such as wind and solar energy facilities. As a result of budgetary constraints, political factors or otherwise, governments from time to time may review their laws and policies that support renewable energy and consider actions that would make the laws and policies less conducive to the development and operation of renewable energy facilities. Any reductions or modifications to, or the elimination of, governmental incentives or policies that support renewable energy or the imposition of additional taxes or other assessments on renewable energy, could result in, among other items, the lack of a satisfactory market for the development and/or financing of new renewable energy projects, our abandoning the development of renewable energy projects, a loss of our investments in the projects and reduced project returns, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

For example, in Q4 2022, the Polish parliament unilaterally decided to implement a lower price cap rather than the proposed target business.European Commission recommended price cap. This specific price cap, in addition to the uncertainty created by differing government guidance and subsequent amendments to the timing and implementation of the price cap, had a material adverse impact on the ability of Alternus to optimize the government linked Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme on certain Polish projects it intended to acquire, which in turn significantly reduced the forecasted revenues for the Polish solar park portfolio in the near term. As a result of the above, and combined with other factors, we were unable to close this acquisition within the expected time frame. It is possible that policy changes such as these may continue or be adopted by other countries in the future such that they could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act (the “IRA”), which extends the availability of investment tax credits (“ITCs”) and production tax credits (“PTCs”). For our US operations, we expect to claim ITCs with respect to qualifying solar energy projects. In this we may also structure tax equity partnerships, and may rely upon applicable tax law and published Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) guidance. However, the application of law and guidance regarding ITC eligibility to the facts of particular solar energy projects is subject to a number of uncertainties, in particular with respect to the new IRA provisions for which Department of Treasury regulations (“Treasury Regulations”) are forthcoming, and there can be no assurance that the IRS will agree with our approach in the event of an audit. The Department of Treasury is expected to issue Treasury Regulations and additional guidance with respect to the application of the newly enacted IRA provisions, and the IRS and Department of Treasury may modify existing guidance, possibly with retroactive effect. Any of the foregoing items could reduce the amount of ITCs or, if applicable, PTCs available to us and/or our tax equity partners. In this event, we could be required to adjust the terms of future tax equity partnerships, or seek alternative sources of funding for solar energy projects, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Operation and maintenance of renewable energy projects involve significant risks that could result in unplanned outages, reduced output, interconnection or termination issues, or other adverse consequences.

There are risks associated with the operation of our projects. These risks include:

greater or earlier than expected degradation, or in some cases failure, of solar panels, inverters, turbines, gear boxes, blades, and other equipment;

catastrophic events, such as fires, earthquakes, severe weather, tornadoes, ice or hail storms or other meteorological conditions, landslides, and other similar events beyond our control, which could severely damage or destroy a project, reduce its energy output, result in property damage, personal injury, or loss of life, or increase the cost of insurance even if these impacts are suffered by other projects as is often seen following events like high-volume wildfire and hurricane seasons;

technical performance below projected levels, including the failure of solar panels, inverters, gear boxes, blades, and other equipment to produce energy as expected, whether due to incorrect measures of performance provided by equipment suppliers, improper operation and maintenance, or other reasons;


increases in the cost of operating the projects, including costs relating to labor, equipment, unforeseen or changing site conditions, insurance, regulatory compliance, and taxes;

the exercise by PPA counterparties of options present in certain PPAs to purchase the underlying project for a fixed price that may be lower than the fair market value or our NAV attributable to such project at such time;

storm water or other site challenges;

the discovery of unknown impacts to protected or endangered species or habitats, migratory birds, wetlands or other jurisdictional water resources, and/or cultural resources at project sites;

the inability to sell power following the termination of offtake contracts;

errors, breaches, failures, or other forms of unauthorized conduct or malfeasance on the part of operators, contractors, or other service providers;

cyber-attacks targeted at our projects as a way of attacking the broader grid or the ISO, or a failure by us or our operators to comply with NERC cyber-security regulations aimed at protecting the grid from such attacks;

design or manufacturing defects or failures, including defects or failures that are not covered by warranties or insurance;

loss of interconnection capacity, and in turn the ability to deliver power under our PPAs, due to grid or system outages or curtailments beyond our or our counterparties’ control;

insolvency or financial distress on the part of any of our service providers, contractors, or suppliers, or a default by any such counterparty for any other reason under its warranties or other obligations to us;

breaches by us and certain events, including force majeure events, under certain PPAs and other contracts that may give rise to a right of the applicable counterparty to terminate such contract;

unforeseen levels of price volatility that may result in financial loss when a project sells energy at a different location on the grid than where it is delivered under its PPA;

failure to obtain or comply with permits and other regulatory consents and the inability to renew or replace permits or consents that expire or are terminated;

the inability to operate within limitations that may be imposed by current or future governmental permits and consents;

changes in law, particularly in land use, environmental, or other regulatory requirements;

the inability to extend our initial land leases on the same terms for the full useful life of the project;

disputes with federal agencies, state agencies, or other public or private owners of land on which our projects are located, or adjacent landowners;

changes in tax, environmental, health and safety, land use, labor, trade, or other laws, including changes in related governmental permit requirements;

government or utility exercise of eminent domain power or similar events;

existence of liens, encumbrances, or other imperfections in title affecting real estate interests; and

failure to obtain or maintain insurance or failure of our insurance to fully compensate us for repairs, theft or vandalism, and other actual losses.


These and other factors could have adverse consequences on our solar projects. For example, these factors could require us to shut down or reduce the output of such projects, degrade equipment, reduce the useful life of the project, and materially increase O&M and other costs. Unanticipated capital expenditures associated with maintaining or repairing our projects would reduce profitability. Congestion, emergencies, maintenance, outages, overloads, requests by other parties for transmission service, including on our facilities, actions or omissions by other projects with which we share facilities, and certain other events, including events beyond our control, could partially or completely curtail generation and delivery of energy by our projects and could lead to our customers terminating their PPAs with us. Any termination of a project’s interconnection or transmission arrangements or non-compliance by an interconnection provider, the owner or operator of shared facilities, or another third party with its obligations under an interconnection, shared facilities, or transmission arrangement may delay or prevent our projects from delivering energy to our offtakers. If the interconnection, shared facilities, or transmission arrangement for a project is terminated, we may not be able to replace it on similar terms to the existing arrangement, or at all, or we may experience significant delays or costs in connection with such replacement. In addition, replacement and spare parts for solar panels, and other key pieces of equipment may be difficult or costly to acquire or may be unavailable.

Any of the risks described above could significantly decrease or eliminate the revenues of a project, significantly increase its operating costs, cause us to default under our financing agreements, or give rise to damages or penalties owed by us to an offtaker, another contractual counterparty, a governmental authority, or another third party, or cause defaults under related contracts or permits. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, NAV, financial condition, and results of operations.

We and any third parties with which we do business may be subject to cyber-attacks, network disruptions, and other information systems breaches, as well as acts of terrorism or war that could have a material adverse effect on our business, NAV, financial condition, and results of operations, as well as result in significant physical damage to our renewable energy projects.

Our operations rely on our computer systems, hardware, software, and networks, as well as those of third parties with which we do business, such as O&M and other service providers, to securely process, store, and transmit proprietary, confidential, financial, and other information. We also rely heavily on these information systems to operate our solar projects. Information technology system failures and network disruptions may be caused by natural disasters, accidents, power disruptions, telecommunications failures, acts of terrorism or war, computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins, human errors in using or accessing relevant systems, or similar events or disruptions. Cyber-attacks, including those targeting information systems or electronic control systems used to operate our energy projects and the facilities of third parties on which our projects rely, could severely disrupt business operations, and result in loss of service to offtakers and significant expense to repair security breaches or system damage. In addition, our costs to adequately counter the risk of cyber-attacks may increase significantly in the future. In recent years, such cyber incidents have become increasingly frequent and sophisticated, targeting or otherwise affecting a wide range of companies. While thiswe have instituted security measures to reduce the likelihood and impact of a cyber-attack or data breach and have back-up systems and disaster recovery plans for other disruptions, these measures, or those of the third parties with which we do business, may be ineffective or inadequate. If these measures fail, valuable information may be lost; our development, construction, O&M, and other operations may be disrupted; we may be unable to fulfill our customer obligations; and our reputation may suffer. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of our employees who are capable of performing their functions remotely are telecommuting and may continue to do so for the foreseeable future, which may exacerbate these risks. Such risks may also subject us to litigation, regulatory action and fines, remedial expenses, and financial losses beyond the scope or limits of our insurance coverage. These consequences of a failure of security measures could, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our business, NAV, financial condition, and results of operations.

Terrorists have attacked energy assets such as substations and related infrastructure in the past and may attack them in the future. We cannot guarantee adequate protection from such attacks on our projects and have little or no control over the facilities of third parties on which our projects rely. Attacks on our or our counterparties’ assets could severely damage our projects, disrupt business operations, result in loss of service to offtakers, and require significant time and expense to repair. Additionally, energy-related facilities, such as substations and related infrastructure, are protected by limited security measures, in most cases only perimeter fencing. Our current portfolio, as well as projects we may develop or acquire and the facilities of third parties on which our projects rely, may be targets of burglary, terrorist acts and affected by responses to terrorist acts, each of which could fully or partially disrupt our projects’ ability to produce, transmit, transport, and distribute energy. To the extent such acts constitute force majeure events under our PPAs or interconnection agreements, the applicable offtaker generally may reduce or cease making payments to us and may terminate such PPA or interconnection agreement if such force majeure event continues for a period typically ranging from six to twelve months as specified in the applicable agreement. We are also generally unable to, or do not, obtain insurance coverage to compensate us for losses caused by terrorist or other similar attacks. As a result, any such attack could significantly decrease revenues, result in significant reconstruction or remediation costs, or otherwise disrupt our business operations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, NAV, financial condition, and results of operations.


Our holding companies have historically entered into multiple transactions with their affiliates. These transactions include financial guarantees and other credit support arrangements, including letters of comfort to such affiliates pursuant to which the holding companies undertake to provide financial support to these affiliates and adequate resources as required to ensure that they are able to meet certain liabilities and local solvency requirements. These holding companies are currently party to many such affiliate transactions, and it is likely they will enter into new and similar affiliate transactions in the future.

In the event that any of these affiliates become bankrupt or insolvent, there can be no assurance that a court or other foreign tribunal, liquidator, monitor, trustee or similar party would not seek to enforce these intercompany arrangements and guarantees or otherwise seek relief against the holding companies and their other affiliates. If any of our material foreign subsidiaries (e.g., subsidiaries that hold a significant number of customer contracts, or that are the parent company of other material subsidiaries) become subject to a bankruptcy, liquidation or similar insolvency proceeding, such proceeding could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We are in a highly competitive marketplace.

The renewable energy industry is highly competitive and we face significant competition in the markets in which we operate. Some of our competitors may have advantages over us in terms of greater operational, financial and technical management as well as additional resources in particular markets or in general. Our competitors may also enter into strategic alliances or form affiliates with other competitors to its detriment. Suppliers or contractors may merge with our competitors which may limit our choices of contractors and hence the flexibility of its overall project execution capabilities. Increased competition may result in price reductions, reduced profit margins and loss of market share. 

Moreover, our current business strategy is to become a global IPP and to own and operate all of the solar parks which it develops and acquires. As part of our growth plan, we may, in the future, acquire solar parks in various development stages through a competitive bidding process as part of the auction schemes in the various jurisdictions we plan to grow and establish ourself in as well as the current countries we operate in. The bidding and selection process is affected by a number of factors, including factors that may be beyond our control, such as market conditions or government incentive programs. Our competitors may have greater financial resources, a more effective or established localized business presence or a greater willingness or ability to operate with little or no operating margins for sustained periods of time. Any increase in competition during such bidding processes or reduction in its competitive capabilities could have a significant adverse impact on its market share and on the margins it generates from its solar parks.

Further, large, utility-scale solar parks must be interconnected to the power grid in order to deliver electricity, which requires us, through its local partnerships, to find suitable sites with capacity on the power grid available. Our competitors may impede its development efforts by acquiring control of all or a portion of a PV site it seeks to develop. Even when we have identified a desirable site for a solar park, its ability to obtain site control with respect to the site is subject to its ability to finance the transaction and growing competition from other solar power producers that may have better access to local government support, financing or other resources. If we are unable to find or obtain site control for suitable PV sites on commercially acceptable terms, its ability to develop new solar parks on a timely basis or at all might be harmed, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We depend on certain key personnel and loss of these key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our success depends to a significant degree on the services rendered by our key employees. Due to the level of technical expertise necessary to support its business strategy, our success will depend upon our ability to attract and retain highly skilled and seasoned professionals in the solar industry for which competition is intense. In particular, we are heavily dependent on the continued services of Mr. Vincent Browne, our Chief Executive Officer. The loss of any key employee, including executive officers or members of senior management teams, and the failure to attract, train and retain highly skilled personnel with sufficient experience in the industry to replace them, could harm our prospects, business, financial condition, and the results of operations will be materially affected.


If sufficient demand for solar parks does not develop or takes longer to develop than anticipated, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

The PV market is at a relatively early stage of development in some of the markets that the Company may intend to enter. The PV industry continues to experience lower costs, improved efficiency and higher electricity output. However, trends in the PV industry are based only on limited data and may not be reliable. Many factors may affect the demand for solar parks including, among others, cost and availability of financing for solar parks, fluctuations in economic and market conditions, competition from non-solar energy sources, environmental concerns, public perception and regulations and policies governing the electric power industry and the broader energy industry.

If market demand for solar parks fails to develop sufficiently, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

We are subject to risks associated with fluctuations in the prices of PV modules and balance-of-system components or in the costs of design, construction and labor.

We procure supplies for solar park construction, such as PV modules and balance-of-system components, from third-party suppliers. We typically enter into contracts with its suppliers and contractors on a project-by-project basis or a project portfolio basis. We generally do not maintain long-term contracts with its suppliers. Therefore, are exposed to fluctuations in prices for its PV modules and balance-of-system components. Increases in the prices of PV products or balance-of-system components or fluctuations in design, construction, labor and installation costs may increase the cost of procuring equipment and engaging contractors and hence materially and adversely affect its results of operations.

Refurbishment of renewable energy facilities involve significant risks that could result in unplanned power outages or reduced output.

Our facilities may require periodic upgrading and improvement. Any unexpected operational or mechanical failures, such as the failure of a single inverter, or other failures associated with breakdowns and forced outages generally, and any decreased operational or management performance, could reduce its facilities’ generating capacity below expected levels, reducing its revenues. Unanticipated capital expenditures associated with upgrading or repairing its facilities may also reduce our profitability.

We may also choose to refurbish or upgrade its facilities based on its assessment that such activity will provide adequate financial returns and key assumptions underpinning a decision to make such an investment may prove incorrect, including assumptions regarding construction costs, timing, available financing and future power prices. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Moreover, spare parts for solar facilities and key pieces of equipment may be hard to acquire or unavailable to us. Sources of some significant spare parts and other equipment are located outside of the jurisdictions in which it operates. Suppliers of some spare parts have filed, or may in the future file for, bankruptcy protection, potentially reducing the availability of parts that it requires to operate certain of its power generation facilities. Other suppliers may for other reasons cease to manufacture parts that it requires to operate certain of its power generation facilities. If we were to experience a shortage of or inability to acquire critical spare parts, it could incur significant delays in returning facilities to full operation, which could negatively impact its business financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our project operations may be adversely affected by weather and climate conditions, natural disasters and adverse work environments.

We may operate in areas that are under the threat of floods, earthquakes, landslides, mudslides, sandstorms, drought, or other inclement weather and climate conditions or natural disasters. If inclement weather or climatic conditions or natural disasters occur in areas where its solar parks and project teams are located, project development, connectivity to the power grid and the provision of O&M services may be adversely affected. In particular, materials may not be delivered as scheduled and labor may not be available. As some of its solar parks are located in the same region, such solar parks may be simultaneously affected by weather and climate conditions, natural disasters and adverse work environments.

Moreover, natural disasters which are beyond our control may adversely affect the economy, infrastructure and communities in the countries and regions where it conducts its business operations. Such conditions may have an adverse effect on its work performance, progress and efficiency or even result in personal injuries or fatalities.


Business interruptions, whether due to catastrophic disasters or other events, could adversely affect Alternus’ operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Our operations and those of its contract manufacturers and outsourced service providers are vulnerable to interruption by fire, earthquake, hurricane, flood or other natural disaster, power loss, computer viruses, computer systems failure, telecommunications failure, quarantines, national catastrophe, terrorist activities, war and other events beyond its control. For instance, some of Alternus’ solar parks are located in Italy near medium risk areas regarding seismic activity and may be vulnerable to damage from earthquakes. If any disaster were to occur, our ability and the ability of its contract manufacturers and outsourced service providers to operate could be seriously impaired and it could experience material harm to its business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, the coverage or limits of its business interruption insurance may not be sufficient to compensate for any losses or damages that may occur.

Any such terrorist acts, environmental repercussions or disruptions, natural disasters, theft incidents or other catastrophic events could result in a significant decrease in revenues or significant reconstruction, remediation or replacement costs, beyond what could be recovered through insurance policies, which could have a material adverse effect on its operating results and financial condition.

Global economic conditions and any related ongoing impact of supply chain constraints and the market of our product and service could adversely affect our results of operations.

Due to the specific nature of solar photovoltaic industry, we depend on a limited number of suppliers of solar panels, batteries, and other system components needed to expand, operate and function our solar parks, thus making us susceptible to quality issues, shortages, bottlenecks, and price changes. The uncertain condition of the global economy as well as the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, including the retaliatory economic measures taken by United States, European, and others continue impacting businesses around the world, and has and may continue to impact several components producers and suppliers that form part of our supply chain; impacting products, materials, components, and parts required to operate our solar parks and expand our solar offering, both in the Europe, in the US and globally. In times of rapid industry growth or regulatory change such as current times, any further deterioration of the geopolitical, socio-economic conditions or financial uncertainty to provide our services could reduce customers’ confidence and affect negatively our sales and results of operations.

Although we have implemented policies and procedures to maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulations, these and other similar trade restrictions that may be imposed in the future could cause installation and capacity expansion delay, amidst restrictions on the global supply of polysilicon and solar products. This could result in near-term supply crunch in solar energy systems despite higher costs, as well as increased costs of polysilicon and the overall cost of solar energy systems, potentially translating into a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates may negatively affect our revenue, cost of sales and gross margins and could result in exchange losses.

Our business and operational activities are dispersed and subsidiaries within it trade in their functional currencies in the course of their business operations. Our investment holding companies transact in functional currencies of their subsidiaries. Our investment holding companies may have foreign financing and investing activities, which exposes us to foreign currency risk. Any increased costs or reduced revenue as a result of foreign exchange rate fluctuations could adversely affect our profit margins.

Although we have access to a variety of financing solutions that are tailored to the geographic location of its projects and local regulations, we have not entered into any hedging transactions to reduce the foreign exchange rate fluctuation risks, but may do so in the future when it is deemed appropriate to do so in light of the significance of such risks. However, if we decide to hedge our foreign exchange exposure in the future, we cannot be assured that we will be able to reduce our foreign currency risk exposure in an effective manner, at reasonable costs, or at all.

If we fail to comply with financial and other covenants under debt arrangements, our financial condition, results of operations and business prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

We have a number of covenants related to certain debt arrangements that require us to maintain certain financial ratios. These restrictions could affect our ability to operate our business and may limit the poolability to react to market conditions or take advantage of potential acquisition candidates,business opportunities as they arise. For example, such restrictions could adversely affect our ability to finance our operations, make strategic acquisitions, investments or alliances, restructure our organization or finance our capital needs. Additionally, our ability to comply with these covenants may be affected by events beyond our control. These include prevailing economic, financial and industry conditions. Failure to comply with financial and other covenants may potentially result in increased financial costs, the requirement for additional security or cancellation of loans, which in turn may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.


Any default under debt arrangements could lead to an event of default and acceleration under other debt instruments that contain cross default or cross acceleration provisions, as applicable at any given time. If our creditors accelerate the payment of those amounts, investors cannot be assured that our assets would be sufficient to repay in full those amounts, to satisfy all other liabilities which would be due and payable and to ensure that net assets will be available to the shareholders. For example, our subsidiary, Solis Bond Company DAC, breached all three financial covenants under its bond terms: (i) the minimum liquidity covenant, (ii) the minimum equity ratio covenant, and (iii) the leverage ratio. In April of 2023 Solis Bond Company DAC received a temporary waiver from its bondholders, in which the bondholders approved to extend to September 30, 2023. On October 16, 2023, the bondholders approved resolutions to further extend the temporary waiver to December 16, 2023. On January 3, 2024, the Solis bondholders approved resolutions to further extend the temporary waivers and the maturity date of the Solis Bonds until January 31, 2024, with the right to further extend to February 29, 2024 at the Solis Bond trustee’s discretion. On February 26, 2024, Solis and a representative group of the bondholders agreed to an additional extension of the temporary waivers and the maturity date of the Solis Bond until 30 April 2024, with the right to further extend to May 31 2024 at the Bond Trustee’s discretion, and thereafter on a month to month basis to 29 November 2024 at the Bond Trustee’s discretion and approval from a majority of bondholders (the “Solis Extension Date”).

Pursuant to the Solis Extension, Solis Bond Company DAC must fully repay the Solis Bond by the Solis Extension Date. If Solis is unable to fully repay the Solis Bond by the Solis Extension Date, Solis’ bondholders will have the right to immediately transfer ownership of Solis and all of its subsidiaries to the bondholders and proceed to sell Solis’ assets to recoup the full amount owed to the bondholders, which as of the date of this Annual Report is €87.9 million (approximately $95.3 million). If the ownership of Solis and all of its subsidiaries were to be transferred to the Solis bondholders, the majority of our operating assets and related revenues and EBIDTA would be eliminated.

In addition, we typically pledge our solar park assets or account or trade receivables to raise debt financing, and we are restricted from creating additional security over its assets. If we are in breach of one or more financial or other covenants or negative pledge clauses under any of our loan agreements and are not able to obtain waivers from the lenders or prepay such loan, repayment of the indebtedness under the relevant loan agreement may be accelerated, which may in turn require us to repay the entire principal amount including interest accrued, if any, of certain of its other existing indebtedness prior to their maturity under cross-default provisions of other loan agreements. If we lack sufficient financial resources to make required payments, the pledgees may auction or sell our assets or our interest in solar parks to enforce their rights under the pledge contracts and loan agreements. Any of those events could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and business prospects.

If the ownership of Solis and all of its subsidiaries were to be transferred to the Solis bondholders in connection with an event of default under the Solis Bond, the majority of our operating assets and related revenues and EBIDTA would be eliminated and our stockholders may be negatively impacted.

Our subsidiary, Solis, breached three financial covenants under its bond terms and has received a waiver from its bondholders, which extended the date on which Solis must repay its bonds to September 30, 2023. On October 16, 2023, the Solis bondholders approved resolutions to further extend the temporary waiver to December 16, 2023. On January 3, 2024, the Solis bondholders approved resolutions to further extend the temporary waivers and the maturity date of the Solis Bonds until January 31, 2024, with the right to further extend to February 29, 2024 at the Solis Bond trustee’s discretion. On February 26, 2024, Solis and a representative group of the bondholders agreed to an additional extension of the temporary waivers and the maturity date of the Solis Bond until 30 April 2024, with the right to further extend to May 31 2024 at the Bond Trustee’s discretion, and thereafter on a month to month basis to 29 November 2024 at the Bond Trustee’s discretion and approval from a majority of bondholders.

There is no assurance that Solis will meet the terms of the Solis Extension. If Solis is unable to fully repay the bonds, which as of the date of this Annual Report is €87.9 million (approximately $95.3 million), by the Solis Extension Date, Solis will be in an event of default under its bond terms and Solis’ bondholders have the right to immediately transfer ownership of Solis and all of its subsidiaries to the bondholders for €1.00 and proceed to sell Solis’ assets to recoup the full amount owed to the bondholders. If the ownership of Solis and all of its subsidiaries were to be transferred to the Solis bondholders, the majority of our current operating assets and related revenues would be eliminated immediately upon the date of any ownership change and we would no longer be able to book the associated EBIDTA. This would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

The of occurrence of this material adverse effect could have far-reaching and unpredictable outcomes on the stockholders of the Company. As an example, if we are unable to expand and replace assets which were sold off in connection with our default under the Solis Bond, we may not be able to reach its current level of revenues or EBITDA for a substantial period of time, extending to a period of years, if ever. As such, our stockholders may never receive dividends or the value of our common stock may be significantly lower than its current price.


We are subject to counterparty risks under our FiT price support schemes and Green Certificates (“GC”) Schemes.

As an IPP, we generate electricity income primarily pursuant to FiT price support schemes or GCs, which subjects it to counterparty risks with respect to regulatory regimes. Its FiT price support schemes in one region or country are generally signed with a limited number of electric utilities. We rely on these electric utilities to fulfill their responsibilities for the full and timely payment of its tariffs. In addition, the relevant regulatory authorities may retroactively alter their FiT price support regimes or GC schemes in light of changing economic circumstances, changing industry conditions or for any number of other reasons. If the relevant government authorities or the local power grid companies do not perform their obligations under the FiT or GC price support schemes and it is unable to enforce its contractual rights, our results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

Our international operations require significant management resources and present legal, compliance and execution risks in multiple jurisdictions.

We have adopted a business model under which it maintains significant operations and facilities through its subsidiaries located in Europe while its corporate management team and directors are primarily based in Ireland and the U.S. The nature of our business may stretch its management resources thin as well as make it difficult for its’s corporate management to effectively monitor local execution teams. The nature of our operations and limited resources of its management may create risks and uncertainties when executing its strategy and conducting operations in multiple jurisdictions, which could adversely affect the costs and results of our operations.

The development and installation of solar energy systems is highly regulated; we may fail to comply with laws and regulations in the countries where it develops, constructs and operates solar power projects and the government approval process may change from time to time, which could severely disrupt our business operations.

The development and installation of solar energy systems is subject to oversight and regulation under local ordinances; building, zoning and fire codes; utility interconnection requirements for metering; and other rules and regulations. We attempt to keep apprised on these requirements on a national, state and local level and must design and install our solar energy systems to comply with varying standards. Certain jurisdictions may have ordinances that prevent or increase the cost of installation of our solar energy systems. New government regulations or utility policies pertaining to the installation of solar energy systems are unpredictable and might result in significant additional expenses or delays, which could cause a significant reduction in demand for solar energy systems.

We conduct our business in many countries and jurisdictions that are governed by different laws and regulations, including national and local regulations relating to building codes, taxes, safety, environmental protection, utility interconnection and metering and other matters. We have established subsidiaries in these countries and jurisdictions which were required to comply with various local laws and regulations. While we strive to work with our local counsel and other advisers to comply with the laws and regulations of each jurisdiction in which we have operations, there may be instances of non-compliance, which may result in fines, sanctions and other penalties against the non-complying subsidiaries and its directors and officers. For example, in 2020, the Company’s Romanian subsidiary, LJG Green Source Energy Beta S.r.l. had an ANRE investigation resulting from actions of the previous owner related to the breach of Article 5 of the EU Regulation No. 1227/2011 on wholesale energy market integrity and transparency by engaging in market manipulation or attempted market manipulation on the wholesale energy markets following transactions concluded between January 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020. This investigation resulted in a penalty of RON 400,000 (approximately $80,000). We cannot make any assurances that other instances of non-compliance will not occur in the future which may materially and adversely affect its business, financial condition or results of operations.

In order to develop solar power projects, we must obtain a variety of approvals, permits and licenses from various authorities. The procedures for obtaining such approvals, permits and licenses vary from country to country, making it onerous and costly to track the requirements of individual localities and comply with the varying standards. Moreover, sovereign states retain the power to adjust their energy policies and alter approval procedures applicable to the Company. If the regulatory requirements become more stringent or the approval process becomes less efficient, the key steps in our business operations including project development, facility upgrading and product sales, could be severely disrupted or delayed. Failure to obtain the required approvals, permits or licenses or to comply with the conditions associated therewith could result in fines, sanctions, suspension, revocation or non-renewal of approvals, permits or licenses, or even criminal penalties, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.


Any new government regulations pertaining to the Company business or solar power projects may result in significant additional expenses. The Company cannot assure that it will be able to promptly and adequately respond to changes of laws and regulations in various jurisdictions, or that its employees and contractors will act in accordance with such laws. Failure to comply with laws and regulations where the Company develops, constructs and operates solar power projects may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Existing rules, regulations and policies pertaining to electricity pricing and technical interconnection of customer-owned electricity generation may not continue, and changes to these regulations and policies might deter the purchase and use of solar energy systems and negatively impact development of the solar energy industry.

The market for solar energy systems in the United States and Europe is heavily influenced by foreign, federal, state and local government regulations and policies concerning the electric utility industry, as well as policies adopted by electric utilities. These regulations and policies often relate to electricity pricing and technical interconnection of customer-owned electricity generation and there is no assurance that they will continue. For example, the vast majority of the United States has a regulatory policy known as net energy metering, or “net metering”, which allows our customers to interconnect their on-site solar energy systems to the utility grid and offset their utility electricity purchases by receiving a bill credit at the utility’s retail rate for energy generated by their solar energy system that is exported to the grid and not consumed on-site. The customer consequently pays for the net energy used or receives a credit at the retail rate if more electricity is produced than consumed. Net metering, in some states, is being replaced with lower credits for the excess electricity sent onto the grid from solar energy systems, and utilities are imposing minimum or fixed monthly charges on owners of solar energy systems. These regulations and policies have been modified in the past and may be modified in the future in ways that can restrict the interconnection of solar energy systems and deter purchases of solar energy systems by customers. Electricity generated by solar energy systems also competes most favorably in markets with tiered rate structures or peak hour pricing that increase the price of electricity when more is consumed. Modifications to these rate structures by utilities, such as reducing peak hour or tiered pricing or adopting flat rate pricing, could require the price of solar energy systems to be reduced in order to compete with the price of utility generated electricity.

By virtue of the newly enacted Bill of October 27, 2022 on extraordinary measures to reduce electricity price levels and support certain end-users in 2023 (which was signed by the President of the Republic of Poland on November 1, 2022) an obligation to “contribute the Price Difference Payment Fund”, which is calculated pursuant to a formula established by the Council of Ministers for the period from December 1, 2022 to June 20, 2023, has been imposed on certain energy companies. These regulations will impact revenues from power generation and sales in this period.

The obligation to “contribute the Price Difference Payment Fund applies to:

Energy companies engaged in power trading, and

Generators of power in plants using both renewable energy sources (i.e. wind energy and solar energy) and fossil fuels, with certain exceptions.

Risk related to legal rights to real property in foreign countries.

Our energy facilities may be located on land which may be subject to government seizure or expropriation. For example, properties relating to the Company’s operations in Scornicesti, Romania, are subject to an ongoing expropriation procedure due to the construction of a new express motorway. The authorities have offered the Company cash as compensation. The process commenced in Q1 2022, and we still have not received any compensation to date. In this case, we believe that the offered compensation represents fair value. However, in general, similar proceedings may not represent fair compensation and could materially affect our other operations, in which case certain operations may have to cease without sufficient compensation being paid to us. Although this limitationparticular expropriation does not have a material adverse effect on our business, other types of seizure or expropriation could have a material adverse effect on our ability to generate revenue.

In addition to the expropriation risk discussed above, the land on which the renewable energy facilities are situated is often subject to long-term easements and land leases. However, the ownership interests in the land subject to these easements and leases may also be subject to mortgages securing loans or other liens (such as tax liens) and other easement and lease rights of third parties (such as leases of oil or mineral rights) that were created prior to the land easements and leases. As a result, the facility’s rights under these easements or leases may be subject, and subordinate, to the rights of those third parties, or even to the relevant government. The Company performs title searches and obtains title insurance to protect itself against these risks. Such measures may, however, be inadequate to protect the Company against all risk of loss of the Company’s rights to use the land on which the renewable energy facilities are located, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.


Furthermore, we are subject to the risk of potential disputes with property owners or third parties who otherwise have rights to or interests in the properties used for the our solar parks. Such disputes, whether resolved in our favor or not, may divert management’s attention, harm our reputation or otherwise disrupt its business. An adverse decision from a court or the absence of an agreement with such third parties may result in additional costs and delays in, or the permanent termination of, the construction and operating phases of any solar park so situated.

Enforcing a United States judgment against our executive officers and directors in Ireland may be difficult.

Many of our current officers and directors reside in Ireland. Service of process upon our directors and officers, many of whom reside outside the United States, may be difficult to obtain within the United States. Furthermore, because the majority of our assets and investments, and a number of our directors and officers are located outside of the United States, any judgment obtained in the United States against us or any of them may be difficult to collect within the United States and may not be enforced by an Irish court. It also may be difficult for you to effect service of process on these persons in the United States or to assert U.S. securities law claims in original actions instituted in Ireland. Irish courts may refuse to hear a claim based on an alleged violation of U.S. securities laws reasoning that Ireland is not the most appropriate forum in which to bring such a claim. In addition, even if an Irish court agrees to hear a claim, it may determine that Irish law and not U.S. law is applicable to the claim. If U.S. law is found to be applicable, the content of applicable U.S. law must be proven as a fact by expert witnesses, which can be a time consuming and costly process. Certain matters of procedure will also be governed by Irish law. There is little binding case law in Ireland that addresses the matters described above. As a result of the difficulty associated with enforcing a judgment against our executive officers and directors in Ireland, you may not be able to collect any damages awarded by either a U.S. or foreign court.

Subject to specified time limitations and legal procedures, under the rules of private international law currently prevailing in Ireland, Irish courts may enforce a U.S. judgment in a civil matter, including a judgment based upon the civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws, as well as a monetary or compensatory judgment in a non-civil matter, provided that the following key conditions are met:

subject to limited exceptions, the judgment is final and non-appealable;

the judgment was given by a court competent under the laws of the state of the court and is otherwise enforceable in such state;

the judgment was rendered by a court competent under the rules of private international law applicable in Ireland;

the laws of the state in which the judgment was given provide for the enforcement of judgments of Irish courts’ judgments;

adequate service of process has been effected and the defendant has had a reasonable opportunity to present his arguments and evidence;

the judgment is enforceable under the laws of Ireland and its enforcement are not contrary to the law, public policy, security or sovereignty of Ireland;

the judgment was not obtained by fraud and does not conflict with any other valid judgment in the same matter between the same parties; and

an action between the same parties in the same matter was not pending in any Irish court at the time the lawsuit was instituted in the U.S. court

The Company conducts its business operations globally and is subject to global and local risks related to economic, regulatory, tax, social and political uncertainties.

The Company conducts its business operations in many regions. The Company’s business is therefore subject to diverse and constantly changing economic, regulatory, tax, social, and political conditions. Changes in the legislative, political, governmental, and economic framework in the regions in which the Company carries on business could have a material impact on its business. In particular, changing laws and policies affecting trade, investment and changes in tax regulations could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s revenues, profitability, cash flows and financial condition. Any new government regulations pertaining to the Company’s business or solar parks may result in significant additional expenses. Moreover, as the Company enters new markets in different jurisdictions, it will face different regulatory regimes, business practices, governmental requirements and industry conditions. To the extent that the Company’s business operations are affected by unexpected and adverse economic, regulatory, social or political conditions in the jurisdictions in which the Company has operations, it may experience project disruptions, loss of assets and personnel, and other indirect losses that could adversely affect its business, financial condition and results of operations. Geopolitical trends toward protectionism and nationalism and the dissolution or weakening of international trade pacts may increase the cost of, or otherwise interfere with, the Company’s conduct of business. Uncertainty about current and future economic and political conditions that affect the Company, its customers and partners make it difficult for the Company to forecast operating results and to make decisions about future investments.


The current invasion of Ukraine by Russia has escalated tensions among the U.S., the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”) and Russia. The U.S. and other NATO member states, as well as non-member states, have announced new sanctions against Russia and certain Russian banks, enterprises and individuals. These and any future additional sanctions and any resulting conflict between Russia, the U.S. and NATO countries could have an adverse impact on our current operations.

Further, such invasion, ongoing military conflict, resulting sanctions and related countermeasures by NATO states, the U.S. and other countries are likely to lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions for equipment, which could have an adverse impact on our operations and financial performance.

Recent increases in inflation and in the United States and internationally could adversely affect our business.

Recent increases in inflation in the United States and elsewhere may be leading to increased price volatility for publicly traded securities, including ours, and may lead to other national, regional and international economic disruptions, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business and operations.

The solar energy industry is a new and evolving market, which may not grow to the size or at the rate we expect.

The solar energy industry is a new and rapidly growing market opportunity. We believe the solar energy industry will continue still take several years to fully develop and mature, but we cannot be certain that the market will grow to the size or at the rate that we expect. Any future growth of the solar energy market and the success of our solar service offerings depend on many factors beyond our control, including recognition and acceptance of the solar service market by consumers, the pricing of alternative sources of energy, a favorable regulatory environment, the continuation of expected tax benefits and other incentives, and our ability to provide our solar service offerings cost-effectively, and our business might be adversely affected should the markets for solar energy do not develop to the size or at the rate we expect.

Solar energy has yet to achieve broad market acceptance and depends in part on continued support in the form of rebates, tax credits, and other incentives from federal, state and local governments. If this support diminishes materially, our ability to attract customers for our products and services could be adversely affected. Declining macroeconomic conditions, including labor markets, could contribute to instability and uncertainty among customers and impact their financial ability, credit scores or interest in entering into long-term contracts, even if such contracts would generate immediate and long-term savings.

Market prices of retail electricity generated by utilities or other energy sources also could decline for a variety of reasons, as discussed further below. Any such declines in macroeconomic conditions, changes in retail prices of electricity or changes in customer preferences would adversely impact our business.

Declining costs related to raw materials, manufacturing and the sale and installation of our solar service offerings have been a key driver in the pricing of our solar service offerings and customer adoption of solar energy. The prices of solar modules and raw materials have declined, however the cost of solar modules and raw materials could increase in the future, and such products’ availability could decrease, due to a variety of factors, including restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, tariffs and trade barriers, export regulations, regulatory or contractual limitations, industry market requirements, and changes in technology and industry standards.

Other factors may also impact costs, such as our choice to make significant investments to drive growth in the future.

Our business prospects could be harmed if solar energy is not widely adopted or sufficient demand for solar energy systems does not develop or takes longer to develop than we anticipate.

The solar energy market is at a relatively early stage of development. The extent to which solar energy will be material.widely adopted and the extent to which demand for solar energy systems will increase are uncertain. If solar energy does not achieve widespread adoption or demand for solar energy systems fails to develop sufficiently, we might be unable to achieve our revenue and profit targets. Demand for solar energy systems in our targeted markets might not develop as we anticipate. Many factors may affect the demand for solar energy systems, including the following:

availability of government and utility company subsidies and incentives to support the development of the solar energy industry;

government and utility policies regarding the interconnection of solar energy systems to the utility grid;

fluctuations in economic and market conditions that affect the viability of conventional and non-solar renewable energy sources, such as changes in the price of natural gas and other fossil fuels;

cost-effectiveness (including the cost of solar modules), performance and reliability of solar energy systems compared with conventional and other non-solar renewable energy sources and products;


success of other renewable energy generation technologies, such as hydroelectric, wind, geothermal, solar thermal, concentrated solar and biomass;

availability of customer financing with economically attractive terms;

fluctuations in expenditures by purchasers of solar energy systems, which tend to decrease in slower economic environments and periods of rising interest rates and tighter credit; and

deregulation of the electric power industry and the broader energy industry.

Our business has benefited from the declining cost of solar energy system components, and might be harmed to the extent that declines in the cost of such components stabilize or that such costs increase in the future.

Our business has benefited from the declining cost of solar energy system components and to the extent such costs stabilize or decline at a slower rate, or, in fact, increase, our future growth rate may be negatively impacted. The declining cost of solar energy system components and the raw materials necessary to manufacture them has been a key driver in the price of solar energy systems we own, the prices charged for electricity and customer adoption of solar energy. Solar energy system component and raw material prices might not continue to decline at the same rate as they have over the past several years or at all, and growth in the solar industry and the resulting increase in demand for solar energy system components and the raw materials necessary to manufacture them might also put upward pressure on prices. An increase of solar energy system components and raw materials prices could slow our growth and cause our business and results of operations to suffer, and the cost of solar energy system components and raw materials has and could continue to increase due to scarcity of materials, tariff penalties, duties, the loss of or changes in economic governmental incentives or other factors.

Although average selling prices of solar modules in many global markets have declined for several years, recent spot pricing for solar modules has increased, in part, due to elevated commodity and freight costs.

While average selling prices of solar modules in many global markets have declined for several years, recent spot pricing for solar modules has increased, in part, due to elevated commodity and freight costs. The price of polysilicon has significantly increased in recent months due to a coal shortage in China, which resulted in higher energy prices and the Chinese government’s mandating power restrictions that led to curtailments of silicon metal production. Given that the majority of global polysilicon capacity is located in China, such higher energy prices and reduced operating capacities have adversely affected the supply of polysilicon, contributing to an increase in polysilicon pricing. In response to such supply shortage, certain other Chinese-based producers of polysilicon are in the process of expanding their production capacity, which is expected to reduce the price of polysilicon in future periods. While the duration of this elevated period of spot pricing is uncertain, module average selling prices in global markets are expected to decline in the long-term, and we believe manufacturers of solar cells and modules, particularly those in China, have significant installed production capacity, relative to global demand, and the ability for additional capacity expansion. We believe the solar industry might experience periods of structural imbalance between supply and demand (i.e., where production capacity exceeds global demand), and that excess capacity will put pressure on pricing, and intense competition at the system level may result in an environment in which pricing falls rapidly, thereby potentially increasing demand for solar energy solutions but constraining the ability for project developers and module manufacturers to sustain meaningful and consistent profitability. We consequently continue to focus on our strategies and points of differentiation, which include our advanced module technology, our manufacturing process, our research and development capabilities, and the sustainability advantage of our modules.

Shortages in the supply of silicon could adversely affect the availability and cost of the solar photovoltaic modules used in our solar energy systems.

Shortages of silicon or supply chain issues could adversely affect the availability and cost of our solar energy systems. Manufacturers of photovoltaic modules depend upon the availability and pricing of silicon, one of the primary materials used in photovoltaic modules. The worldwide market for silicon from time to time experiences a shortage of supply, which can cause the prices for photovoltaic modules to increase and supplies of photovoltaic modules become difficult to obtain. While we have been able to obtain sufficient supplies of solar photovoltaic modules to satisfy our needs to date, this may not be the case in the future. Future increases in the price of silicon or other materials and components could result in an increase in costs to us, price increases to our customers or reduced margins. Other international trade conditions such as work slowdowns and labor strikes at port facilities or major weather events can also adversely impact the availability and price of solar photovoltaic modules.


Due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic the solar industry is experiencing supply constraints, which are resulting in an increase in the cost of solar modules and inverters. If the supply constraints and price increases continue our solar business might be affected.

The primary driver of current supply constraints in the solar industry is material shortages. In 2020, the solar industry experienced record growth in the United States, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 2019, and installations increased by 43 percent, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). This record demand, coupled with decreased supply, has impacted many key materials throughout the solar supply chain, including polysilicon, solar glass, and semiconductor chips. Polycrystalline silicon, commonly referred to as polysilicon, is a key raw material used in many solar cells, which are responsible for capturing the energy from the sun and turning it into electricity in solar energy systems. Polysilicon is largely produced in China, but factory shutdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic caused the price of the raw material to spike. Solar modules also include glass casing at the front of the module, which protects the solar cells, there has been recent growing demand for bifacial solar modules, which produce energy from both sides of the module, requiring glass on both sides of the solar module, as opposed to just on the front. In 2018, China, the largest producer of solar glass, imposed restrictions on glass production due to concerns about the required energy consumption. With increasing demand for solar modules, and for solar glass specifically, the restricted production of glass has been unable to meet the demand, causing the cost of solar glass to soar. In December 2020, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) indicated that it would ease restrictions on the production of solar glass. While solar glass supply is expected to remain constrained short-term, increased capacity due to these eased restrictions should expand supply later this year and reduce prices. Semiconductor chips are a key component of inverters, which convert the direct current (DC) energy produced by solar modules into usable alternating current (AC) energy. Inverters are also used for battery storage systems to convert storable DC energy to usable AC energy and vice versa. The use of semiconductor chips is not isolated to the solar industry; they are also crucial components of many other technologies, including cars, computers, and smartphones. Due to COVID-19 related factory shutdowns, manufacturing of semiconductor chips decreased in early 2020, and as factories began to reopen, demand for products containing semiconductor chips surged. The shortages of these materials and attendant price increases may affect our distribution of solar products and our installation of solar energy systems, and future increases in the price of silicon or other materials and components could result in an increase in costs to us, price increases to our customers or reduced margins.

A material reduction in the retail price of electricity charged by electric utilities or other retail electricity providers would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Decreases in the retail price of electricity from electric utilities or from other retail electric providers, including other renewable energy sources such as larger-scale solar energy systems, could make our offerings less economically attractive. The price of electricity from utilities could decrease as a result of:

the construction of a significant number of new power generation plants, whether generated by natural gas, nuclear power, coal, or renewable energy technologies;

the construction of additional electric transmission and distribution lines;

a reduction in the price of natural gas or other natural resources as a result of increased supply due to new drilling techniques or other technological developments, relaxation of associated regulatory standards, or broader economic or policy developments;

less demand for electricity due to energy conservation technologies and public initiatives to reduce electricity consumption or to recessionary economic conditions; and

development of competing energy technologies that provide less expensive energy.

A reduction in electric utilities’ rates or changes to peak hour pricing policies or rate design (such as the adoption of a fixed or flat rate) could also make our offerings less competitive with the price of electricity from the electrical grid. If the cost of energy available from electric utilities or other providers were to decrease relative to solar energy generated from residential systems or if similar events impacting the economics of our offerings were to occur, we might have difficulty attracting new customers or existing customers might default or seek to terminate, cancel or otherwise avoid the obligations under their solar service agreements.

Electric utility statutes and regulations and changes to such statutes or regulations might present technical, regulatory and economic barriers to the purchase and use of our solar service offerings that may significantly reduce demand for such offerings.

Federal, state and local government statutes and regulations concerning electricity heavily influence the market for our solar service offerings and are constantly evolving. These statutes, regulations, and administrative rulings relate to electricity pricing, net metering, consumer protection, incentives, taxation, competition with utilities, and the interconnection of homeowner-owned and third party-owned solar energy systems to the electrical grid. Governments, often acting through state utility or public service commissions, change and adopt different rates for residential customers on a regular basis and these changes can have a negative impact on our ability to deliver savings, or energy bill management, to customers. Many utilities, their trade associations, and fossil fuel interests, which have significantly greater economic, technical, operational, and political resources than the residential solar industry, are currently challenging solar-related policies to reduce the competitiveness of residential solar energy. Any adverse changes in solar-related policies could have a negative impact on our business and prospects.


Technological changes in the solar power industry could render our products uncompetitive or obsolete, which could reduce our market share and cause our revenue and net income to decline.

The solar power industry is characterized by evolving technologies and standards, which developments place increasing demands on the improvement of our products, such as solar cells with higher conversion efficiency and larger and thinner silicon wafers and solar cells. Other companies may develop production technologies that enable them to produce silicon wafers, solar cells and solar modules with higher conversion efficiencies at a lower cost than our products. Some of our competitors are developing alternative and competing solar technologies that might require significantly less silicon than crystalline silicon wafers and solar cells, or no silicon at all. Technologies developed or adopted by others may prove more advantageous than ours for commercialization of solar power products and may render our products obsolete. We might need to invest significant resources in research and development to maintain our market position, to keep pace with technological advances in the solar power industry, and effectively compete in the future. Our failure to further refine and enhance our products and processes or to keep pace with evolving technologies and industry standards could cause our products to become uncompetitive or obsolete, which could materially adversely reduce our market share and affect our results of operations.

Already covered supply and demand in the energy market is volatile, and such volatility could have an adverse impact on electricity prices and a material adverse effect on our assets, liabilities, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

A portion of our operating revenues are tied, either directly or indirectly, to the wholesale market price for electricity in the markets in which we operate. Wholesale market electricity prices are impacted by a number of factors including: the price of fuel (for example, natural gas) that is used to generate electricity; the management of generation and the amount of excess generating capacity relative to load in a particular market; the cost of controlling emissions of pollution, including the cost of emitting carbon dioxide; the structure of the electricity market; and weather conditions (such as extremely hot or cold weather) that impact electrical load. More generally, there is uncertainty surrounding the trend in electricity demand growth, which is influenced by: macroeconomic conditions; absolute and relative energy prices; and energy conservation and demand-side management. Correspondingly, from a supply perspective, there are uncertainties associated with the timing of generating plant retirements — in part driven by environmental regulations — and with the scale, pace and structure of replacement capacity, again reflecting a complex interaction of economic and political pressures and environmental preferences. This volatility and uncertainty in the power market generally, including the non-renewable power market, could have a material adverse effect on our assets, liabilities, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The ability to deliver electricity to our various counterparties requires the availability of and access to interconnection facilities and transmission systems.

Our ability to sell electricity is impacted by the availability of, and access to, the various transmission systems to deliver power to our contractual delivery point and the arrangements and facilities for interconnecting the generation projects to the transmission systems. The absence of this availability and access, our inability to obtain reasonable terms and conditions for interconnection and transmission agreements, the operational failure or decommissioning of existing interconnection facilities or transmission facilities, the lack of adequate capacity on such interconnection or transmission facilities, curtailment as a result of transmission facility downtime, or the failure of any relevant jurisdiction to expand transmission facilities, may have a material adverse effect on our ability to deliver electricity to its various counterparties or the requirement of counterparties to accept and pay for energy delivery, which could materially and adversely affect our assets, liabilities, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We may pursue acquisitions that involve inherent risks related to potential internal control weaknesses and significant deficiencies which may be costly for us to remedy and could impact management assessment of internal control effectiveness.

Although our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to evaluate and report onformally attest to our internal control procedures overeffectiveness while we are a smaller reporting company, management is still responsible for assessing internal control effectiveness at a consolidated level. If we acquire companies and integrate them into our business, the process of integrating our existing operations with entities that could potentially have material weaknesses and/or significant deficiencies may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and may require significant financial reportingresources to remedy any material weaknesses or significant deficiencies that would otherwise be available for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023ongoing development or expansion of our existing business. These potential material weaknesses and deficiencies may be costly for us to remedy and properly assess internal control effectiveness.


Uncertain global macro-economic and political conditions could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Our results of operations are materially affected by economic and political conditions in the U.S. and internationally, including inflation, deflation, interest rates, availability of capital, energy and commodity prices, trade laws and the effects of governmental initiatives to manage economic conditions.

The current invasion of Ukraine by Russia has escalated tensions among the U.S., NATO and Russia. The U.S. and other NATO member states, as requiredwell as non-member states, have announced new sanctions against Russia and certain Russian banks, enterprises and individuals. These and any future additional sanctions and any resulting conflict between Russia, the U.S. and NATO countries could have an adverse impact on our current operations.

Further, such invasion, ongoing military conflict, resulting sanctions and related countermeasures by NATO states, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. A target company may not beU.S. and other countries are likely to lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in compliance withcommodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions for equipment, which could have an adverse impact on our operations and financial performance.

We are an “emerging growth company” and “smaller reporting company” within the provisionsmeaning of the Sarbanes-OxleySecurities Act regarding adequacyand if we take advantage of their internal controls. The developmentcertain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, it could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance to the performance of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.other public companies.

We are an “emerging growth company,”company” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible for and intends to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies for as long as it continues to be an emerging growth company, including, but not limited to, (a) not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (b) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and (c) exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which the market value of shares of common stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of March 30 of that fiscal year, (ii) the last day of the fiscal year in which it has total annual gross revenue of $1.235 billion or more during such fiscal year (as indexed for inflation), (iii) the date on which it has issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt in the prior three-year period or (iv) December 31, 2026, which is the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of common stock in CLIN’s IPO. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because it will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of its reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

As an emerging growth company, we may also take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emergingemerging growth companies”companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply withobtain an assessment of the auditor attestation requirementseffectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting from our independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some stockholders find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of the initial public offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A common stock that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th.

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, which we believe are the principal risks that we face and of which we are currently aware, and all of the other information contained in this Annual Report. If any of the events or developments described below occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be negatively affected.

Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate,

a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks

Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.

We will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or do not vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this Annual Report. Accordingly, it is possible that we will complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination

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we complete. Except as required by law or the rules of NASDAQ, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. For instance, NASDAQ rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination instead of conducting a tender offer.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.

Pursuant to the letter agreement, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, as well as any public shares purchased during or after the initial public offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions), in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholder’s shares, we would need only 7,221,667 or 31.4% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), of the 23,000,000 public shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved. Our initial stockholders own shares representing 27.1% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial stockholders to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite stockholder approval for such initial business combination.

Our management has determined that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”

Our management has determined that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern” and that our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on the consummation of our initial business combination. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Additionally, our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph about our going concern uncertainty. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate our initial business combination or our ability to continue as a going concern.

Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of the business combination.

At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of one or more target businesses. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such stockholder vote. Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.

The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.

We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.

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The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would not be consummated and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.

If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would not be consummated is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your stock in the open market; however, at such time our stock may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your stock in the open market.

Our search for an initial business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic and other events, and the status of debt and equity markets.

In March 2020, the World Health Organization characterized the COVID-19 outbreak as a “pandemic.” The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) could adversely affect, the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate an initial business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete an initial business combination if concerns relating to COVID-19 continue to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner, or if COVID-19 causes a prolonged economic downturn. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses, and the inability to accurately predict the future impact of the pandemic on businesses, has also made determinations and negotiations of valuation more difficult, which could make it more difficult to consummate a business combination transaction.

The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for an initial business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate an initial business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected.

In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases), including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.

If we are unable to consummate a business combination, including with the Seller, our public stockholders may be forced to wait until the end of the completion window before receiving distributions from the trust account.

We have until May 28, 2023 (or up to August 28, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) to complete a business combination with the Seller or another party. We cannot provide any assurances that we will complete the proposed business combination with the Seller or any other party. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to such date unless we consummate a business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem or sell their shares to us. Only after the expiration of this full time period will public security holders be entitled to distributions from the trust account if we are unable to complete a business combination. Accordingly, investors’ funds may be unavailable to them until after such date and to liquidate your investment, public security holders may be forced to sell their public shares, rights or warrants, potentially at a loss.

Additionally, if we have not completed our initial business combination within the completion window, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption

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will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public stockholders may only receive $10.10 per share, and our rights and warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.10 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by stockholders may be less than $10.10” and other risk factors herein.

If we determine to change our acquisition criteria or guidelines, many of the disclosures contained in this Annual Report would not be applicable and you would be investing in our company without any basis on which to evaluate the potential target business we may acquire.

We could seek to deviate from the acquisition criteria or guidelines disclosed in this Annual Report. Accordingly, investors may be making an investment in our company without any basis on which to evaluate the potential target business we may acquire. Regardless of whether or not we deviate from the acquisition criteria or guidelines in connection with any proposed business combination, investors will always be given the opportunity to redeem their shares or sell them to us in a tender offer in connection with any proposed business combination as described in this Annual Report.

If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.

We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate the applicable delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. For example, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.

Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.10 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our rights and warrants will expire worthless.

We encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources are relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, because we are obligated to pay cash for the shares of Class A common stock which our public stockholders redeem in connection with our initial business combination, target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination.

This may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.10 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights and warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.10 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by stockholders may be less than $10.10” and other risk factors herein.

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If the funds not being held in trust are insufficient to allow us to operate until May 28, 2023 (or up to August 28, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report), we may be unable to complete a business combination.

As of December 31, 2022, only $630,460 was available to us outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. Accordingly, if we use all of the funds held outside of the trust account and all interest available to us, we may not have sufficient funds available with which to structure, negotiate or close an initial business combination. In such event, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, officers or directors or their affiliates to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers, directors and their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount that they deem reasonable in their sole discretion for our working capital needs. On September 26, 2022, we issued an unsecured promissory note to the sponsor pursuant to which we may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $850,000. The promissory note is non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of the initial Business Combination. At the election of the sponsor and at any time prior to payment in full of the principal balance, the promissory note can be converted into conversion units comprised of one Class A common stock and one-half of one warrant that are identical to those issued in the private placement. As of December 31, 2022, we have drawn $806,170 on the promissory note.

We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination. If we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In such case, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.10 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights and warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.10 per share upon our liquidation.

If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by stockholders may be less than $10.10.

Our placing of funds in trust may not protect those funds from third party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors and service providers we engage and prospective target businesses we negotiate with execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, they may not execute such agreements. Furthermore, even if such entities execute such agreements with us, they may seek recourse against the trust account. A court may not uphold the validity of such agreements. Accordingly, the proceeds held in trust could be subject to claims which could take priority over those of our public stockholders. If we are unable to complete a business combination and distribute the proceeds held in trust to our public stockholders, our sponsor has agreed (subject to certain exceptions described elsewhere in this Annual Report) that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.10 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely that our sponsor will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. As a result, the per-share distribution from the trust account may be less than $10.10, plus interest, due to such claims.

Additionally, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy or insolvency case or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we may not be able to return to our public stockholders at least $10.10 per share.

As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.

In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies

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currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target and to consummate an initial business combination.

In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause targets companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.

We may be unable to obtain additional financing, if required, to complete a business combination or to fund the operations and growth of the target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.

Because of the size of our business combination, the depletion of available funds in search of a target business, or the obligation to redeem into cash a significant number of shares from dissenting stockholders, we may be required to seek additional financing. Such financing may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to consummate a particular business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. In addition, if we consummate a business combination, we may require additional financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our sponsor, officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after a business combination.

Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will continue in existence only until May 28, 2023 (or up to August 28, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report). If we have not completed a business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of the date of distribution. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that third parties will not seek to recover from our stockholders amounts owed to them by us.

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy or insolvency case or an involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after expiration of the time we have to complete an initial business combination, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.

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A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.

If:

we issue additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock,
the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and
the Market Value is below $9.20 per share,

then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the price at which we issue the additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

Our sponsor may decide not to extend the term we have to consummate our initial business combination, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, and the rights and warrants will be worthless.

We have until May 28, 2023 to consummate our initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination by that date, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months (up to August 28, 2023 to complete a business combination); provided that our sponsor (or its affiliates or designees), deposits into the trust account additional funds of $2,300,000 ($0.10 per unit), for the three-month extension. Any such payments would be made in the form of a non-interest-bearing loans. If we complete our initial business combination, we will, at the option of our sponsor, repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us or convert a portion or all of the total loan amount into units at a price of $10.00 per unit, which units will be identical to the private units. If we do not complete a business combination, we will repay such loans only from funds held outside of the trust account if any such funds are available. We believe we will not have sufficient funds left outside of the trust account to pay back such loans if our initial business combination is not completed. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account and as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such event, the rights and warrants will be worthless.

We are not limited to evaluating a target business in a particular industry, sector or geographic area with which to pursue our initial business combination.

Although we are focused on an acquisition in the clean and sustainable energy industries, we are not limited to completing an initial business combination in any industry or geographical region, although we are not, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations.

To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a stressed or distressed company, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target.

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Accordingly, any stockholders, right holders or warrant holders who choose to remain stockholders, right holders or warrant holders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders, right holders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the initial business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

Our ability to successfully effect a business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following a business combination. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct.

Our ability to successfully effect a business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our key personnel, at least until we have consummated our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain with us for the immediate or foreseeable future. In addition, none of our officers is required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, our officers will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have employment agreements with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our officers. The unexpected loss of the services of our key personnel could have a detrimental effect on us.

The role of our key personnel after a business combination, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may serve in senior management or advisory positions following a business combination, it is likely that most, if not all, of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a public company which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.

Our officers and directors may not have significant experience or knowledge regarding the jurisdiction or industry of the target business we may seek to acquire.

We may consummate a business combination with a target business in any geographic location or industry we choose. We cannot assure you that our officers and directors will have enough experience or have sufficient knowledge relating to the jurisdiction of the target or its industry to make an informed decision regarding a business combination.

Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following a business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.

Our key personnel will be able to remain with the combined company after the consummation of a business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements or other appropriate arrangements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to the combined company after the consummation of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business.

Our officers and directors allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate a business combination.

Our officers and directors do not commit their full time to our affairs. We expect each of our officers and directors to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. The foregoing could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate our initial business combination.

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Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for a business combination.

Our sponsor has waived its right to redeem its private shares, founder shares or any public shares purchased in the initial public offering or thereafter, or to receive distributions from the trust account with respect to its private shares or founder shares upon our liquidation if we are unable to consummate a business combination. Accordingly, the founder shares acquired prior to the initial public offering, as well as the private units and any rights or warrants purchased by our officers or directors in the aftermarket, will be worthless if we do not consummate a business combination. The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination and in determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders’ best interest.

Our officers and directors or their affiliates have pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations and may in the future become affiliated with other entities engaged in business activities similar to those conducted by us. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

Our officers and directors or their affiliates have pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations to other companies. Accordingly, they may participate in transactions and have obligations that may be in conflict or competition with our consummation of our initial business combination. As a result, a potential target business may be presented by our management team to another entity prior to its presentation to us and we may not be afforded the opportunity to engage in a transaction with such target business. Additionally, our officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business, including another blank check company that may have acquisition objectives that are similar to ours. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to other entities prior to its presentation to us, subject to our officers’ and directors’ fiduciary duties under Delaware law. For a more detailed description of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, see the sections titled “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence — Conflicts of Interest.”

We may engage our underwriters or one of their affiliates to provide additional services to us, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Our underwriter is entitled to receive deferred underwriting commissions that will be released from the trust account only upon a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and completion of an initial business combination.

We may engage our underwriters or one of their affiliates to provide additional services to us, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing transactions. We may pay such underwriters or their affiliates fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation. The underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred underwriting commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The underwriters or their affiliates’ financial interests tied to the completion of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and completion of an initial business combination.

The ability of our stockholders to exercise their redemption rights or sell their shares to us in a tender offer may not allow us to effectuate the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.

If our business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay the purchase price, because we will not know how many stockholders may exercise redemption rights or seek to sell their shares to us in a tender offer, we may either need to reserve part of the trust account for possible payment upon such redemption, or we may need to arrange third party financing to help fund our business combination. In the event that the acquisition involves the issuance of our stock as consideration, we may be required to issue a higher percentage of our stock to make up for a shortfall in funds. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. This may limit our ability to effectuate the most attractive business combination available to us.

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In connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we will offer each public stockholder the option to vote in favor of a proposed business combination and still seek redemption of his, her or its shares.

In connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we will offer each public stockholder (but not our sponsor, officers or directors) the right to have his, her or its shares of common stock redeemed for cash (subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this Annual Report) regardless of whether such stockholder votes for or against such proposed business combination or does not vote at all. The ability to seek redemption while voting in favor of our proposed business combination may make it more likely that we will consummate a business combination.

We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it easier for us to consummate a business combination even where a substantial number of public stockholders seek to redeem their shares for cash in connection with the vote on the business combination.

We have no specified percentage threshold for redemption in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. As a result, we may be able to consummate a business combination even though a substantial number of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares. However, in no event will we consummate an initial business combination unless we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination.

In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, we may require stockholders who wish to redeem their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.

In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public stockholder will have the right, regardless of whether he is voting for or against such proposed business combination or does not vote at all, to demand that we redeem his shares for a pro rata share of the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. We may require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders’ option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination. In order to obtain a physical stock certificate, a stockholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, DTC and our transfer agent will need to act to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that stockholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, it may take significantly longer than two weeks to obtain a physical stock certificate. While we have been advised that it takes a short time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, we cannot assure you of this fact. Accordingly, if it takes longer than we anticipate for stockholders to deliver their shares, stockholders who wish to redeem may be unable to meet the deadline for exercising their redemption rights and thus may be unable to redeem their shares.

If, in connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed business combination, we require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares to comply with specific requirements for redemption, such redeeming stockholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed business combination is not approved.

If we require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares to comply with specific requirements for redemption and such proposed business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public stockholders. Accordingly, investors who attempted to redeem their shares in such a circumstance will be unable to sell their securities after the failed acquisition until we have returned their securities to them. The market price for our shares of Class A common stock may decline during this time and you may not be able to sell your securities when you wish to, even while other stockholders that did not seek redemption may be able to sell their securities.

Because of our structure, other companies may have a competitive advantage and we may not be able to consummate an attractive business combination.

We encounter intense competition from entities other than blank check companies having a business objective similar to ours, including venture capital funds, leveraged buyout funds and operating businesses competing for acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many

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of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than we do and our financial resources are relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe that there are numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, seeking stockholder approval or engaging in a tender offer in connection with any proposed business combination may delay the consummation of such a transaction. Additionally, our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Any of the foregoing may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination.

Our rights, warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.

We issued warrants to purchase 11,500,000 shares of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per whole share (subject to adjustment as provided herein) and 23,000,000 rights entitling the holder thereof to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of Class A common stock upon the consummation of our initial business combination, as part of the units sold in the initial public offering and, simultaneously with the closing of the initial public offering, we issued in a private placement an aggregate of 445,000 private warrants, as part of the private units purchased by or sponsor and/or its designees. Each of the warrants comprising the public and private units will be exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Additionally, our sponsor currently holds 7,666,667 founder shares. The founder shares are convertible into Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein.

We may also issue other additional private units to our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers, directors or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us, as described herein. To the extent we issue Class A common stock to effectuate a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants or conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A common stock and reduce the value of the Class A common stock issued to complete the business combination. Therefore, our rights, warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.

The private warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the public units except that (1) they will not be redeemable by us; (2) they (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; (3) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis; and (4) they (including the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the private warrants) are entitled to registration rights.

Any due diligence in connection with an initial business combination may not reveal all relevant considerations or liabilities of a target business, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We conduct such due diligence as we deem reasonably practicable and appropriate based on the target business and the facts and circumstances applicable to the proposed transaction prior to any initial business combination. The objective of the due diligence process is to identify material issues which might affect the decision to proceed with an initial business combination or the consideration payable in connection with such initial business combination. We use information provided during the due diligence process to formulate our business and operational planning for, and valuation of, any target company or business. While conducting due diligence and assessing a potential target business, we rely on publicly available information (if any), information provided by the relevant target business to the extent provided and, in some circumstances, third-party studies.

The due diligence undertaken with respect to a potential initial business combination may not reveal all relevant facts that may be necessary to evaluate such transaction or to formulate a business strategy. Furthermore, the information provided during due diligence may not be adequate or accurate. As part of the due diligence process, we also make subjective judgments regarding the results of operations, financial condition and prospects of a potential initial business combination, and these judgments may be inaccurate.

In pursuing our acquisition strategy, like most other special purpose acquisition companies, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.

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Due diligence conducted in connection with an initial business combination may not result in the initial business combination being successful. If the due diligence investigation fails to identify material information regarding an opportunity, or if we consider such material risks to be commercially acceptable relative to the opportunity, and we proceed with an initial business combination, our company may subsequently incur substantial impairment charges or other losses. In addition, following an initial business combination, we may be subject to significant, previously undisclosed liabilities of the acquired business that were not identified during due diligence and which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

If we do not conduct an adequate due diligence investigation of a target business, we may be required to subsequently take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring, and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.

We must conduct a due diligence investigation of the target businesses we intend to acquire. Intensive due diligence is time consuming and expensive due to the operations, accounting, finance and legal professionals who must be involved in the due diligence process. Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business, this diligence may not reveal all material issues that may affect a particular target business, and factors outside the control of the target business and outside of our control may later arise. If our diligence fails to identify issues specific to a target business, industry or the environment in which the target business operates, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our common stock. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing.

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange rules, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.10 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our rights and warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.10 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by stockholders may be less than $10.10” and other risk factors contained herein.

We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from a valuation or appraisal firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view.

Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity or our board of directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses (including with the assistance of financial advisors), we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or from a valuation or appraisal firm that the price we are paying is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.

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We may seek business combination opportunities with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue, cash flow or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues, cash flows or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.

To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include volatile revenues or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.

The requirement that we complete an initial business combination by May 28, 2023 (or up to August 23, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described herein) may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination.

We have until May 28, 2023 (or up to August 28, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described herein) to complete an initial business combination. Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware of this requirement. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete a business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete a business combination with any other target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the time limit referenced above.

Resources could be spent researching acquisitions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.

The investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting, and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents, and other instruments requires substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If a decision is made not to complete a specific business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, even if an agreement is reached relating to a specific target business, we may fail to consummate the business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.

Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 will require substantial financial and management resources and may increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls and may require that we have such system of internal controls audited beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2023. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny, civil or criminal penalties and/or stockholder litigation. Any inability to provide reliable financial reports could harm our business. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition. Furthermore, any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in the implementation of adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our stock.

If we effect a business combination with a company located in a foreign jurisdiction, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.

If we consummate a business combination with a target business in a foreign country, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in the target business’ home jurisdiction, including any of the following:

rules and regulations or currency conversion or corporate withholding taxes on individuals;

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tariffs and trade barriers;
regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
longer payment cycles;
tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;
currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
cultural and language differences;
employment regulations;
crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks and wars;
degree and scope of severity of COVID-19 local infection rates and economic effects; and
deterioration of political relations with the United States.

We cannot assure you that we would be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer.

If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws applicable to such company will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.

If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such company operates will govern almost all of the material agreements relating to its operations. We cannot assure you that the target business will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available in this new jurisdiction. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital. Additionally, if we acquire a company located outside of the United States, it is likely that substantially all of our assets would be located outside of the United States and some of our officers and directors might reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties of our directors and officers under federal securities laws.

Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP or IFRS, we will not be able to complete a business combination with prospective target businesses unless their financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP or IFRS.

The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with any tender offer documents we use, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire.

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Our initial business combination and our structure thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our stockholders, rights holders and warrant holders. As a result of our business combination, our tax obligations may be more complex, burdensome and uncertain.

Although we will attempt to structure our initial business combination in a tax-efficient manner, tax structuring considerations are complex, the relevant facts and law are uncertain and may change, and we may prioritize commercial and other considerations over tax considerations. For example, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to any requisite stockholder approval, we may structure our business combination in a manner that requires stockholders, rights holders and/or warrant holders to recognize gain or income for tax purposes, effect a business combination with a target company in another jurisdiction, or reincorporate in a different jurisdiction (including, but not limited to, the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located). We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders, rights holders or warrant holders to pay taxes in connection with our business combination or thereafter. Accordingly, a stockholder, a rights holder or a warrant holder may need to satisfy any liability resulting from our initial business combination with cash from its own funds or by selling all or a portion of the shares received. In addition, stockholders, rights holders and warrant holders may also be subject to additional income, withholding or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after our initial business combination.

In addition, we may effect a business combination with a target company that has business operations outside of the United States, and possibly, business operations in multiple jurisdictions. If we effect such a business combination, we could be subject to significant income, withholding and other tax obligations in a number of jurisdictions with respect to income, operations and subsidiaries related to those jurisdictions. Due to the complexity of tax obligations and filings in other jurisdictions, we may have a heightened risk related to audits or examinations by U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. taxing authorities. This additional complexity and risk could have an adverse effect on our after-tax profitability and financial condition.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors and their respective affiliates may elect to purchase shares, rights or warrants from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed initial business combination and reduce the public “float” of our common stock.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their respective affiliates may purchase shares, rights or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares, rights or public warrants in such transactions.

Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their respective affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination, or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. The purpose of any such purchase of rights could be to reduce the number of rights outstanding or to vote such rights on any matters submitted to the rights holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.

We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price which is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.

In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called “PIPE” transactions) at a price of $10.10 per share or a price that approximates the per-share amount in our trust account at such time, which is expected to be approximately $10.10. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.

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We may face risks related to businesses in the clean and sustainable energy industries.

Business combinations with businesses in the clean and sustainable energy industries entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with such a target business, we may be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks:

the markets we may serve may be subject to general economic conditions and cyclical demand, which could lead to significant shifts in our results of operations from quarter to quarter that make it difficult to project long-term performance;
we may be unable to attract or retain customers;
we may be subject to volatility in costs for strategic raw material and energy commodities (such as natural gas, including exports of material quantities of natural gas from the United States) or disruption in the supply of these commodities could adversely affect our financial results;
we may be subject to the negative impacts of catastrophic events;
we may face competition and consolidation of the specific sector of the industry within which the target business operates;
we may be unable to obtain necessary insurance coverage for the target business’ operations;
we may incur additional expenses and delays due to technical problems, labor problems (including union disruptions) or other interruptions at our manufacturing facilities after our initial business combination;
we may experience work-related accidents that may expose us to liability claims;
our manufacturing processes and products may not comply with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, or if we manufacture products containing design or manufacturing defects, demand for our products may decline and we may be subject to liability claims;
we may be liable for damages based on product liability claims, and we may also be exposed to potential indemnity claims from customers for losses due to our work or if our employees are injured performing services;
our products may be are subject to warranty claims, and our business reputation may be damaged and we may incur significant costs as a result;
we may be unable to protect our intellectual property rights;
our products and manufacturing processes will be subject to technological change;
we may be subject to increased government regulations, including with respect to, among other matters, increased environmental regulation and worker safety regulation, and the costs of compliance with such regulations; and
the failure of our customers to pay the amounts owed to us in a timely manner.

Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to the sustainable industrial technology and infrastructure industries. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, we will be subject to risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, which may or may not be different than those risks listed above.

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We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our stockholders to elect directors.

In accordance with NASDAQ corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on NASDAQ. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.

Sources of target business candidates may be paid a finder’s fee, consulting fee, advisory fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the of the transaction.

Target business candidates are brought to our attention from various sources, including our global networks, as well as other sources such as investment bankers and investment professionals. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this Annual Report and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors and their respective affiliates may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have. We may engage the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee, advisory fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. In addition, our initial stockholders, officers or directors or our or any of their respective affiliates may provide these services without additional compensation. We will formally engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account.

Risks Relating to our Securities

You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of blank check companies.

Since the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the private placement are intended to be used to complete a business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, since we had net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the consummation of the initial public offering and filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors of blank check companies such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules which would, for example, completely restrict the transferability of our securities, require us to complete a business combination by May 23, 2023 and restrict the use of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account. In accordance with the SEC’s penny stock rules, we will calculate net tangible assets as total assets less intangible assets and liabilities. Because we are not subject to Rule 419, our units are immediately tradable, we will have a longer period of time to consummate an initial business combination and we will be entitled to withdraw amounts from the funds held in the trust account prior to the completion of a business combination.

We may issue shares of our capital stock or debt securities to complete a business combination, which would reduce the equity interest of our stockholders and likely cause a change in control of our ownership.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 10,000,000 shares of Class B common stock (the “founder shares”) and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2022, there were 61,865,000 authorized but unissued shares of Class A common stock available for issuance (after appropriate reservation for the issuance of the shares underlying the private units, rights and public and private warrants). We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock or shares of preferred stock, or a combination of common stock and preferred stock, to complete a business combination. The issuance of additional shares of Class A

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common stock will not reduce the per-share redemption amount in the trust account. The issuance of additional shares of Class A common stock or preferred stock:

may significantly reduce the equity interest of public stockholders;
may subordinate the rights of holders of shares of Class A common stock if we issue shares of preferred stock with rights senior to those afforded to our shares of Class A common stock;
may cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of Class A common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and
may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our shares of Class A common stock.

Similarly, if we issue debt securities, it could result in:

default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after a business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
our inability to pay dividends on our Class A common stock;
using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes;
limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation;
limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and
other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

If we incur indebtedness, our lenders will not have a claim on the cash in the trust account and such indebtedness will not decrease the per-share redemption amount in the trust account.

An investor will only be able to exercise a warrant if the issuance of shares of Class A common stock upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or is deemed exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants.

No warrants will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue shares of Class A common stock unless the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon such exercise have been registered or qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants. If the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are

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not qualified or exempt from qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders of the warrants reside, the warrants may be deprived of any value, the market for the warrants may be limited and they may expire worthless if they cannot be sold.

You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the issuance of the underlying shares of Class A common stock or certain exemptions are available.

If the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock upon the exercise of the warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, warrant holders will not be entitled to exercise such warrants and such warrants may have no value and expire worthless.

While we have registered the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act, we do not plan on keeping a prospectus current until required to pursuant to the warrant agreement. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement filed in connection with the initial public offering or a new registration statement under the Securities Act covering such shares. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration or redemption of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. Notwithstanding the above, if shares of our Class A common stock are, at the time of any exercise of a warrant, not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.

To exercise warrants on a cashless basis, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants in exchange for a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the product of (A) the number of shares of our Class A common stock underlying the warrants, and (B) the difference between the “fair market value” and the exercise price of the warrants by (ii) such fair market value. Solely for purposes of the preceding sentence, “fair market value” shall mean the volume weighted average price of our Class A Common stock during the 10 trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws, and there is no exemption available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire without value to the holder. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of Class A common stock included in the units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying shares of Class A common stock for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

The private warrants may be exercised at a time when the public warrants may not be exercised.

Once the private warrants become exercisable, such warrants may immediately be exercised on a cashless basis, at the holder’s option, so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. The public warrants, however, will only be exercisable on a cashless basis at the option of the holders if we fail to register the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act within 60 business days following the closing of our initial business combination. Accordingly, it is possible that the holders of the private warrants could exercise such warrants at a time when the holders of public warrants could not.

We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants.

Our warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision. The warrant agreement requires the approval by the holders of at

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least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders.

Our warrant agreement and rights agreement designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants and rights, which could limit the ability of warrant holders or right holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.

Our warrant agreement and rights agreement provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement or rights agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement and rights agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants or rights, as applicable, shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement and rights agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions of the warrant agreement and rights agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants or rights, as applicable, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder or rights holder, as applicable, in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s or right holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder or rights holder, as applicable.

This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s or rights holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our warrant agreement or rights agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.

NASDAQ may delist our securities from quotation on its exchange which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

Our units, public shares, rights and warrants are listed on NASDAQ, a national securities exchange. We cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on NASDAQ in the future prior to an initial business combination. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, it is likely that NASDAQ will require us to file a new initial listing application and meet its initial listing requirements as opposed to its more lenient continued listing requirements. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time. NASDAQ will also have discretionary authority to not approve our listing if NASDAQ determines that the listing of the company to be acquired is against public policy at that time.

If NASDAQ delists our securities from trading on its exchange, or we are not listed in connection with our initial business combination, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
reduced liquidity with respect to our securities;
a determination that our shares of common stock are “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our shares of common stock to adhere to more stringent rules, possibly resulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our shares of common stock;
a limited amount of news and analyst coverage for our company; and

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a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because our units, Class A common stock, rights and warrants are listed on NASDAQ, our units, Class A common stock, rights and warrants are covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on NASDAQ, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.

Our initial stockholders control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote.

As of December 31, 2022, our initial stockholders owned approximately 27.1% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors, initial stockholders or their affiliates could determine in the future to purchase additional units or shares of common stock from persons in the open market or in private transactions, to the extent permitted by law, in order to influence the vote or magnitude of the number of stockholders seeking to tender their shares to us. Investors in the private shares have also agreed to vote in favor of a proposed business combination. In connection with any vote for a proposed business combination, our initial stockholders, as well as all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote the shares of common stock owned by them in favor of such proposed business combination. As a result, we would need only 7,221,667 of the 23,000,000 public shares, or approximately 31.4%, to be voted in favor of a business combination in order to have such business combination approved (assuming our initial stockholders, officers and directors do not purchase units or public shares in the after-market).

It is unlikely that there will be an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of a business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the consummation of the business combination. Accordingly, you may not be able to exercise your voting rights under corporate law until May 28, 2023 (or up to August 28, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described herein). If there is an annual meeting, our sponsor, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert significant control at least until the consummation of a business combination.

We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.

We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants (excluding the private warrants and any warrants underlying additional units issued to our sponsor, officers or directors in payment of working capital loans made to us) at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per whole warrant if, among other things, the Reference Value equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant). If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of Class A common stock upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under all applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. Redemption of the outstanding warrants as described above could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the private warrants will be redeemable by us.

If our security holders exercise their registration rights, it may have an adverse effect on the market price of our shares of common stock and the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effect a business combination.

Our initial stockholders are entitled to make a demand that we register the resale of the founder shares at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which their shares may be released from escrow. Additionally, the holders of the private units and any units and warrants our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers, directors, or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us, are entitled to demand that we register the resale of the private units and any other units and warrants we issue

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to them (and the underlying securities) commencing at any time after we consummate an initial business combination. The presence of these additional securities trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business, as the stockholders of the target business may be discouraged from entering into a business combination with us or will request a higher price for their securities because of the potential effect the exercise of such rights may have on the trading market for our shares of common stock.

If we are deemed to be an investment company, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete a business combination.

A company that, among other things, is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, trading or holding certain types of securities would be deemed an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Since we invest the proceeds held in the trust account, it is possible that we could be deemed an investment company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we do not believe that our principal activities subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in trust are invested by the trustee only in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, we intend to meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act.

If we are nevertheless deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be subject to certain restrictions that may make it more difficult for us to complete a business combination, including:

restrictions on the nature of our investments; and
restrictions on the issuance of securities.

In addition, we may have imposed upon us certain burdensome requirements, including:

registration as an investment company;
adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy, compliance policies and procedures and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.

Compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expense for which we have not allotted.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A common stock and could entrench management.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. Moreover, our board of directors has the ability to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock.

We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, subject to limited exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware, except any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction, or (D) any action arising under the Securities Act, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder and may therefore bring a claim in another appropriate forum. We cannot be certain that a court will decide that this provision is either applicable or enforceable, and if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.

Because each unit contains one-half of one redeemable warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.

Each unit contains one-half of one redeemable warrant. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. This is different from other blank check companies similar to ours whose units include one share of common stock and one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of an initial business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses.

Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.

Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team

Our directors may decide not to enforce our sponsor’s indemnification obligations, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.

In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below $10.10 per public share and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce such indemnification obligations. It is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. Additionally, each of our independent directors is a member of our sponsor. As a result, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether to enforce our sponsor’s indemnification obligations. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.10 per share.

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We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and executive officers.

We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive (and any other persons who may become an officer or director prior to the initial business combination will also be required to waive) any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and not to seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.

Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.

In recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. There can be no assurance that these trends will not continue.

The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.

In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.

Certain of our directors and officers are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

Until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and directors and officers are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. For example, Mr. Ratner serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Aries I Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ: RAM), a special purpose acquisition company formed to effectuate a merger or similar transaction with one or more businesses. Also, Ms. Beaumont serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Springwater Special Situations Corp. (NASDAQ: SWSS), a special purpose acquisition company formed to effectuate a merger or similar transaction with one or more businesses, which completed its initial public offering on August 25, 2021 and is currently searching for an initial business combination. Our sponsor and directors and officers are also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination, and any such involvement may result in conflicts of interests as described above. Moreover, certain of our directors and officers have time and attention requirements for investment funds of which affiliates of our sponsor are the investment managers.

Our directors and officers presently have, and any of them in the future may have, additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities (including other special purpose acquisition companies they are or may become involved with) pursuant to which such officer or director is or may be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our directors or officers becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may need to honor these fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such

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business combination opportunity to such entity. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions to exculpate and indemnify, to the maximum extent permitted by law, such persons in respect of any liability, obligation or duty to our company that may arise  as a consequence of such persons becoming aware of any business opportunity or failing to present such business opportunity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our directors or officers will materially affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination.

In particular, our officers, directors and advisors presently are, or may in the future become, affiliated with other blank check companies that may have acquisition objectives that are similar to ours. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to such other blank check companies prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that except as may be prescribed by any written agreement with us, we renounce our interest in an corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue; and our officers and directors will not be liable to our company or our stockholders for monetary damages for breach of any fiduciary duty by reason of any of our activities or any of our sponsor or its affiliates to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law.

For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence — Conflicts of Interest.”

General Risk Factors

We are an early stage company with no operating history and no revenue and, accordingly, you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

We are an early stage company with no operating history and no revenue. We will not commence operations until we consummate our initial business combination. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of acquiring one or more operating businesses in the financial technology industry. We may be unable to complete a business combination. If we fail to complete a business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.

We are an “emerging growth company” and “smaller reporting company” and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our shares of common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. We will remain an “emerging growth company” for up to five years. However, if our non-convertible debt issued within a three year period or revenues exceeds $1.235 billion, or the market value of our shares of common stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last day of the second fiscal quarter of any given fiscal year, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year. As an emerging growth company, we are not required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we have reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and we are exempt from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. Additionally,We cannot predict if investors will find our shares of common stock less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our shares of common stock less attractive as an emerging growth company, we have elected to delay the adoptiona result, there may be a less active market for our shares of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for publiccommon stock and private companies until those standards apply to private companies. As such, our financial statementsshare price may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates.more volatile.


Additionally, we arequalify as a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We expect that we will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of theany fiscal year in which (1)for so long as either (a) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceededdoes not equal or exceed $250 million as of the last business dayend of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2)(b) our annual revenues exceededdid not equal or exceed $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equalsdid not equal or exceedsexceed $700 million as of the last business dayend of that year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.

Our stock price may be volatile and may decline regardless of its operating performance.

The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors and may continue to fluctuate for these and other reasons, many of which are beyond our control, including, but not limited to:

actual or anticipated fluctuations in our revenue and results of operations;

any financial projections we may provide to the public in the future, any changes in these projections or its failure to meet these projections;

failure of securities analysts to initiate and maintain our coverage, changes in financial estimates or ratings by any securities analysts who follow us or its failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors;

announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, results of operations or capital commitments;

changes in operating performance and stock market valuations of other clean energy and alternative energy companies generally, or those in the energy industry in particular;

price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market, including as a result of trends in the economy as a whole;

trading volume of our common stock;

the inclusion, exclusion or removal of our common stock from any indices;

changes in the our Board or management;

transactions in our securities by our directors, officers, affiliates and other major investors;

lawsuits threatened or filed against us;

changes in laws or regulations applicable to our business;

changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of debt or equity securities;

short sales, hedging and other derivative transactions involving our capital stock;

general economic conditions in the United States and other markets in which we operate;

pandemics or other public health crises, including, but not limited to, the COVID-19 pandemic (including additional variants);

other events or factors, including those resulting from war, incidents of terrorism or responses to these events; and

the other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section.

The stock market has recently experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. The market prices of securities of companies have experienced fluctuations that often have been unrelated or disproportionate to their operating results. In the past, stockholders have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against companies, and particularly against companies who have recently “gone public” through a DeSPAC transaction, following periods of volatility in the market price of their securities. Any similar litigation against us could result in substantial costs, divert management’s attention and resources and harm its business, financial condition and results of operations.


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TableOur stock price is subject to volatility, which could have a material adverse impact on investors and employee retention.

The price of Contents

our stock has experienced substantial price volatility and may continue to do so in the future. From January 1, 2023 to April 15, 2024, our stock price fluctuated between a low of $0.30 per share and a high of $10.89 per share. Additionally, the energy and technology industries, and the stock market as a whole have, from time to time, experienced extreme stock price and volume fluctuations that have affected stock prices in ways that may have been unrelated to the performance of the companies’ in these sectors. We believe the price of our stock should reflect expectations of future growth and profitability. If we fail to meet expectations related to future growth, profitability, or other market expectations, the price of our stock may decline significantly, which could have a material adverse impact on investor confidence and employee retention.

Our management team has limited experience managing a public company. 

Most members of our management team have limited experience managing a publicly-traded company, interacting with public company investors, and complying with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies. Our management team may not successfully or efficiently manage our transition to being a public company subject to significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under the federal securities laws and the continuous scrutiny of securities analysts and investors. These new obligations and constituents will require significant attention from our senior management and could divert their attention away from the day-to-day management of our business, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. 

We may be unable to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq in the future.

Our common stock are currently listed on the Nasdaq. However, we cannot predict if investorsguarantee that our securities will findcontinue to be listed on Nasdaq. If we fail to meet the requirements of the applicable listing rules, such failure may result in a suspension of the trading of our shares or delisting in the future. In the event of common stock less attractive becausea delisting, we can provide no assurance that any action taken by us to restore compliance with listing requirements would allow our securities to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our securities, prevent our securities from dropping below the minimum share price requirement or prevent future non-compliance with the listing requirements. This may relyfurther result in legal or regulatory proceedings, fines and other penalties, legal liability for us, the inability for our stockholders to trade their shares and negatively impact our share price, reputation, operations and financial position, as well as our ability to conduct future fundraising activities. If Nasdaq delists our securities and we are not able to list our securities on these provisions.another national securities exchange, we expect that our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If some investors find our shares of common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a lessthis were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including but not limited to:

a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

reduced liquidity for our securities;

a limited amount of news and analyst coverage for the company; and

a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

An active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained.

Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “ALCE” and to trades on that market. We cannot assure you that an active trading market for its common stock will be sustained. Accordingly, we cannot assure you of the liquidity of any trading market, your ability to sell your shares of common stock when desired or the prices that you may obtain for your shares.


We may issue additional shares of common stock or other equity securities without your approval, which would dilute your ownership interests and may depress the market price of our share pricecommon stock.

We have warrants outstanding to purchase up to 12,345,000 shares of our common stock. We will also have the ability to initially issue up to 8,000,000 shares of our common stock under the 2023 Plan (as defined below).

We may be more volatile.

Cyber incidentsissue additional shares of common stock or attacks directed atother equity securities of equal or senior rank in the future in connection with, among other things, future acquisitions or repayment of outstanding indebtedness, without stockholder approval, in a number of circumstances.

Our issuance of additional shares of common stock or other equity securities of equal or senior rank could, without limitation, have the following effects:

our existing stockholders’ proportionate ownership interest in us will decrease;

the amount of cash available per share, including for payment of dividends (if any) in the future, may decrease;

the relative voting strength of each previously outstanding share of common stock may be diminished; and

the market price of our shares of common stock may decline.

We identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting which, if not remediated appropriately or timely, could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.the loss of investor confidence and adversely impact our business operations and our stock price.

We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructureare required to establish and cloud applicationsmaintain appropriate internal controls over financial reporting. Failure to establish those controls, or any failure of those controls once established, could adversely impact our public disclosures regarding our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, management’s assessment of internal controls over financial reporting may identify weaknesses and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breachesconditions that need to be addressed in our internal controls over financial reporting or other matters that may raise concerns for investors. Any actual or perceived weaknesses and conditions that need to be addressed in our internal control over financial reporting, disclosure of management’s assessment of our internal controls over financial reporting or disclosure of our public accounting firm’s attestation to or report on management’s assessment of our internal controls over financial reporting may have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.

A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. In addition, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and the benefit of controls must be relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no system of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within our Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or infrastructure,mistake. Further, controls can be circumvented by individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more persons, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is also based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, a control may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or the systemsdegree of compliance with policies or infrastructureprocedures may deteriorate. Because of third partiesinherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary informationfraud may occur and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected againstdetected.

We identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting that existed as of December 31, 2023 due to (i) lack of an effective control environment commensurate with its financial reporting requirements; (ii) lack of design and maintenance of effective controls for communicating and sharing information within the Company; (iii) lack of design and maintenance of effective controls for transactions between related parties and affiliates recorded between itself, the parent company and its subsidiaries; (iv) lack of effective controls to address the identification of and accounting for certain non-routine, unusual or complex transactions and (v) lack of design and maintenance of formal accounting policies, procedures and controls to achieve complete, accurate and timely financial accounting, reporting and disclosures. Management has taken initial steps to remedy these weaknesses by increasing the capacity of our qualified financial personnel; implementing a monthly review with the appropriate responsible parties to review and confirm that the accounting department has received the proper documentation for various transactions; starting the process of formalizing documentation related to intercompany due to/from within the new organization structure; having third party experts review non routine, unusual and complex transactions; and working with an external consultant to review and assess the Company’s current internal control structure.


While we believe these efforts will improve our internal controls and address the underlying causes of the material weaknesses, such occurrences.material weaknesses will not be remediated until our remediation plan has been fully implemented and we have concluded that our controls are operating effectively for a sufficient period of time. We cannot be certain that the steps we are taking will be sufficient to remediate the control deficiencies that led to our material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or prevent future material weaknesses or control deficiencies from occurring. While we are working to remediate the material weaknesses as timely and efficiently as possible, at this time we cannot provide an estimate of costs expected to be incurred in connection with the implementation of this remediation plan, nor can we provide an estimate of the time it will take to complete this remediation plan. Even if management does establish effective remedial measures, we cannot guarantee that those internal controls and disclosure controls that we put in place will prevent all possible errors, mistakes or all fraud.

If our financial statements are not accurate, investors may not have sufficienta complete understanding of our operations. Likewise, if our financial statements are not filed on a timely basis, we could be in violation of covenants contained in the agreements governing our debt. We could also be subject to sanctions or investigations by the stock exchange on which our shares are listed, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which could result in a material adverse effect on our business. These outcomes could subject us to litigation, civil or criminal investigations or enforcement actions requiring the expenditure of financial resources and diversion of management time, could negatively affect investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial statements and could also adversely impact our stock price and our access to adequately protect against, orthe capital markets. 

Our internal controls over financial reporting may not be effective and our independent registered public accounting firm may not be able to investigate and remediate any vulnerabilitycertify as to cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them,their effectiveness, which could have a significant and adverse consequenceseffect on our business and lead to financial loss.reputation.

Changes in laws or regulations or how such laws or regulations are interpreted or applied, or a failure to comply with any laws or regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.

 We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. We are required to comply with certain SECthe SEC’s rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which require management to certify financial and other legal requirements. Complianceinformation in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of controls over financial reporting. When we are no longer an emerging growth company, our independent registered public accounting firm may be required to audit the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 in future Form 10-K filings. Our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event that it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating. 

Further, we may need to undertake various actions, such as implementing additional internal controls and monitoringprocedures and hiring additional accounting or internal audit staff. Testing and maintaining internal controls can divert our management’s attention from other matters that are important to the operation of applicableour business. If we identify material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting or are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 or assert that our internal controls over financial reporting are effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock could be negatively affected, and we could become subject to investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources. 

Delaware law and provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could make a merger, tender offer, or proxy contest difficult, thereby depressing the trading price of our common stock.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could depress the trading price of the common stock by acting to discourage, delay, or prevent a change of control of us or changes in our management that our stockholders may deem advantageous. These provisions include, without limitation, the following:

a classified board of directors so that not all members of our Board are elected at one time;

the right of the board of directors to establish the number of directors and fill any vacancies and newly created directorships;

director removal by stockholders solely for cause and with the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the voting power of our then-outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors;


“blank check” preferred stock that our Board could use to implement a stockholder rights plan;

the right of our Board to issue our authorized but unissued common stock and preferred stock without stockholder approval;

no ability of our stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders;

no right of our stockholders to act by written consent, which requires all stockholder actions to be taken at a meeting of our stockholders;

limitations on the liability of and the provision of indemnification to, our director and officers;

the right of the board of directors to make, alter, or repeal the our Bylaws; and

advance notice requirements for nominations for election to the our Board or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at annual stockholder meetings.

Any provision of our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of common stock and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for common stock.

Our certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.

Our Certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty, any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. These choice of forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees and may discourage these types of lawsuits. This provision would not apply to claims brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Our certificate of incorporation provides further that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. However, Section 22 of the Securities Act provides that federal and state courts have concurrent jurisdiction over lawsuits brought under the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. To the extent the exclusive forum provision restricts the courts in which claims arising under the Securities Act may be brought, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such a provision. We note that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those lawsthe rules and regulations thereunder. Furthermore, the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable. While the Delaware courts have determined that such choice of forum provisions are facially valid, a stockholder may nevertheless seek to bring a claim in a venue other than those designated in the exclusive forum provisions and there can be no assurance that such provisions will be enforced by a court in those other jurisdictions. If a court were to find the exclusive-forum provision contained in our certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm its business.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.


Item 1C. Cybersecurity

Alternus employs a multilayer approach to addressing cybersecurity risk based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) framework. It has established a dedicated cybersecurity team that utilizes internal and external assessments, automated monitoring tools, and input from public and private partners to identify potential cyber threats. External third party security firms are engaged to assist with cybersecurity risk assessments, penetration testing and system security analysis. Alternus’s cybersecurity team works in conjunction with the risk management, legal, finance, accounting, operations, and information technology areas to assess the risk these identified cybersecurity threats present to the organization. To ensure consistency, these cybersecurity risk assessments are incorporated into Alternus’s Information Security Policy, Alternus’s information technology leadership reviews the company’s enterprise risk management-level cybersecurity risks on a quarterly basis, and key cybersecurity risks are incorporated into Alternus’s Information Security Policy. Cybersecurity risks are managed and controlled through multiple overlapping layers of cybersecurity defenses that include:

expert input from both public and private partnerships;

the implementation of a comprehensive cybersecurity policy that encompasses but is not limited to social media, acceptable use (devices, wireless, remote access, internet use), information governance, monitoring, authentication, encryption, vulnerability management, third-party management, and recovery;

required annual cybersecurity training for all employees;

random employee phish testing and follow-up;

procedural and automated cyber controls in conjunction with robust detection, mitigation, and recovery capabilities;

the formation of a multidisciplinary cybersecurity incident response team;

the integration of multiple threat intelligence sources into our cybersecurity tools and processes;

the retention of external cybersecurity threat response resources;

the formation of a multidisciplinary cybersecurity incident response team; and

multiple cyber event simulation and tabletop exercises per year to hone the cybersecurity incident response team preparedness.

The Alternus board of directors provides enterprise-level oversight of risks associated with cybersecurity threats through the Audit Committee, which assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities regarding the Company’s policies and processes with respect to risk assessment and risk management, including any significant non-financial risk exposures; reviewing and discussing the Company’s information security policies and internal controls regarding information security; and reviewing the Company’s annual disclosures concerning the role of the Board in the risk oversight of the Company. The Audit Committee performs an annual review of the Company’s cybersecurity program and receives quarterly updates on key cybersecurity risks, the cybersecurity risk management plan, and cyber incident event trends.

Alternus’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) has primary responsibility for the development and oversight of Alternus’s cybersecurity team and the development and maintenance of the company’s related cybersecurity policies and procedures. The CIO has over 20 years’ experience working in the information and operational technology field. The company’s cybersecurity team continuously assesses the evolving cyber threat landscape based on their interpretationexpertise and application maythat of our third-party partners. They then work with all parts of Alternus to protect against, detect, identify, respond to, and recover from the risks that cybersecurity threats present. The cybersecurity team views and responds to cybersecurity risks in a holistic manner, applying a comprehensive multilayered strategy to prevent, detect, and mitigate them. They have identified Alternus’s critical cyber assets and taken appropriate steps to protect them. External expertise is regularly engaged to assess Alternus’s cybersecurity program and help the cybersecurity team to strengthen the organization’s monitoring, alerting, prevention, mitigation, and recovery capabilities. Third party cyber vulnerability assessments, maturity assessments, and partnerships are used to assess and refine all elements of our cybersecurity program.

In addition to managing our own cybersecurity preparedness, we also changeconsider and evaluate cybersecurity risks associated with the use of third-party service providers. Risk assessments are performed against third-party service providers with a specific focus on any sensitive data that is to be shared with them. The internal business owners of Alternus’s applications are required to document user access reviews regularly. We request a System and Organizational Controls (SOC) 2 report from the vendors of our enterprise cloud applications. If they do not provide us with a SOC 2, we seek additional compensating risk assurance in our contract language with them. Risks associated with the use of third-party service providers are managed as part of our overall cybersecurity risk management framework.


To continually manage and control the material risks that cybersecurity threats present to the organization, Alternus invests significantly in the cybersecurity elements outlined above. In addition, the Company has made significant investments to fulfill the operational and financial regulatory requirements laid out by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection Standards and Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Alternus faces a number of cybersecurity risks in connection with its business. Although such risks have not materially affected us, including our business strategy, results of operations, and financial conditions, to date, we have, from time to time, experienced threats to and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination and results of operations.

On March 30, 2022, the SEC issued proposed rules relating to, among other items, disclosures in business combination transactions involving SPACs (defined below) and private operating companies; the financial statement requirements applicable to transactions involving shell companies; the use of projections in SEC filings in connection with proposed business combination transactions; the potential liability of certain participants in proposed business combination transactions; and the extent to which special purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”) could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act, including a proposed rule that would provide SPACs a safe harbor from treatment as an investment company if they satisfy certain conditions that limit a SPAC’s duration, asset composition, business purpose and activities. These rules, if adopted, whether in the form proposed or in a revised form, may increase the costs of and the time needed to negotiate and complete an initial business combination, and may constrain the circumstances under which we could complete an initial business combination.

Past performance by our management team may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company.

Past performance by our management team is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical recordbreaches of our management team’s performance as indicative ofdata systems, including malware, phishing and computer virus attacks. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for additional information regarding our future performance of an investment in the company or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward.

We mayorganization’s cybersecurity risks, which should be subject to the 1% excise tax instituted under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 in connectionread together with redemptions we conduct after December 31, 2022.this “Item 1C. Cybersecurity”.

On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IR Act”) was signed into federal law. The IR Act provides for, among other things, a new U.S. federal 1% excise tax on certain repurchases of stock by publicly traded U.S. domestic corporations and certain U.S. domestic subsidiaries of publicly traded foreign corporations occurring on or after January 1, 2023. The excise tax is imposed on the repurchasing corporation itself, not its stockholders from which shares are repurchased. The amount of the excise tax is generally 1% of the fair market value of the shares repurchased at the time of the repurchase. For purposes of calculating the excise tax, repurchasing corporations are permitted to net the fair market value of certain new stock issuances against the fair market value of stock repurchases during the same taxable year. In addition, certain exceptions apply to the excise tax. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury”) has been given authority to provide regulations and other guidance to carry out and prevent the abuse or avoidance of the excise tax.

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Any redemption or other repurchase we conduct after December 31, 2022, in connection with a business combination, extension vote or otherwise, may be subject to the excise tax. Whether and to what extent we would be subject to the excise tax in connection with a business combination, extension vote or otherwise would depend on a number of factors, including (i) the fair market value of the redemptions and repurchases in connection with the business combination, extension or otherwise, (ii) the structure of a business combination, (iii) the nature and amount of any “PIPE” or other equity issuances in connection with a business combination (or otherwise issued not in connection with a business combination but issued within the same taxable year of a business combination) and (iv) the content of regulations and other guidance from the Treasury. The foregoing could cause a reduction in the cash available on hand to complete a business combination or otherwise inhibit our ability to complete a business combination.

Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

None.

Item 2. PROPERTIES.Properties.

We do not own any real estate or other physical properties. We currently maintain our

Our principal executive offices are located at 12600 Hill Country Blvd, Building R,360 Kingsley Park Drive, Suite 275, Bee Cave, Texas 78738. An affiliate250, Fort Mill, South Carolina 29715.

In addition, we own and operate solar generating facilities located in Romania and the United States. We believe that no single solar generating facility is material to our business, results of operations or financial condition.

The following table provides an overview of our sponsor providessolar generating facilities by country as of the date of this office space to us at no cost. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers, adequate for our current operations.report:

COUNTRY MEGAWATTS
INSTALLED
  Percentage 
Romania  40.1   91.3%
United States  3.8   8.7%
Total  43.9   100%

Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.Legal Proceedings

To

From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings, which arise, in the knowledgeordinary course of business. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm the Company’s business. We are not aware of any such legal proceedings that will have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition or operating results.

In May of 2023 we received notice that Solartechnik filed an arbitration claim against Alternus Energy Group PLC, Solis Bond Company DAC and ALT POL HC 01 SP. Z.o.o. in the Court of Arbitration at the Polish Chamber of Commerce, claiming that PLN 24,980,589 (approximately $5.9 million) is due and owed to Solartechnik pursuant to a preliminary share purchase agreement by and among the parties that did not ultimately close, plus costs, expenses, legal fees and interest. We have accrued a liability for this loss contingency in the amount of approximately $5.9 million, which represents the contractual amount allegedly owed. It is reasonably possible that the potential loss may exceed our management, there is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pendingaccrued liability due to costs, expenses, legal fees and interest that are also alleged by Solartechnik as owed, but at the time of filing this report we are unable to determine an estimate of that possible additional loss in excess of the amount accrued. We intend to vigorously defend this action and have filed a counterclaim against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such.Solartechnik.

Item 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.


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PART II

Item 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Market Information

Our units commenced publiccommon stock is trading on February 24, 2022, and our Class A common stock, rights and warrants commenced separate trading on April 18, 2022.  Our Class A common stock, rights, warrants and units are each listed on the NASDAQ StockNasdaq Capital Market under the symbols CLIN, CLINR, CLINW and CLINU, respectively.symbol “ALCE.”

Holders

On March 30, 2023, the numbers

As of April, 15, 2024, there were 11 stockholders of record holdersof our common stock. Because many of our shares of common stock are held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of stockholders, this number is not representative of the Company’s Class A common stock, units, rights and warrants were 1, 1, 1 and 1, respectively, not includingtotal number of beneficial holders whose securities are held in street name.owners of our stock.

Dividends

We have

The Company has not paid any cash dividends on our shares of our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of a business combination.date. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependentdepend upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of a business combination.condition. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our then board of directors. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future.at such time.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

On October 9, 2022, our board of directors approved and on December 4, 2023 our stockholders approved the Alternus Clean Energy Inc. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2023 Plan”). The 2023 Plan provides for the grant of the following types of stock awards: (i) incentive stock options, (ii) stock appreciation rights, (iii) restricted stock awards, (iv) restricted stock unit awards and (v) performance awards. The 2023 Plan is intended to help the Company secure and retain the services of eligible award recipients, provide incentives for such persons to exert maximum efforts for the success of the Company and any affiliate and provide a means by which the eligible recipients may benefit from increases in value of the common stock. The Board reserved 8,000,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the grant of awards. Currently no awards have been granted under the 2023 Plan. Plans

None.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities and Use

During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, the Company made the following unregistered sales securities.

On December 22, 2023, we issued (a) 57,500,000 shares of Proceeds

Unregistered Salesour common stock to Alternus Energy Group Plc based on a value of Equity Securities

On February 28, 2022, we sold an aggregate$10.00 per share; (b) 7,666,667 shares of our common stock (2,555,556 of which are subject to vesting upon the occurrence of certain events) to Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”) upon conversion on a 1-for-1 basis of 7,666,667 Founder Shares purchased at less than $0.01 per share; (c) 1,496,234 shares of common stock to the “Meteora Entities pursuant to a forward purchase agreement valued at $14,597,401.70; (d) 1,320,000 shares of common stock to Wissam Anastas (“WA”) pursuant to the conversion of a convertible note at a price of $0.73; (e) 890,000 private unitsshares of common stock to the Sponsor in thea private placement for an aggregate purchaseas part of units at a price of $8,900,000, or $10.00 per unit, to the sponsor pursuant to an exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Each privateeach unit consists ofcomprising one share of Class A common stock and one halfone-half of a private warrant. The private warrants are identicalone warrant to the warrants included in the units issued in the initial public offering, except that (1) they will not be redeemable by us; (2) they (including thepurchase Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; (3) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis; and (4) they (including theCommon Stock; (f) 225,000 shares of common stock issuable uponto the Sponsor in exchange for the settlement of a $1.5 million note; (g) warrants to purchase up to 300,000 shares of our common stock to SCM Tech, LLC with an exercise of the private warrants) are entitled to registration rights.

Use of Proceeds

On February 28, 2022, we sold 23,000,000 units in our initial public offering at a price of $10.00$0.01 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $230,000,000. Each unit consists of one share valued at $1,497,000; and (h) warrants to purchase up to 100,000 shares of our Class A common stock one right, which entitles the holder to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of Class A common stock, and one half of one warrant, where each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock atSCM Tech, LLC with an exercise price of $11.50 per share subject to adjustment.valued at $323,000.

Citigroup Global Markets Inc. served

The Company had no sales of unregistered equity securities other than as described above during the sole bookrunner and Jones Trading Institutional Services LLC served as co-manager for the initial public offering. The units sold in the initial public offering were registered under the Securities Act on a registration statementperiod covered by this Annual Report on Form S-1 (No. 333-261201), which was declared effective by the SEC10-K that were not previously reported in a Current Report on February 23, 2022.Form 8-K or Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

We incurred a total of $18,678,975 in transaction costs related to the initial public offering. We paid a total of $4,600,000 in underwriting commissions

Transfer Agent

The transfer agent for our common stock and $1,292,649 in other costs and expenses related to the initial public offering. We also incurred awarrant agent is Equiniti Trust Company, LLC (formerly known as American Stock Transfer & Trust Company).


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$4,736,326 excess fair value expense related to the anchor investor agreement. In addition, the underwriters agreed to defer $8,050,000 in underwriting commissions (whichItem 6. [Reserved]

The Company is currently held in the trust account), which will be payable only upon consummation of an initial business combination. The amount of deferred underwriting commission was subsequently reduced to $4,427,500 in October 2022.

Following the closinga smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the initial public offeringExchange Act and is not required to provide the private placement, an amount of $232,300,000 ($10.10 per unit) from the net proceeds from the sale of the units in the initial public offering and the private units in the private placement was placed in the trust account.information required under this item.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

None.

Item 6. [RESERVED]

Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following discussion and analysis of ourthe Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the notes related thereto contained elsewherewhich are included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report.Report on Form 10-K. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.

All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Annual Report including, without limitation, statements under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding the Company’s financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this Annual Report, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or the Company’s management, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company’s management. ActualOur actual results couldmay differ materially from those contemplated by theanticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Cautionary“Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report.Report on Form 10-K.

Overview

We

The Company is a transatlantic integrated clean energy independent power producer. The Company develops, builds, owns, and operates a diverse portfolio of utility scale solar photo-voltaic (PV) parks that connect directly to national power grids. As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s revenue streams are a blank check companygenerated from long-term, government-mandated, fixed price supply contracts with terms of between 15-20 years in the form of either government feed in tariffs (FIT), power purchase agreements (PPA) with investment grade off-takers and other energy incentives. Of the Company’s current annual revenues, approximately 83% are generated from long-term contracts, 10% are derived from revenues generated under contracted power purchase agreements (PPAs) with energy operators that are renewed on an annual basis and 7% by sales to the general energy market in the countries the Company operates. The Company’s goal is to own and operate over 3.0 giga-watts (GWs) of solar parks over the next five years.

The Company was incorporated in Delaware on May 14, 2021 formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities.and was originally known as Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp. (“Clean Earth”).

On October 12, 2022, weClean Earth entered into a Business Combination Agreement, with Alternus Energy Group Plc (the “Seller”). Pursuantas amended by that certain First Amendment to the Business Combination Agreement, we will acquiredated as of April 12, 2023 (the “First BCA Amendment”) (as amended by the First BCA Amendment, the “Initial Business Combination Agreement”), and as amended and restated by that certain subsidiaries of the Seller, for up to 90 million shares. Initially, we will issue 55 million shares at closing (subject to a working capital adjustment capped at 1 million additional shares) plus up to 35 million shares subject to certain earn-out provisions, which will be deposited in escrowAmended and will be released if certain conditions are met.

As indicated in the financial statements,Restated Business Combination Agreement, dated as of December 31, 2022, we had cash22, 2023 (the “A&R BCA”) (the Initial Business Combination Agreement, as amended and restated by the A&R BCA, the “Business Combination Agreement”), by and among Clean Earth, Alternus Energy Group Plc (“AEG”) and the Sponsor. Following the approval of $630,460. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in the pursuitInitial Business Combination Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby at the special meeting of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete our initial business combination will be successful.

Resultsthe stockholders of Operations

As ofClean Earth held on December 31, 2022,4, 2023, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2022, relates toconsummated the Company’s formation and the initial public offering and, following the initial public offering, identifying a target company for a Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination at the earliest. We generate non-operating income in the form of realized gains and dividend income from the proceeds derived from the initial public offering and placed in the trust account. We continue to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting, and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses.

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For the year endedon December 31, 2022, we had net income of $59,955. Net income is comprised of $2,228,053 of realized gains on marketable securities held in the trust account and, $1,057,975 of dividend income on marketable securities held in the trust account and $3 of interest income on the operating bank account, offset by $1,213,772 of legal and accounting expense, a $500,000 placement services fee expense, $360,142 of insurance amortization expense, $203,639 of dues and subscriptions expenses, a $200,000 Delaware franchise tax expense, $99,845 of marketing and advertising expenses, and $947 of bank fees.

For the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, we had a net loss of $2,546 comprised of $1,600 franchise tax expense and $946 of formation costs.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2022, we had $630,460 of cash held outside of the trust account for working capital purposes and a working capital deficit of $2,496,267. Working capital deficit excludes amounts of marketable securities held in the trust account and the deferred underwriter fee payable.

On February 28, 2022, we consummated the initial public offering of 23,000,000 units, inclusive of the full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option of 3,000,000 units, at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $230,000,000. Simultaneously22, 2023. In accordance with the closingBusiness Combination Agreement, Clean Earth issued 57,500,000 shares of the initial public offering, we consummated the salecommon stock of 890,000 private placement unitsClean Earth, par value $0.0001 per share, to the sponsor at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $8,900,000.

We incurred $18,678,975 in transaction costs consisting of $4,600,000 of underwriting fee, $8,050,000 of deferred underwriting fee, $1,292,649 of other offering costs,AEG, and $4,736,326 excess fair value of founder shares as a result of the anchor investor transaction.

Following the initial public offeringAEG transferred to Clean Earth, and the sale of the private placement units, a total of $232,300,000 ($10.10 per unit) was placed in the trust account. As of December 31, 2022, the trust account totaled $235,586,028 including $2,228,053 of realized gains on marketable securities held in the trust account and $1,057,975 of dividend income on marketable securities held in the trust account.

We intend to use substantiallyClean Earth received from AEG, all of the funds heldissued and outstanding equity interests in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account, excluding deferred underwriting commissions, to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest from the trust account to pay taxes. To the extent that our share capital or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete a business combination, the remaining proceeds heldAcquired Subsidiaries (as defined in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.

We intend to use the funds held outside the trust account primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, structure, negotiate and complete a business combination.

On September 26, 2022, we issued an unsecured promissory note to the sponsor pursuant to which we may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $850,000. The promissory note is non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of the initial Business Combination. At the election of the sponsor and at any time prior to payment in full of the principal balance, the promissory note can be converted into conversion units comprised of one Class A common stock and one-half of one warrant that are identical to those issued in the private placement. As of December 31, 2022, we have drawn $806,170 on the promissory note.

We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimate of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination.

We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities, other than the promissory note with our sponsor that is payable upon the consummation of the initial Business Combination Agreement) (the “Equity Exchange,” and together with the placement services agreement cash success fee of $450,000 that is contingent upon the closing ofother transactions contemplated by the Business Combination

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The underwriters are also entitled to a deferred underwriting commission of 3.50% of Agreement, the gross proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, or $8,050,000. The full amount was placed in the Trust Account and will be released to the underwriters only on, and concurrently with, completion of an initial business combination. In October 2022, one of the Company’s underwriters waived their right to 50% of the deferred underwriting commissions, forfeiting $3,622,500 of their deferred underwriting commission. The deferred underwriter fee payable is $4,427,500 as of December 31, 2022.

Going Concern

“Business Combination”). In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s AbilityClosing, the Company changed its name from Clean Earth Acquisition Corp. to ContinueAlternus Clean Energy, Inc.

The Company uses annual recurring revenues as a Going Concern,”key metric in its financial management information and believes this method better reflects the long-term stability of operations into the future. Annual recurring revenues are defined as the estimated future revenue generated by operating solar parks based on the remaining term, the price received per mega-watt hour (MWh) of energy produced multiplied by the estimated production from each solar park over a full year of operation. It should be noted that the actual revenues reported by the Company in a particular year may be lower than the annual recurring revenues because not all parks may be revenue generating for the full year in their first year of operation. The Company must also account for the timing of acquisitions that take place throughout the financial year.


Impacts of the Ukraine/Russia conflict

The geopolitical situation in Eastern Europe intensified on February 24, 2022, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The war between the two countries continues to evolve as military activity proceeds and additional sanctions are imposed. In addition to the human toll and impact of the events on entities that have operations in Russia, Ukraine, or neighboring countries (e.g., Belarus, Poland, Romania) or that conduct business with their counterparties, the war is increasingly affecting economic and global financial markets and exacerbating ongoing economic challenges, including issues such as rising inflation and global supply-chain disruption. These events have not impacted the physical operations of our facilities in Poland or Romania. However, the Company has seen fluctuations in energy rates due to inflation, increased interest rates, and other macro-economic factors.

Known trends or Uncertainties

The Company has a working capital deficiency and negative equity, and management has determined that the current liquidity conditions raise substantialthere is doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, if planned financings and/or equity raises do not complete. Refer to Footnote 2 of the accompanying financial statements.

The Company is currently working on several processes to address the going concern issue. In January of 2024, ALCE filed an S1 with the SEC in order to raise additional funds in the first half of 2024. We are working with multiple global banks and funds to secure the necessary project financing to execute on our transatlantic business plan.

Competitive Strengths

The Company believes that the following competitive strengths contribute to its success and differentiate the Company from its competitors:

The Company is an Independent Power Producer and is comfortable operating across all aspects of the solar PV value chain from development through long-term operational ownership, compared to only buying operating parks where the high levels of competition from investment companies tend to be. Management believes that the Company’s flexibility in this regard makes it a more attractive partner to local developers who benefit from having a single trusted and flexible customer that allows them to plan effectively and grow faster;

The Company’s history of identifying and entering new solar PV markets coupled with its on-the-ground capabilities and transatlantic platform gives the Company potential competitive advantages in developing and operating solar parks;

The Company’s existing pipeline of owned and contracted solar PV projects provides it with clear and actionable opportunities as well as the ability to cultivate power generation and earnings as these are required;

The Company is technology and supplier agnostic and as such has the flexibility to choose from a broad range of leading manufacturers, operations and maintenance (O&M) experts, top tier suppliers, and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) vendors across the globe and can benefit from falling component and service costs; and

The Company is led by a highly experienced management team and has strong, localized execution capabilities across all key functions and locations.

Vision and Strategy

The Company aims to become one yearof the leading producers of clean energy in Europe and the U.S. by 2030 and to have commenced delivery of 24/7 clean energy to national power grids. The Company’s business strategy of developing to own and operate a diverse portfolio of solar PV assets that generate stable long-term incomes, in countries which currently have unprecedented positive market forces, positions us for sustained growth in the years to come.


To achieve its goals, the Company intends to pursue the following strategies:

Continue our growth strategy which targets acquiring independent solar PV projects that are either in development, in construction, newly installed or already operational, in order to build a diversified portfolio across multiple geographies;

Developer and Agent Relationships: long term relationships with high-quality developer partners, both local and international, can reduce competition in acquisition pricing and provide the Company with exclusive rights to projects at varying stages. Additionally, the Company works with established agents across Europe and the United States. Working with these groups provides the Company with an understanding of the market and in some cases enables it to contract projects at the pre-market level. This allows the Company to build a structured pipeline of projects in each country where it currently operates or intends to operate;

Expand our transatlantic IPP portfolio in locations that deliver higher yields for lowest equity deployed and attractive returns on investments, and increase and optimize the Company’s long-term recurring revenue and cash flows;

Long-term off-take contracts combined with the Company’s efficient operations are expected to provide robust and predictable cash flows from projects and allow for high leverage capacity and flexibility of debt structuring. Our strategy is to reinvest the project cash flows into additional solar PV projects to provide non-dilutive capital for Alternus to “self-fund” future growth;

Optimization of financing sources to support long-term growth and profitability in a cost-efficient manner;

As a renewable energy company, we are committed to growing our portfolio of clean energy parks in the most sustainable way possible. The Company is highly aware and conscious of the ever growing need to mitigate the effects of climate change, which is evident by its core strategy. As the Company grows, it intends to establish a formal sustainability policy framework in order to ensure that all project development is carried out in a sustainable manner mitigating any potential localized environmental impacts identified during the development, construction and operational process.

Given the long-term nature of our business, the Company does not operate its business on a quarter-by-quarter basis, but rather, with long-term shareholder value creation as a priority. The Company aims to maximize return for its shareholders by originating from the dateground up and/or acquiring projects during the development cycle, installation stage, or already operational.

We intend that the parks we own and operate will have a positive cash flows with long-term income streams at the lowest possible risk. To this end we use Levelized Cost of filingEnergy (“LCOE”) as a key criterion to ranking the projects we consider for development and/or acquisition. The LCOE calculates the total cost of ownership of the parks over their expected life reflected as a rate per megawatt hour (MWh). Once the income rates for the selected projects are higher than this Annual Report.rate, the project will be profitable for its full life, including initial capex costs. The Company will continue to operate with this priority as we continue to invest in internal infrastructure and additional solar PV power plants to increase installed power and resultant stable long-term revenue streams.

Key Factors that Significantly Affect Company Results of Operations and Business

The Company expects the following factors will affect its results of operations – inflation and energy rate fluctuations.

Offtake Contracts

Company revenue is primarily a function of the volume of electricity generated and sold by its renewable energy facilities as well as, where applicable, the sale of green energy certificates and other environmental attributes related to energy generation. The Company’s current portfolio of renewable energy facilities is generally contracted under long-term FIT programs or PPAs with investment grade counterparties. As of December 31, 2023, the average remaining life of its FITs and PPAs was 10.5 years. Pricing of the electricity sold under these FITs and PPAs is generally fixed for the duration of the contract, although some of its PPAs have price escalators based on an index (such as the consumer price index) or other rates specified in the applicable PPA.


The Company also generates Renewable Energy Credit (RECs) as the Company produces electricity. RECs are accounted for as government incentives and are considered operational revenue as part of the solar facilities.

Project Operations and Generation Availability

The Company revenue is a function of the volume of electricity generated and sold by Company renewable energy facilities. The volume of electricity generated and sold by the Company’s renewable energy facilities during a particular period is impacted by the number of facilities that have achieved commercial operations, as well as both scheduled and unexpected repair and maintenance required to keep its facilities operational.

The costs the Company incurs to operate, maintain and manage renewable energy facilities also affect the results of operations. Equipment performance represents the primary factor affecting the Company’s operating results because equipment downtime impacts the volume of the electricity that the Company can generate from its renewable energy facilities. The volume of electricity generated and sold by the Company’s facilities will also be negatively impacted if any facilities experience higher than normal downtime as a result of equipment failures, electrical grid disruption or curtailment, weather disruptions, or other events beyond the Company’s control.

Seasonality and Resource Variability

The amount of electricity produced, and revenues generated by the Company’s solar generation facilities is dependent in part on the amount of sunlight, or irradiation, where the assets are located. As shorter daylight hours in winter months result in less irradiation, the electricity generated by these facilities will vary depending on the season. Irradiation can also be variable at a particular location from period to period due to weather or other meteorological patterns, which can affect operating results. As most of the Company’s solar power plants are in the Northern Hemisphere, the Company expects its current solar portfolio’s power generation to be at its lowest during the first and fourth quarters of each year. Therefore, the Company expects first and fourth quarter solar revenue to be lower than in other quarters. As a result, on average, each solar park generates approximately 15% of its annual revenues in Q1 every year, 37% in each of Q2 and Q3, and the remaining 11% in Q4. The Company’s costs are relatively flat over the year, and so the Company will always report lower profits in Q1 and Q4 as compared to the middle of the year.

Interest Rates on Company Debt

Interest rates on the Company’s senior debt are mostly variable for the full term of the finance at interest rates ranging from 6% to 18%. The relative certainty of cash flows provides sufficient coverage ratios.

In addition to the project specific senior debt, the Company uses a small number of promissory notes in order to reduce, and in some cases eliminate, the requirement for the Company to provide equity in the acquisition of the projects. As of December 31, 2023, 97.6% of the Company’s total liabilities were project-related debt.

Cash Distribution Restrictions

In certain cases, the Company, through its subsidiaries, obtain project-level or other limited or non-recourse financing for Company renewable energy facilities which may limit these subsidiaries’ ability to distribute funds to the Company for corporate operational costs. These limitations typically require that the project-level cash is used to meet debt obligations and fund operating reserves of the operating subsidiary. These financing arrangements also generally limit the Company’s ability to distribute funds generated from the projects if defaults have occurred or would occur with the giving of notice or the lapse of time, or both.

Renewable Energy Facility Acquisitions and Investments

The Company’s long-term growth strategy is dependent on its ability to acquire additional renewable power generation assets. This growth is expected to be comprised of additional acquisitions across the Company’s scope of operations both in its current focus countries and new countries. Our operating revenues are insufficient to fund our operations and our assets already are pledged to secure our indebtedness to various third party secured creditors, respectively. The unavailability of additional financing could require us to delay, scale back or terminate our acquisition efforts as well as our own business activities, which would have a material adverse effect on the Company and its viability and prospects.


Management believes renewable power has been one of the fastest growing sources of electricity generation globally over the past decade. The Company expects the renewable energy generation segment to continue to offer growth opportunities driven by:

The continued reduction in the cost of solar and other renewable energy technologies, which the Company believes will lead to grid parity in an increasing number of markets;

Distribution charges and the effects of an aging transmission infrastructure, which enable renewable energy generation sources located at a customer’s site, or distributed generation, to be more competitive with, or cheaper than, grid-supplied electricity;

The replacement of aging and conventional power generation facilities in the face of increasing industry challenges, such as regulatory barriers, increasing costs of and difficulties in obtaining and maintaining applicable permits, and the decommissioning of certain types of conventional power generation facilities, such as coal and nuclear facilities;

The ability to couple renewable energy generation with other forms of power generation and/or storage, creating a hybrid energy solution capable of providing energy on a 24/7 basis while reducing the average cost of electricity obtained through the system;

The desire of energy consumers to lock in long-term pricing for a reliable energy source;

Renewable energy generation’s ability to utilize freely available sources of fuel, thus avoiding the risks of price volatility and market disruptions associated with many conventional fuel sources;

Environmental concerns over conventional power generation; and

Government policies that encourage the development of renewable power, such as country, state or provincial renewable portfolio standard programs, which motivate utilities to procure electricity from renewable resources.

Access to Capital Markets

The Company’s ability to acquire additional clean power generation assets and manage its other commitments will likely be dependent on its ability to raise or borrow additional funds and access debt and equity capital markets, including the equity capital markets, the corporate debt markets, and the project finance market for project-level debt. The Company accessed the capital markets several times in 2022 and 2023, in connection with long-term project debt, and corporate loans and equity. Limitations on the Company’s ability to access the corporate and project finance debt and equity capital markets in the future on terms that are accretive to its existing cash flows would be expected to negatively affect its results of operations, business, and future growth.

Foreign Exchange

The Company’s operating results are reported in United States (USD) Dollars. The Company’s current project revenue and expenses are generated in other currencies, including the Euro (EUR), the Polish Zloty (PLN), and the Romanian Lei (RON). This mix may continue to change in the future if the Company elects to alter the mix of its portfolio within its existing markets or elect to expand into new markets. In addition, the Company’s investments (including intercompany loans) in renewable energy facilities in foreign countries are exposed to foreign currency fluctuations. As a result, the Company expects revenue and expenses will be exposed to foreign exchange fluctuations in local currencies where the Company’s renewable energy facilities are located. To the extent the Company does not hedge these exposures, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates could negatively impact profitability and financial statements accompanyingposition.

Key Metrics

Operating Metrics

The Company regularly reviews several operating metrics to evaluate its performance, identify trends affecting its business, formulate financial projections and make certain strategic decisions. The Company considers a solar park operating when it has achieved connection and begins selling electricity to the energy grid.


Operating Nameplate capacity

The Company measures the electricity-generating production capacity of its renewable energy facilities in nameplate capacity. The Company expresses nameplate capacity in direct current (DC), for all facilities. The size of the Company’s renewable energy facilities varies significantly among the assets comprising its portfolio.

The Company believes the combined nameplate capacity of its portfolio is indicative of its overall production capacity and period to period comparisons of its nameplate capacity are indicative of the growth rate of its business. The table below outlines the Company’s operating renewable energy facilities as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.

  Year Ended December 31, 
MW (DC) Nameplate capacity by country 2023  2022 
Romania  40.1   40.1 
Italy  -   10.5 
United States  3.8   0.4 
Total  43.9   51.0 
         
Discontinued Operations:        
Netherlands  11.8   11.8 
Poland  88.4   88.4 
Total  100.2   100.2 
Total for the period  144.1   151.2 

Megawatt hours sold

Megawatt hours sold refers to the actual volume of electricity sold by the Company’s renewable energy facilities during a particular period. The Company tracks MWh sold as an indicator of its ability to realize cash flows from the generation of electricity at its renewable energy facilities. The megawatt hours listed below for Italy reflect the actual volume of electricity sold during the year before the operating parks were sold on December 28, 2023. The Company’s MWh sold for renewable energy facilities for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, were as follows:

  Year Ended December 31, 
MWh (DC) Sold by country 2023  2022 
Romania  50,491   52,193 
Italy  10,224   11,282 
United States  1,761   - 
Total  62,476   63,475 
         
Discontinued Operations:        
Netherlands  11,083   12,479 
Poland  91,904   98,340 
Total  102,987   110,819 
Total for the period  165,463   174,294 


Consolidated Results of Operations

The following table illustrates the consolidated results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022 
Revenues $20,084  $17,089 
         
Operating Expenses        
Cost of revenues  (4,468)  (4,439)
Selling, general and administrative  (11,228)  (5,720)
Depreciation, amortization, and accretion  (3,657)  (3,677)
Development costs  (798)  (11,372)
Loss on disposal of assets  (5,501)  (79)
Total operating expenses  (25,652)  (25,287)
         
Loss from continuing operations  (5,568)  (8,198)
         
Other income/(expense):        
Interest expense  (18,562)  (10,256)
Valuation on FPA Asset  (16,642)  - 
Solis bond waiver fee  (11,232)  - 
Other expense  (1,642)  (684)
Other income  9   569 
Total other expenses  (48,069)  (10,371)
Loss before provision for income taxes  (53,637)  (18,569)
Income taxes  (15)  - 
Net loss from continuing operations  (53,652)  (18,569)
         
Discontinued operations:        
Income/(loss) from operations of discontinued business component  (3,885)  141 
Impairment loss recognized on the remeasurement to fair value less costs to sell  (11,766)  - 
Income tax  (161)  (21)
Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations  (15,812)  120 
Net loss for the period $(69,464) $(18,449)
         
Net loss attributable to common stockholders, basic  (53,652)  (18,569)
Net loss attributable to common stockholders, diluted  (53,652)  (18,569)
Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic  (0.93)  (0.32)
Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, diluted  (0.93)  (0.32)
Weighted-average common stock outstanding, basic  57,862,598   57,500,000 
Weighted-average common stock outstanding, diluted  57,862,598   57,500,000 
         
Comprehensive loss:        
Net loss $(69,464) $(18,449)
Foreign currency translation adjustment  714   (991)
Comprehensive loss $(68,750) $(19,440)


Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023 compared to December 31, 2022.

The Company generates its revenue from the sale of electricity from its solar parks. The revenue is from FIT, PPA, REC or in the day-ahead or spot market.

Revenue

Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were as follows:

  Year Ended December 31, 
Revenue by Country 2023  2022  Change ($)  Change (%) 
  (in thousands) 
Italy $3,360  $3,354  $6   0%
Romania  16,608   13,710   2,898   21%
United States  116   25   91   364%
Total for continuing operations $20,084  $17,089  $2,995   18%
                 
Discontinued Operations:                
Netherlands $2,840  $1,596  $1,244   78%
Poland  7,593   10,709   (3,116)  (29)%
Total for discontinued operations $10,433  $12,305  $(1,872)  (15)%
Total for the period $30,517  $29,394  $1,123   4%

Revenue for continuing operations increased by $3.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to a higher volume of Green Certificates being sold in 2023 and additional FIT contracts being signed.

Revenue for discontinued operations decreased by $1.9 million due to lower electricity pricing and actual irradiation from seasonal weather conditions in Poland.

  Year Ended December 31, 
Revenue by Offtake Type 2023  2022  Change ($)  Change (%) 
  (in thousands) 
Country Renewable Programs (FIT) $2,972  $2,885  $87   3%
Green Certificates (FIT)  10,548   9,409   1,139   12%
Energy Offtake Agreements (PPA)  6,560   4,795   

1,765

  37%
Other Revenue  4   -   4   100%
Total for continuing operations $20,084  $17,089  $2,995   18%
                 
Discontinued Operations:                
Country Renewable Programs (FIT) $5,499  $6,994  $(1,495)  (21)%
Guarantees of Origin  129   44   85   193%
Energy Offtake Agreements (PPA)  4,805   5,267   (462)  (9)%
Total for discontinued operations $10,433  $12,305  $(1,872)  (15)%
Total for the period $30,517  $29,394  $1,123   4%


Cost of Revenues

The Company capitalizes its equipment costs, development costs, engineering and construction related costs, that are deemed recoverable. The Company’s cost of revenues with regards to its IPP solar parks is primarily a result of the asset management, operations and maintenance, as well as tax, insurance, and lease expenses. Certain economic incentive programs, such as FIT regimes, generally include mechanisms that ratchet down incentives over time. As a result, the Company seeks to connect its IPP solar parks to the local power grids and commence operations in a timely manner to benefit from more favorable existing incentives. Therefore, the Company generally seeks to make capital investments during times when incentives are most favorable.

Cost of revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were as follows:

  Year Ended December 31, 
Cost of Revenues by Country 2023  2022  Change ($)  Change (%) 
  (in thousands) 
Italy $1,204  $812  $392   48%
Romania  3,167   3,627   (460)  (13)%
United States  97   -   97   100%
Total for continuing operations $4,468  $4,439  $29   (1)%
                 
Discontinued Operations:                
Netherlands $450  $368  $82   22%
Poland  3,768   4,104   (336)  (8)%
Total for discontinued operations $4,218  $4,472  $(254)  (6)%
Total for the period $8,686  $8,911  $(225)  (3)%

Cost of revenues for continuing operations decreased by $0.03 million for the year ended 2023 compared to 2022. The decrease was primarily due to a drop in operational costs for Romanian parks which was slightly offset by an increase in the operational costs for the Italian parks before those Italian parks were sold.

Cost of revenues for discontinued operations decreased by $0.2 million for the year ended 2023 compared to 2022 primarily due to a drop in operational costs for the Polish parks.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were as follows:

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022  Change ($)  Change (%) 
  (in thousands) 
Selling, general and administrative $11,228  $5,720  $5,508   96%
Total for continuing operations $11,228  $5,720  $5,508   96%
Total for the period $11,228  $5,720  $5,508   96%

Selling, general and administrative expenses for continuing operations increased by $5.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to 2022. The majority of this Annual Report doincrease was compensation related expenses from additional headcount to support growth initiatives, costs that could not include any adjustmentsbe capitalized into projects and additional audit and accounting fees, legal costs relating to the recoverybusiness combination with Clean Earth.

There were no selling, general and administrative expenses for discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.


Acquisition Costs

As discussed in Footnote 6 – Business Combinations and Acquisitions of Assets to its consolidated financial statements, the Company acquired three SPVs in March 2022 in Poland, all accounted for as asset acquisitions under ASC 805. Refer to Footnote 6 Business Combination and Acquisitions of Assets for more information.

Development Cost

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022  Change ($)  Change (%) 
  (in thousands) 
Development Cost $798  $11,372  $(10,574)  (93)%
Total for continuing operations $798  $11,372  $(10,574)  (93)%
Total for the period $798  $11,372  $(10,574)  (93)%

Development cost decreased by $10.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to 2022, due to final work performed for projects abandoned for the development of renewable energy projects. This decrease was directly related to the costs incurred by the abandonment of the recorded assetsproject Solartechnik in Poland in 2022.

The Company depends heavily on government policies that support our business and enhance the economic feasibility of developing and operating solar energy projects in regions in which we operate or plan to develop and operate renewable energy facilities. The Company can decide to abandon a project if there is material change in budgetary constraints, political factors or otherwise, governments from time to time may review their laws and policies that support renewable energy and consider actions that would make the laws and policies less conducive to the development and operation of renewable energy facilities. Any reductions or modifications to, or the classificationelimination of, governmental incentives or policies that support renewable energy or the imposition of additional taxes or other assessments on renewable energy, could result in, among other items, the lack of a satisfactory market for the development and/or financing of new renewable energy projects, our abandoning the development of renewable energy projects, a loss of our investments in the projects and reduced project returns, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Refer to Footnote 19 to the accompanying financial statements for more detail of development cost.

There were no development costs for discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Depreciation, Amortization and Accretion Expense 

Depreciation, amortization and accretion expenses for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were as follows:

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022  Change ($)  Change (%) 
  (in thousands) 
Depreciation, Amortization and Accretion expense $3,657  $3,677  $(20)  (1)%
Total for continuing operations $3,657  $3,677  $(20)  (1)%
                 
Discontinued Operations:                
Depreciation, Amortization and Accretion expense $2,963  $2,982  $(19)  (1)%
Total for discontinued operations $2,963  $2,982  $(19)  (1)%
Total for the period $6,620  $6,659  $(39)  (1)%

Depreciation and Amortization expense for continuing operations for the twelve-months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $3.7 million.

Depreciation, amortization and accretion expenses for discontinued operations decreased by $0.01 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to 2022.


Loss on Disposal of Assets

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022  Change ($)  Change (%) 
  (in thousands) 
Loss on disposal of assets $4,854  $79  $4,775   6,044%
Costs related to disposal of asset  647   -   647   100%
Total for continuing operations $5,501  $79  $5,422   6,863%
                 
Discontinued Operations:                
Costs related to disposal of asset $137  $-  $137   100%
Total for discontinued operations $137  $-  $137   100%
Total for the period $5,638  $79  $5,559   7,037%

Loss on disposal of assets for continuing operations increased by $5.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to 2022. On December 27, 2023, the Company sold its operating parks in Italy with a carrying value of $22.3 million for $17.4 million resulting in a $4.9 million loss. The costs incurred to complete the transaction totaled $0.6 million and are reported together with the disposal of the liabilitiesassets according to ASC 360-10-35-38.

Loss on disposal of assets for discontinued operations increased by $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to 2022. The Company incurred fees in 2023 that might be necessary shouldare directly related to the sale of the operating parks in Poland and the Netherlands. The Company expects to incur more fees for additional services related to the disposition of these assets until the assets are sold.

Interest Expense, Other Income, and Other Expense

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022  Change ($)  Change (%) 
  (in thousands) 
Interest expense $(18,562) $(10,256) $(8,306)  81%
Valuation on FPA asset  (16,642)  -   (16,642)  100%
Solis bond waiver fee  (11,232)  -   (11,232)  100%
Other expense  (1,642)  (684)  (958)  140%
Other income  9   569   (560)  (98)%
Total for continuing operations $(48,069) $(10,371) $(37,698)  363%
                 
Discontinued Operations:                
Interest income/(expense) $(6,781) $(4,680) $(2,101)  45%
Other income  -   2   (2)  (100)%
Other expense  (219)  (32)  (187)  584%
Total for discontinued operations $(7,000) $(4,710) $(2,290)  49%
Total for the period $(55,069) $(15,081) $(39,988)  265%

Total other expenses for continuing operations increased by $37.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. The primary drivers causing the increase from 2022 is the recognition of a $11.2 million bond waiver fee for the Solis bond, the recognition of a $16.6 million valuation on the Forward Purchase Agreement, and a $8.3 million increase in interest expense due to increase of the effective interest rate of the Solis bond from 6.5% to 10.1%.

Total other expenses for discontinued operations increased by $2.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 mainly driven by a $2.1 million increase in interest expense due to increase of the effective interest rate of the Solis bond increasing from 6.5% to 10.1%. There was an additional $0.2 million of miscellaneous expenses in Poland.


Income Tax

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022  Change ($)  Change (%) 
  (in thousands) 
Corporate tax expense $(15) $-  $(15)  100%
Total for continuing operations $(15) $-  $(15)  100%
                 
Discontinued Operations:                
Corporate tax expense $(161) $(21) $(140)  667%
Total for discontinued operations $(161) $(21) $(140)  667%
Total for the period $(176) $(21) $(155)  738%

Income tax expense for continuing operations increased by $0.01 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. The increase represents a fourth quarter estimated tax payment made to the Internal Revenue Service by Clean Earth prior to the completion of the business combination.

Income tax expense for discontinued operations increased by $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. Zonnepark Rilland receives a fixed payment each month per agreed rates with the customer. In the second quarter of the following year, the customer settles any difference in the average rates for the prior year and the agreed upon rate for the prior year. This settlement of the rates exceeded the receivables the company had booked and resulted in extra income recognized in 2022. The additional income received resulted in a higher tax liability and a balance due in 2022. The balance due was paid at the time of filing in 2023.

Impairment Loss Recognized

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022  Change ($)  Change (%) 
  (in thousands) 
Discontinued Operations:            
Impairment loss recognized on the remeasurement to fair value less costs to sell $(11,766) $-  $(11,766)  100%
Total for discontinued operations $(11,766) $-  $(11,766)  100%
Total for the period $(11,766) $-  $(11,766)  100%

Impairment loss recognized for discontinued operations increased by $11.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. The increase represents the expected loss at December 31, 2023 on the sale of the assets. There was no indication of impairment for the Netherlands as of December 31, 2023.

Net Loss

Net loss for continuing operations increased by $35.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period 2022. This is primarily due to an increase in SG&A expense of $5.5 million, other expense of $29.4 million, interest expense of $8.4 million and a loss on disposal of asset of $5.4 million. This was partially offset by an increase in revenue of $3.0 million, and decreased development cost of $10.6 million.

Net income for discontinued operations decreased by $15.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the same period 2022. This is primarily due to an increase in impairment loss of $11.8 million, interest expense of $2.1 million, other expense of $0.2 million, tax expense of $0.1 million, loss on disposal of asset of $0.1 million and decreased revenues of $1.9 million. This was partially offset by a decrease in cost of revenues of $0.3 million.


Liquidity and Capital Resources

Capital Resources

A key element to the Company’s financing strategy is to raise much of its debt in the form of project specific non-recourse borrowings at its subsidiaries with investment grade metrics. Going forward, the Company intends to primarily finance acquisitions or growth capital expenditures using long-term non-recourse debt that fully amortizes within the asset’s contracted life, as well as retained cash flows from operations and issuance of equity securities through public markets.

The following table summarizes certain financial measures that are not calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, along with the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure, for each period presented below. In addition to its results determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Company believes the following non-U.S. GAAP financial measures are useful in evaluating its operating performance. The Company uses the following non-U.S. GAAP financial information, collectively, to evaluate its ongoing operations and for internal planning and forecasting purposes.

The following non-U.S. GAAP table summarizes the total capitalization and debt as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022:

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Senior Secured Green Bonds $166,122  $149,481 
Senior Secured debt and promissory notes  32,312   13,486 
Total debt  198,434   162,967 
Less current maturities  (198,434)  - 
Long term debt, net of current maturities $-  $162,967 
         
Current Maturities $198,434  $- 
Less current debt discount  (892)  - 
Current Maturities net of debt discount $197,542  $- 
         
Long-term maturities $-  $162,967 
Less long-term debt discount  -   (4,272)
Long-term maturities net of debt discount $-  $158,695 

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Cash and cash equivalents $4,618  $705 
Restricted cash  19,161   6,598 
Available capital from continuing operations $23,779  $7,303 
         
Discontinued operations:        
Cash and cash equivalents $785  $444 
Restricted cash  -   - 
Available capital from discontinued operations $785  $444 

Restricted Cash relates to balances that are in the bank accounts for specific defined purposes and cannot be unableused for any other undefined purposes. The increase was related to the sale of the Italian assets which is in escrow to reduce the principal of the Green Bonds. Refer to Footnote 3 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies for further discussion of restricted cash.


Liquidity Position

Our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 identifies the existence of certain conditions that raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.concern for twelve months from the issuance of this report. Refer to Footnote 2 of the accompanying financial statements for more information.

In January 2021, one of the Company’s subsidiaries, Solis Bond Company DAC (“Solis”), issued a series of 3-year senior secured green bonds in the maximum amount of $242.0 million (€200 million) with a stated coupon rate of 6.5% + EURIBOR and quarterly interest payments. The bond agreement is for repaying existing facilities of approximately $40 million (€33 million), and funding acquisitions of approximately $87.2 million (€72.0 million). The bonds are secured by the Solis’ underlying assets. The Company raised approximately $125.0 million (€110.0 million) in the initial funding. In November 2021, Solis, completed an additional issue of $24 million (€20 million). The additional Issue was completed at an issue price of 102% of par value, corresponding to a yield of 5.5%. The Company raised $11.1 million (€10 million) in March 2022 at 97% for an effective yield of 9.5%. In connection with the bond agreement the Company incurred approximately $11.8 million in debt issuance costs. The Company recorded these as a discount on the debt and they are being amortized as interest expense over the contractual period of the bond agreement. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022 there was $166.1 million and $149.5 million outstanding on the Bond, respectively.

As of December 31, 2022, Solis was in breach of the three financial covenants under Solis’ Bond terms: (i) the minimum Liquidity Covenant that requires the higher of €5.5 million or 5% of the outstanding Nominal Amount, (ii) the minimum Equity Ratio covenant of 25%, and (iii) the Leverage Ratio of NIBD/EBITDA to not be higher than 6.5 times for the year ended December 2021, 6.0 times for the year ended December 31, 2022 and 5.5 times for the period ending on the maturity date of the Bond, January 6, 2024. The Solis Bond carries a 3 months EURIBOR plus 6.5% per annum interest rate, and has quarterly interest payments, with a bullet payment to be paid on January 6, 2024. The Solis Bond is senior secured through a first priority pledge on the shares of Solis and its subsidiaries, a parent guarantee from Alternus Energy Group Plc, and a first priority assignment over any intercompany loans.

In April 2023 the bondholders approved a temporary waiver and an amendment to the bond terms to allow for a change of control in Solis (which allows for the transfer of Solis and its subsidiaries underneath Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp. on Business Combination Closing). In addition, bondholders received a preference share in an Alternus holding company, AEG JD 02 Limited, which holds certain development projects in Spain and Italy. The shares will have preference on any distribution up to €10 million, and AEG JD 02 will divest assets to ensure repayment of the €10 million should the bonds not have been fully repaid at maturity (January 6, 2024). Finally, bondholders will receive a 1% amendment fee, which equates to €1.4 million.

On June 5, 2023 the bondholders approved an extension to the waiver to September 30, 2023 and the bond trustee was granted certain additional information rights and the right to appoint half of the members of the board of directors of Solis, in addition to the members of the board appointed by the Company. Under the waiver agreement, as extended, Solis must fully repay the Bonds by September 30, 2023. If Solis is unable to fully repay the Solis Bonds by September 30, 2023, Solis’ bondholders have the right to immediately transfer ownership of Solis and all of its subsidiaries to the bondholders and proceed to sell Solis’ assets to recoup the full amount owed to the bondholders, which as of September 30, 2023 is currently €150,000,000 (approximately $159,000,000). If the ownership of Solis and all of its subsidiaries were to be transferred to the Solis bondholders, the majority of the Company’s operating assets and related revenues and EBIDTA would be eliminated.

On October 16 2023, bondholders approved to further extend the temporary waiver to December 16, 2023. On December 18, 2023, a representative group of the bondholders approved an extension of the temporary waivers and the maturity date of the Solis Bonds until January 31, 2024, with the right to further extend to February 29, 2024 at the Solis Bond trustee’s discretion, which was subsequently approved by a majority of the bondholders on January 3, 2024. On March 12, 2024, the bondholders approved an additional extension to April 30, 2024. As such, the Solis bond debt is currently recorded as short-term debt.

On December 28, 2023, Solis sold 100% of the share capital in its Italian subsidiaries for approximately €15.8 million (approximately $17.5 million).

Subsequently, on January 18, 2024, Solis sold 100% of the share capital in its Polish subsidiaries for approximately 54.4 million (approximately $59.1 million), and on February 21, 2024 Solis sold 100% of the share capital of its Netherlands subsidiary for approximately 6.5 million (approximately $7 million). Additionally, on February 14, 2024, Solis exercised its call options to repay €59,100,000 million (approximately $68.5 million) of amounts outstanding under the bonds (See Footnote 26).


Financing Activities

On December 21, 2022, the Company’s wholly owned Irish subsidiaries, AEG JD 01 LTD and AEG MH 03 LTD entered in a financing facility with Deutsche Bank AG (“Lender”). This is a committed revolving debt financing of €80,000,000 to finance eligible project costs for the acquisition, construction, and operation of installation/ready to build solar PV plants across Europe, including the capacity for the financing to be upsized via a €420,000,000 uncommitted accordion facility to finance a pipeline of further projects across Europe (the “Warehouse Facility”). The Warehouse Facility, which matures on the third anniversary of the closing date of the Credit Agreement (the “Maturity Date”), bears interest at Euribor plus an aggregate margin at a market rate for such facilities, which steps down by 0.5% once the underlying non-Euro costs financed reduces below 33.33% of the overall costs financed. The Warehouse Facility is not currently drawn upon, but a total of approximately €1,800,000 in arrangement and commitment fees is currently owed to the Lender. Once drawn, the Warehouse Facility capitalizes interest payments until projects reach their commercial operations dates through to the Maturity Date; it also provides for mandatory prepayments in certain situations.

In May 2022, AEG MH02 entered into a loan agreement with a group of private lenders of approximately $10.8 million with an initial stated interest rate of 8% and a maturity date of May 31, 2023. In February 2023, the loan agreement was amended stating a new interest rate of 16% retroactive to the date of the first draw in June 2022. In May 2023, the loan was extended and the interest rate was revised to 18% from June 1, 2023. In July 2023, the loan agreement was further extended to October 31, 2023. In November 2023, the loan agreement was further extended to May 31, 2024. Due to these addendums, $2.4 million of interest was recognized in the period ended December 31, 2023. The Company had principal outstanding of $11.0 million and $10.7 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

In June 2022, Alt US 02, a subsidiary of Alternus Energy Americas, and indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into an agreement as part of the transaction with Lightwave Renewables, LLC to acquire rights to develop a solar park in Tennessee. The Company entered into a construction promissory note of $5.9 million with a variable interest rate of prime plus 2.5% and an original maturity date of June 29, 2023. On January 26, 2024 the loan was extended to June 29, 2024 due to logistical issues that caused construction delays. The Company had principal outstanding of $4.3 million and $2.8 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

On February 28, 2023, Alt US 03, a subsidiary of Alternus Energy Americas, and indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into an agreement as part of the transaction to acquire rights to develop a solar park in Tennessee. Alt US 03 entered into a construction promissory note of $920 thousand with a variable interest rate of prime plus 2.5% and due May 31, 2024. This note had a principal outstanding balance of $717 thousand as of December 31, 2023.

In July 2023, one of the Company’s US subsidiaries acquired a 32 MWp solar PV project in Tennessee for $2.4 million financed through a bank loan having a six-month term, 24% APY, and an extended maturity date of February 29, 2024. In March 2024, the loan was further extended to May 31, 2024 with the rate reduced to 1.5%. The project is expected to start operating in Q1 2025. 100% of offtake is already secured by 30-year power purchase agreements with two regional utilities. The Company had a principal outstanding balance of $7.0 million as of December 31, 2023.

In July 2023, Alt Spain Holdco, one of the Company’s Spanish subsidiaries acquired the project rights for a 32 MWp portfolio of Solar PV projects in Valencia, Spain, with an initial payment of $1.9 million, financed through a bank loan having a six-month term and accruing ’Six Month Euribor’ plus 2% margin, currently 5.9% interest. On January 24, 2024, the maturity date was extended to July 28, 2024. The portfolio consists of six projects totaling 24.4 MWp. This note had a principal outstanding balance of $3.3 million as of December 31, 2023.

In October 2023, Alternus Energy Americas, one of the Company’s US subsidiaries secured a working capital loan in the amount of $3.2 million with a 0% interest until a specified date and a maturity date of March 31, 2024. The Company had a principal outstanding balance of $3.2 million as of December 31, 2023.

In December 2023, Alt US 07, one of the Company’s US subsidiaries acquired the project rights to a 14 MWp solar PV project in Alabama for $1.1 million financed through a bank loan having a six-month term, 24% APY, and a maturity date of May 28, 2024. The project is expected to start operating in Q2 2025. 100% of offtake is already secured by 30-year power purchase agreements with two regional utilities. This note had a principal outstanding balance of $1.1 million as of December 31, 2023.

In December 2023, the Company assumed an existing loan balance of $1.6 million with a 0% interest rate until perpetuity as part of the Business Combination with Clean Earth. The Company had a principal outstanding balance of $1.6 million as of December 31, 2023.


Material Cash Requirements from Known Contractual Obligations

The Company’s contractual obligations consist of operating leases generally related to the rent of office building space, as well as land upon which the Company’s solar parks are built. These leases include those that have been assumed in connection with the Company’s asset acquisitions. The Company’s leases are for varying terms and expire between 2027 and 2055.

For the year ending December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company incurred operating lease expenses from continuing operations of $212 thousand and $162 thousand, respectively. The following table summarizes the Company’s future minimum contractual operating lease payments as of December 31, 2023.

Maturities of lease liabilities as of December 31, 2023 were as follows:

 (in thousands) 
Five-year lease schedule:   
2024 $231 
2025  237 
2026  242 
2027  248 
2028  216 
Thereafter  2,064 
Total lease payments  3,238 
Less imputed interest  (1,811)
Total $1,427 

The Company had no finance leases as of December 31, 2023.

In April 2022, the Company entered a new lease for additional office space in Fort Mill, South Carolina with a term of 7.5 years. The estimated annual cost of the lease is $147 thousand.

In October 2023, the Company entered a new lease for land in Madrid, Spain where solar parks are planned to be built. The lease term is 35 years with an estimated annual cost of $32 thousand.

In March 2022, the Company bought the Gardno and Gardno 2 parks in Poland, acquiring two operating leases to the land where the solar parks are located. The combined estimated annual cost of the leases is $69 thousand. The leases commenced in 2021 and run through 2046. These assets have been moved to discontinued operations as of December 31, 2023. Refer to Footnote 20 for more details.

In March 2022, the Company bought the Rakowic park in Poland, acquiring an operating lease for the land where the solar parks are located. The combined estimated annual cost of the leases is $7 thousand. The leases commenced in 2022 and run through 2046. These assets have been moved to discontinued operations as of December 31, 2023. Refer to Footnote 20 for more details.

Cash Flow Discussion

The Company uses traditional measures of cash flows, including net cash flows from operating activities, investing activities and financing activities to evaluate its periodic cash flow results.


For the Year Ended December 31, 2023 compared to December 31, 2022

The following table reflects the changes in cash flows for the comparative periods:

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022  Change ($) 
  (in thousands) 
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities  10,438   (8,645)  19,083 
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities – Discontinued Operations  2,774   1,255   1,519 
             
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities  (675)  (4,973)  (4,298)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities – Discontinued Operations  (83)  (12,429)  (12,346)
             
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities  8,997   5,006   3,991 
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities – Discontinued Operations  (5,067)  7,325   (12,392)
             
Effect of exchange rate on cash  433   (558)  991 

Net Cash Used in Operating Activities

Net cash provided by continuing operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to 2022 increased by $19.1 million. The net loss increased by $35.1 million in 2023, which was mainly due to an increase of interest expense, the recognition of the $11.1 million bond waiver for the Solis bond, the recognition of a $16.6 million valuation on the Forward Purchase Agreement, and $3.7 million of depreciation expense. This was partially offset by the $17 million of cash received from the sale of the Italian parks on December 28, 2023 and an increase of gross revenue received from Green Certificates revenue in Romania. All expenses contributing to the decrease in the net loss are non-cash items recognized on the Consolidated Statement of Operation and Comprehensive Loss.

Net cash provided by discontinued operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to 2022 increased by $1.5 million. The net loss increased by $15.9 million in 2023, which was mainly due to an increase in interest expense and recognition of an $11.7 million impairment on assets held for sale in Poland. This was partially offset by increased revenues for Rilland. The impairment expense was a non-cash item to analyze the impact of the sale of the Polish parks had the transaction occurred in 2023. This expense is recognized on the Consolidated Statement of Operation and Comprehensive Loss.

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities

Net cash used in continuing investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to 2022 decreased by $4.3 million. This was a result of the increase in costs for construction of parks in the U.S., the development and pursuit of potential projects in Italy and Spain, and the purchase of other miscellaneous assets relative to the operations of the Company. This was offset by the $17 million of cash received for the sale of the Italian parks sold on December 28, 2023.

Net cash used in discontinued investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to 2022 decreased by $12.3 million. This was a result in the decrease of acquisition costs in 2023 compared to the $12.3 million of acquisitions in Poland during 2022.

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities

Net cash provided by continuing financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to 2022 increased by $4.0 million mainly driven by intercompany transaction activity due to the business combination and $2.6 million of cash received net of transaction costs from the business combination.

Net cash provided by discontinued financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to 2022 decreased by $12.4 million due to no new acquisitions in 2023.


Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires managementthe Company to make estimates and assumptions in certain circumstances that affect amounts reported in its consolidated financial statements and related footnotes. In preparing these consolidated financial statements, the Company has made its best estimates of certain amounts included in the consolidated financial statements. Application of accounting policies and estimates, however, involves the exercise of judgment and use of assumptions as to future uncertainties and, as a result, actual results could differ from these estimates. In arriving at the Company’s critical accounting estimates, that can involve a significant level of estimation uncertaintyfactors the Company considers include how accurate the estimate or assumptions have been in the past, how much the estimate or assumptions have changed and have had or arehow reasonably likely tosuch change may have a material impact. The Company’s critical accounting policies are discussed below.

Business Combinations

The Company acquires assets which operate in nature with existing revenue streams and assets which are constructed for the purpose of being sold. The Company applies the screen test per ASC 805 to determine an asset acquisition versus business combination and accounts for business combinations by recognizing in the financial statements the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed, and any non-controlling interests in the acquiree at fair value at the acquisition date. The Company also recognizes and measures the goodwill acquired or a gain from a bargain purchase in the business combination and determine what information to disclose to enable users of an entity’s financial statements to evaluate the nature and financial effects of the business combination. In addition, acquisition costs related to business combinations are expensed as incurred. Cost directly attributed to an asset acquisition are capitalized to the asset per ASC 805 Business combinations is a critical accounting policy as there are significant judgments involved in the allocation of acquisition costs and determining the fair value of the net assets acquired. Refer to Footnote 6 to the accompanying financial statements for more information.

When the Company acquires renewable energy facilities, the Company allocates the purchase price to; (i) the acquired tangible assets and liabilities assumed, primarily consisting of plant equipment and long-term debt, (ii) the identified intangible assets and liabilities, primarily consisting of the value of favorable and unfavorable rate PPAs and REC agreements and the in-place value of market rate PPAs, (iii) non-controlling interests, and (iv) other working capital items based in each case on their fair values in accordance with ASC 805.

The Company performs the analysis of the acquisition using income approach valuation methodology. Factors considered by management in its analysis include considering current market conditions and costs to construct similar facilities. The Company also considers information obtained about each facility as a result of the Company’s pre-acquisition due diligence in estimating the fair value of the tangible and intangible assets and liabilities acquired or assumed. In estimating the fair value, the Company also establishes estimates of energy production, current in-place and market power purchase rates, tax credit arrangements and operating and maintenance costs. A change in any of the assumptions above, which are subjective, could have a significant impact on our financial condition orthe results of operations. We considered whether we made accounting estimates or assumptions where

When an acquired group of assets does not constitute a business, the naturetransaction is accounted for as an asset acquisition. The cost of assets acquired, and liabilities assumed in asset acquisitions is allocated based upon relative fair value. The fair value measurements of the solar facilities acquired, and asset retirement obligations assumed were derived utilizing an income approach and based, in part, on significant inputs not observable in the market. These inputs include, but are not limited to, estimates or assumptions is material dueof future power generation, commodity prices, operating costs, and appropriate discount rates. These inputs require significant judgments and estimates at the time of the valuation. Transaction costs, including legal and financing fees directly related to the levelsacquisition, incurred are capitalized as a component of subjectivitythe assets acquired.

The allocation of the purchase price directly affects the following items in the Company consolidated financial statements:

The amount of purchase price allocated to the various tangible and intangible assets, liabilities and non-controlling interests on the Company balance sheet;

The amounts allocated to current assets or current liabilities are allocated at the acquisition value. The amounts allocated to long term tangible assets and intangibles are amortized to depreciation or amortization expense, and

The period over which tangible and intangible assets and liabilities are depreciated or amortized varies, and thus, changes in the amounts allocated to these assets and liabilities will have a direct impact on Company results of operations.


Measurement of Level 3 Assets

Financial assets where values are based on valuation techniques that require inputs that are both unobservable and judgement necessaryare significant to accountthe overall fair value measurement are classified as Level 3 under the fair value hierarchy established in applicable accounting standards. The fair value of these Level 3 financial assets is determined using a third party pricing service using Monte Carlo simulations or similar techniques for highly uncertain matterswhich the determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation. The Level 3 gains and losses are valued quarterly and recorded in earnings.

Impairment of Renewable Energy Facilities

Renewable energy facilities that are held and used are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate carrying values may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognized if the total future estimated undiscounted cash flows expected from an asset are less than its carrying value. An impairment charge is measured as the difference between an asset’s carrying amount and its fair value. Fair values are determined by a variety of valuation methods, including appraisals, sales prices of similar assets and present value techniques.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Market Risk

The Company has no derivative financial instruments or derivative commodity instruments.

Foreign Currency Risk

The Company is exposed to foreign currency risk as a result of certain transactions and borrowings which are denominated in foreign currencies. The Company’s current asset portfolio generates revenue and incurs expenses in other currencies, including the Euro, the Romanian Lei, and the Polish Zloty.

In addition, the Company is exposed to currency risk associated with translating its functional currency financial statements into its reporting currency, which is the U.S. dollar. As a result, the Company is exposed to movements in the exchange rates of various currencies against the U.S. dollar.

The Company manages its exposure to currency risk by commercially transacting in the currencies in which the Company materially incurs operating expenses. The Company limits the extent to which it incurs operating expenses in other currencies, wherever possible, thereby minimizing the realized and unrealized foreign exchange gain/(loss). The currency of the Company’s borrowing is, in part, matched to the currencies expected to be generated from the Company’s operations. Intercompany funding is typically undertaken in the functional currency of the operating entities or undertaken to ensure offsetting currency exposures.


Interest Rate Risk

Fluctuations in interest rates can impact the value of investments and financing activities, giving rise to interest rate risk. The debt of the Company is comprised of different instruments, which bear interest at either fixed or floating interest rates. The ratio of fixed and floating rate instruments in the loan portfolio is monitored and managed. Refer to Footnote 15 – Green Bonds, Convertible and Non-convertible Promissory Notes for more information.

The Company believes that the interest rates on all borrowings compare favorably with those rates available in the market.

Emerging Growth Company Status

In April 2012, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the susceptibility of such matters to change, and the impactJOBS Act, was enacted. Section 107 of the estimates and assumptions on financial condition or operating performance is material. We have not identified any critical accounting estimates.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 2 to the financial statements that discloses recent accounting pronouncements.

JOBS Act

The JOBS Act contains provisionsprovides that among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We qualify as an “emerging growth company’ and undercompany,” or an EGC, can take advantage of the JOBSextended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act are allowed to complyof 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, for complying with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing tostandards. Thus, an EGC can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. The Company has elected to use the extended transition period for new or revised accounting standards onduring the relevant datesperiod in which we remain an EGC.

We expect to remain an EGC until the earliest to occur of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year in which we, as applicable, have more than $1.235 billion in annual revenue; (2) the date we qualify as a “large accelerated filer,” with at least $700 million of equity securities held by non-affiliates; (3) the date on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates. Additionally, we arehave issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the process of evaluatingprior three-year period; and (4) the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company,” we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404, (ii) provide alllast day of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies underfiscal year ending after the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis) and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the chief executive officer’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completionfifth anniversary of our initial public offering or untiloffering.

Additionally, we are no longera “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market value of our stock held by non-affiliates is greater than or equal to $250 million as of the end of that fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter, or (ii) our annual revenues are greater than or equal to $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and the market value of our stock held by non-affiliates is greater than or equal to $700 million as of the end of that fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter. If we are a smaller reporting company at the time we cease to be an “emergingemerging growth company, we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are available to smaller reporting companies. Specifically, as a smaller reporting company we may choose to present only the two most recent fiscal years of audited financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and, similar to emerging growth companies, smaller reporting companies have reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

A description of recently issued accounting pronouncements that may potentially impact our financial position and results of operations is disclosed in Note 2, “Significant Accounting Policies,whichever is earlier.to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Report.

Item 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISKQuantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

As

The Company is a smaller reporting company we areas defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and is not required to provide the information required byunder this Item.item.


Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

ALTERNUS CLEAN ENERGY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.

December 31, 2023 and 2022

Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 339)F-2
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (MAZARS, Dublin, Ireland, PCAOB ID 1484)F-3
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022F-4
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss) for the Years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022F-5
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity/(Deficit) for the Years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022F-6
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022F-7 - F-8
Notes to Consolidated Financial StatementsF-9 - F-42


Mazars USA LLP
135 West 50th Street
New York, New York 10020

Tel: 212.812.7000
www.mazars.us

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

This information appears following Item 15

To the Board of Directors and

Shareholders of Alternus Clean Energy, Inc

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Alternus Clean Energy, Inc (the Company) as of December 31, 2023, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, shareholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for the year then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the financial statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Explanatory Paragraph Regarding Going Concern

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has incurred operating losses since inception, has insufficient cash flows from its operating activities, has an accumulated deficit and its assets already are pledged to secure our indebtedness to various third party secured creditors. These conditions raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans regarding those matters also are described in Note 2. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this Annual Reportuncertainty.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

/s/ Mazars USA LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2024.

New York, NY

April 15, 2024

Mazars USA LLP is an independent member firm of Mazars Group.


Block 3 Harcourt Centre
Harcourt Road
Dublin 2
DO2 A339
Ireland
Tel: +353 1 449 4400
www.mazars.ie

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and

Shareholders of Alternus Clean Energy, Inc

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Alternus Clean Energy, Inc (the Company) as of December 31, 2022, and the related consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for the year then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the financial statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Explanatory Paragraph Regarding Going Concern

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has incurred operating losses since inception, has insufficient cash flows from its operating activities, has an accumulated deficit and its assets already are pledged to secure our indebtedness to various third party secured creditors. These conditions raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans regarding those matters also are described in Note 2. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ Mazars Ireland

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2022.

Dublin, Ireland

April 15, 2024


ALTERNUS CLEAN ENERGY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

  As of
December 31,
  As of
December 31,
 
  2023  2022 
ASSETS      
Current Assets      
Cash and cash equivalents $4,618  $705 
Accounts receivable, net  651   3,335 
Unbilled energy incentives earned  5,607   4,954 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets  3,344   1,482 
Taxes recoverable  631   1,388 
Restricted Cash  19,161   - 
Current discontinued assets held for sale  80,943   - 
Total Current Assets  114,955   11,864 
         
Property and equipment, net  61,302   68,953 
Right of use asset  1,330   1,004 
Restricted cash  -   6,598 
Other receivable  1,483   - 
Capitalized development cost and other long-term assets, net  6,216   2,146 
Non-current discontinued assets held for sale  -   87,750 
Total Assets $185,286  $178,315 
         
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER’’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)        
Current Liabilities        
Accounts payable $5,084  $1,138 
Accrued liabilities  24,410   3,471 
Taxes payable  14   616 
Deferred income  5,607   4,954 
Operating lease liability  175   75 
Green bonds  166,122   - 
Convertible and non-convertible promissory notes, net of debt issuance costs  31,420   - 
Current discontinued liabilities held for sale  14,259   - 
Total Current Liabilities  247,091   10,254 
         
Green bonds  -   149,481 
Convertible and non-convertible promissory notes, net of debt issuance costs  -   9,214 
Operating lease liability, net of current portion  1,252   960 
Asset retirement obligations  197   397 
Non-current discontinued liabilities held for sale  -   10,591 
Total Liabilities  248,540   180,897 
         
Shareholders’ Deficit        
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 authorized as of December 31, 2023. 0 issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023.  -   - 
Common Stock, $0.0001 par value, 150,000,000 authorized as of December 31, 2023; 71,905,363 issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and 57,500,000 issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022.  7   6 
Additional paid in capital  27,874   19,797 
Foreign Currency Translation Reserve  (2,924)  (3,638)
Accumulated deficit  (88,211)  (18,747)
Total Shareholders’ Deficit  (63,254)  (2,582)
Total Liabilities and Shareholder’ Deficit $185,286  $178,315 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements


ALTERNUS CLEAN ENERGY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

  Year Ended December 31 
  2023  2022 
       
Revenues $20,084  $17,089 
         
Operating Expenses        
Cost of revenues  (4,468)  (4,439)
Selling, general and administrative  (11,228)  (5,720)
Depreciation, amortization, and accretion  (3,657)  (3,677)
Development Costs  (798)  (11,372)
Loss on disposal of assets  (5,501)  (79)
Total operating expenses  (25,652)  (25,287)
         
Loss from operations  (5,568)  (8,198)
         
Other income/(expense):        
Interest expense  (18,562)  (10,256)
Fair value movement of FPA Asset  (16,642)  - 
Solis bond waiver fee  (11,232)  - 
Other expense  (1,642)  (684)
Other income  9   569 
Total other expenses  (48,069)  (10,371)
Loss before provision for income taxes  (53,637)  (18,569)
Income taxes  (15)  - 
Net loss from continuing operations  (53,652)  (18,569)
         
Discontinued operations:        
Income/(loss) from operations of discontinued business component  (3,885)  141 
Impairment loss recognized on the remeasurement to fair value less costs to sell  (11,766)  - 
Income tax  (161)  (21)
Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations  (15,812)  120 
Net loss $(69,464) $(18,449)
         
Net loss attributable to common stockholders, basic  (53,652)  (18,569)
Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic  (0.93)  (0.32)
Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, diluted  (0.93)  (0.32)
Weighted-average common stock outstanding, basic  57,862,598   57,500,000 
Weighted-average common stock outstanding, diluted  57,862,598   57,500,000 
         
Comprehensive loss:        
Net loss $(69,464) $(18,449)
Foreign currency translation adjustment  714   (991)
Comprehensive loss $(68,750) $(19,440)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements


ALTERNUS CLEAN ENERGY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)

(in thousands, except share amounts)

  Preferred Stock  Common Stock  Additional
Paid-In
  Foreign
Currency
Translation
  Accumulated  Total
Shareholders’
 
  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount  Capital  Reserve  Deficit  Equity 
Balance at January 1, 2022, as recast       -  $   -   -  $-  $29,220  $(2,647) $(298) $26,275 
Retroactive application of Merger  -   -   57,500,000   6   (6)  -   -   - 
Adjusted balance, beginning of period*  -  $-   57,500,000  $6  $29,214  $(2,647) $(298) $26,275 
Distribution to stockholder  -   -   -   -   (15,063)  -   -   (15,063)
Contribution from stockholder  -   -   -   -   5,646   -   -   5,646 
Foreign currency translation adjustment  -   -   -   -   -   (991)  -   (991)
Net Loss  -   -   -   -   -   -   (18,449)  (18,449)
Balance at December 31, 2022  -  $-   57,500,000  $6  $19,797  $(3,638) $(18,747) $(2,582)
Distribution to stockholder  -   -   -   -   (25,195)  -   -   (25,195)
Contribution from stockholder  -   -   -   -   15,295           15,295 
Merger, net of transaction costs  -   -   11,383,809   1   (2,341)  -   -   (2,340)
Fair Value of penny warrants    -   -   -   -   1,820   -   -   1,820 
Issuance of Alternus Clean Energy Inc. common stock to Meteora parties subject to FPA  -   -   2,796,554   -   16,493   -   -   16,493 
Conversion of promissory note payable to related party for common stock in connection with the Merger  -   -   225,000   -   2,005   -   -   2,005 
Foreign currency translation adjustment  -   -   -   -   -   714   -   714 
Net Loss  -   -   -   -   -   -   (69,464)  (69,464)
Balance at December 31, 2023  -  $-   71,905,363  $7  $27,874  $(2,924) $(88,211) $(63,254)

Note: as a result of the business combination as recast, the shares of the Company’s common stock prior to the Business Combination (refer to Note 4) have been retrospectively recast to reflect the change in the capital structure as a result of the Business Combination.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements


ALTERNUS CLEAN ENERGY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022 
Cash Flows from Operating Activities      
Net loss from continuing operations $(53,652) $(18,569)
Adjustments to reconcile net income/(loss) to net cash provided used in operations:        
Depreciation, amortization and accretion  3,657   3,677 
Amortization of debt discount  4,859   3,871 
Credit loss expense  8   - 
Gain (loss) on foreign currency exchange rates  (187)  288 
Fair value movement of FPA Asset  16,642   - 
Solis Bond waiver fee  11,232   - 
Loss on disposal of asset  3,889   - 
Non-cash operating lease assets  (299)  (1,049)
Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions:        
Accounts receivable and other short-term receivables  4,047   (2,752)
Prepaid expenses and other assets  (2,776)  2,496 
Accounts payable  3,673   (1,225)
Accrued liabilities  18,964   3,584 
Operating lease liabilities  381   1,034 
Net Cash provided by (used in) Operating Activities $10,438  $(8,645)
Net Cash provided by (used in) Operating Activities - Discontinued Operations  2,774   1,255 
         
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:        
Purchases of property and equipment  (4,737)  (1,154)
Sales of property and equipment  17,364   - 
Capitalized Cost  (5,857)  (655)
Construction in Process  (7,445)  (3,164)
Net Cash provided by (used in) Investing Activities $(675) $(4,973)
Net Cash provided by (used in) Investing Activities - Discontinued Operations  (83)  (12,429)
         
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:        
Proceeds from debt  15,468   23,961 
Payments of debt principal  (210)  - 
Debt Issuance Cost  292   (1,407)
Merger proceeds net of transaction costs  (500)  - 
Repayment of shareholder loans  -   (9,282)
Distributions to parent  (21,908)  (29,997)
Contributions from parent  15,855   21,731 
Net Cash provided by (used in) Financing Activities $8,997  $5,006 
Net Cash provided by (used in) Financing Activities - Discontinued Operations  (5,067)  7,325 
         
Effect of exchange rate on cash  433   (558)
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $16,817  $(13,019)
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash beginning of the year  7,747   20,766 
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash end of the year $24,564  $7,747 
         
Cash Reconciliation        
Cash and cash equivalents  5,403   1,149 
Restricted cash  19,161   6,598 
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash end of the year $24,564  $7,747 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements


ALTERNUS CLEAN ENERGY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED SUPPLEMENTAL STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOW

  Year Ended December 30, 
  2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Supplemental Cash Flow Disclosure   
Cash paid during the period for:      
Interest (net of capitalized interest of 397 and 87 respectively)  7,321   3,828 
Taxes  2,488   2,015 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements


ALTERNUS CLEAN ENERGY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.Organization and Formation

Alternus Clean Energy, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on May 14, 2021 and was originally known as Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp. (“Clean Earth”).

On October 12, 2022, Clean Earth entered into a Business Combination Agreement, as amended by that certain First Amendment to the Business Combination Agreement, dated as of April 12, 2023 (the “First BCA Amendment”) (as amended by the First BCA Amendment, the “Initial Business Combination Agreement”), and as amended and restated by that certain Amended and Restated Business Combination Agreement, dated as of December 22, 2023 (the “A&R BCA”) (the Initial Business Combination Agreement, as amended and restated by the A&R BCA, the “Business Combination Agreement”), by and among Clean Earth, Alternus Energy Group Plc (“AEG”) and the Sponsor. Following the approval of the Initial Business Combination Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby at the special meeting of the stockholders of Clean Earth held on December 4, 2023, the Company consummated the Business Combination on December 22, 2023. In accordance with the Business Combination Agreement, Clean Earth issued and transferred 57,500,000 shares of common stock of Clean Earth, par value $0.0001 per share, to AEG, and AEG transferred to Clean Earth, and Clean Earth received from AEG, all of the issued and outstanding equity interests in the Acquired Subsidiaries (as defined in the Business Combination Agreement) (the “Equity Exchange,” and together with the other transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement, the “Business Combination”). In connection with the Closing, the Company changed its name from Clean Earth Acquisition Corp. to Alternus Clean Energy, Inc.

Clean Earth’s only precombination assets were cash and investments and the SPAC did not meet the definition of a business in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Therefore, the substance of the transaction was a recapitalization of the target (AEG) rather than a business combination or an asset acquisition. In such a situation, the transaction is accounted for as though the target issued its equity for the net assets of the SPAC and, since a business combination has not occurred, no goodwill or intangible assets would be recorded. As such, AEG is considered the accounting acquirer and these consolidated financial statements represent a continuation of AEG’s financial statements. Assets and liabilities of AEG are presented at their historical carrying values.


Alternus Clean Energy Inc. is a holding company that operates through the following forty-seven operating subsidiaries as of December 31, 2023:

SubsidiaryPrincipal
Activity
Date Acquired /
Established
ALTN OwnershipCountry of
Operations
Power Clouds S.r.l.SPV31 March 2015Solis Bond Company DACRomania
F.R.A.N. Energy Investment S.r.l.SPV31 March 2015Solis Bond Company DACRomania
PC-Italia-01 S.r.l.Sub-Holding SPV15 May 2015AEG MH 02 LimitedItaly
Zonnepark Rilland B.V.SPV20 December 2019Solis Bond Company DACNetherlands
PC-Italia-03 S.r.l.SPV1 July 2020AEG MH 02 LimitedItaly
PC-Italia-04 S.r.l.SPV15 July 2020AEG MH 02 LimitedItaly
Solis Bond Company DACHolding Company16 October 2020AEG JD 03 LimitedIreland
ALT US 03, LLC
(Walking Horse Solar, LLC)
LLCAcquired 15 December 2020
(Est. 30 March 2023)
ALT US 03 LLCUSA
Alternus Energy Americas Inc.Holding Company10 May 2021Alternus Energy Group PlUSA
LJG Green Source Energy Beta S.r.lSPV29 July 2021Solis Bond Company DACRomania
Ecosfer Energy S.r.l.SPV30 July 2021Solis Bond Company DACRomania
Lucas EST S.r.l.SPV30 July 2021Solis Bond Company DACRomania
Risorse Solari I S.r.l.SPV28 September 2019AEG MH 02 LimitedItaly
Risorse Solari III S.r.l.SPV3 August 2021AEG MH 02 LimitedItaly
Alternus Iberia S.L.SPV4 August 2021AEG MH 02 LimitedSpain
Solarpark Samas Sp. z o.o.SPV31 August 2021Solis Bond Company DACPoland
AED Italia-01 S.r.l.SPV22 October 2021AEG MH 02 LimitedItaly
AED Italia-02 S.r.l.SPV22 October 2021AEG MH 02 LimitedItaly
AED Italia-03 S.r.l.SPV22 October 2021AEG MH 02 LimitedItaly
AED Italia-04 S.r.l.SPV22 October 2021AEG MH 02 LimitedItaly
AED Italia-05 S.r.l.SPV22 October 2021AEG MH 02 LimitedItaly
ALT US 01 LLCSPV6 December 2021Alternus Energy Americas Inc.USA
Elektrownia PV Komorowo Sp. z o.o.SPV22 December 2021Solis Bond Company DACPoland
PV Zachod Sp. z o.o.SPV22 December 2021Solis Bond Company DACPoland
AEG MH 01 LimitedHolding Company8 March 2022Alternus Lux 01 S.a.r.l.Ireland
AEG MH 02 LimitedHolding Company8 March 2022AEG JD 03 LimitedIreland
ALT US 02 LLCHolding Company8 March 2022Alternus Energy Americas Inc.USA
AEG JD 01 LimitedHolding Company16 March 2022AEG MH 03 LimitedIreland
AEG JD 03 LimitedHolding Company21 March 2022Alternus Lux 01 S.a.r.l.Ireland
RA01 Sp. z o.o.SPV24 March 2022Solis Bond Company DACPoland
Gardno Sp. z o.o.SPV24 March 2022Solis Bond Company DACPoland
Gardno2 Sp. z o.o.SPV24 March 2022Solis Bond Company DACPoland
ALT US 03 LLCSPV4 May 2022Alternus Energy Americas Inc.USA
Alt Spain 03, S.L.U.SPV31 May 2022Alt Spain Holdco S.L.Spain
AEG MH 03 LimitedHolding Company10 June 2022AEG MH 01 LimitedIreland
Lightwave Renewables, LLCSPVAcquired 29 June 2022
(Est. 17 December 2020)
ALT US 02 LLCUSA
Alt Spain Holdco, S.L.U. (NF Projects S.L)Holding CompanyAcquired 14 July 2022
(Est. 31 July 2023)
AEG MH 02 LimitedSpain
AED Italia-06 S.r.l.SPV2 August 2022AEG MH 02 LimitedItaly
AED Italia-07 S.r.l.SPV2 August 2022AEG MH 02 LimitedItaly
AED Italia-08 S.r.l.SPV5 August 2022AEG MH 02 LimitedItaly
ALT US 04 LLC
(Dancing Horse, LLC)
Holding Company14 September 2022
(Est. 31 July 2023)
Alternus Energy Americas Inc.USA
Alternus LUX 01 S.a.r.l.Holding Company5 October 2022Alternus Energy Group PlcLuxembourg
Alt Spain 04, S.L.U.SPVMay 2022Alt Spain Holdco, S.L.U.Spain
Alt Alliance LLCHolding CompanySeptember 2023Alternus Energy Amercias Inc.USA
ALT US 05 LLCHolding CompanySeptember 2023Alternus Energy Americas Inc.USA
ALT US 06 LLCHolding CompanyOctober 2023Alternus Energy Americas Inc.USA

ALT US 07 LLC
(River Song Solar LLC)

Holding CompanyNovember 2023
(Est. December 2022)
Alternus Energy Americas Inc.USA


2.Going Concern and Management’s Plans

Our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023, identifies the existence of certain conditions that raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for twelve months from the issuance of this report:

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. As shown in the accompanying consolidated financial statements during the period ended December 31, 2023, the Company had net loss from continuing operations of ($53.7) million and a net loss of ($18.6) million for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. The Company had total shareholders’ equity/(deficit) of ($63.3) million as of December 31, 2023 and ($2.6) million at December 31, 2022. The Company had $4.6 million of unrestricted cash on hand as of December 31, 2023.

Our operating revenues are insufficient to fund our operations and our assets already are pledged to secure our indebtedness to various third party secured creditors, respectively. The unavailability of additional financing could require us to delay, scale back or terminate our acquisition efforts as well as our own business activities, which would have a material adverse effect on the Company and its viability and prospects.

The terms of our indebtedness, including the covenants and the dates on which principal and interest payments on our indebtedness are due, increases the risk that we will be unable to continue as a going concern. To continue as a going concern over the next twelve months, we must make payments on our debt as they come due and comply with the covenants in the agreements governing our indebtedness or, if we fail to do so, to (i) negotiate and obtain waivers of or forbearances with respect to any defaults that occur with respect to our indebtedness, (ii) amend, replace, refinance or restructure any or all of the agreements governing our indebtedness, and/or (iii) otherwise secure additional capital. However, we cannot provide any assurances that we will be successful in accomplishing any of these plans.

As of December 31, 2022, Solis was in breach of the three financial covenants under Solis’ Bond terms: (i) the minimum Liquidity Covenant that requires the higher of €5.5 million or 5% of the outstanding Nominal Amount, (ii) the minimum Equity Ratio covenant of 25%, and (iii) the Leverage Ratio of NIBD/EBITDA to not be higher than 6.5 times for the year ended December 2021, 6.0 times for the year ended December 31, 2022 and 5.5 times for the period ending on the maturity date of the Bond, January 6, 2024. The Solis Bond carries a 3 months EURIBOR plus 6.5% per annum interest rate, and has quarterly interest payments, with a bullet payment to be paid on January 6, 2024. The Solis Bond is senior secured through a first priority pledge on the shares of Solis and its subsidiaries, a parent guarantee from Alternus Energy Group Plc, and a first priority assignment over any intercompany loans.

In April 2023 the bondholders approved a temporary waiver and an amendment to the bond terms to allow for a change of control in Solis (which allows for the transfer of Solis and its subsidiaries underneath Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp. on Business Combination Closing). In addition, bondholders received a preference share in an Alternus holding company, AEG JD 02 Limited, which holds certain development projects in Spain and Italy. The shares will have preference on any distribution up to €10 million, and AEG JD 02 will divest assets to ensure repayment of the €10 million should the bonds not have been fully repaid at maturity (January 6, 2024). Finally, bondholders will receive a 1% amendment fee, which equates to €1.4 million.


On June 5, 2023 the bondholders approved an extension to the waiver to September 30, 2023 and the bond trustee was granted certain additional information rights and the right to appoint half of the members of the board of directors of Solis, in addition to the members of the board appointed by the Company. Under the waiver agreement, as extended, Solis must fully repay the Bonds by September 30, 2023. If Solis is unable to fully repay the Solis Bonds by September 30, 2023, Solis’ bondholders have the right to immediately transfer ownership of Solis and all of its subsidiaries to the bondholders and proceed to sell Solis’ assets to recoup the full amount owed to the bondholders, which as of September 30, 2023 is currently €150,000,000 (approximately $159,000,000). If the ownership of Solis and all of its subsidiaries were to be transferred to the Solis bondholders, the majority of the Company’s operating assets and related revenues and EBIDTA would be eliminated.

On October 16 2023, bondholders approved to further extend the temporary waiver to December 16, 2023. On December 18, 2023, a representative group of the bondholders approved an extension of the temporary waivers and the maturity date of the Solis Bonds until January 31, 2024, with the right to further extend to February 29, 2024 at the Solis Bond trustee’s discretion, which was subsequently approved by a majority of the bondholders on January 3, 2024. On March 12, 2024, the bondholders approved an additional extension to April 30, 2024. As such, the Solis bond debt is currently recorded as short-term debt.

On December 28, 2023, Solis sold 100% of the share capital in its Italian subsidiaries for approximately €15.8 million (approximately $17.5 million).

Subsequently, on January 18, 2024, Solis sold 100% of the share capital in its Polish subsidiaries for approximately 54.4 million (approximately $59.1 million), and on February 21, 2024 Solis sold 100% of the share capital of its Netherlands subsidiary for approximately 6.5 million (approximately $7 million). Additionally, on February 14, 2024, Solis exercised its call options to repay €59,100,000 million (approximately $68.5 million) of amounts outstanding under the bonds (See Footnote 26).

The Company is currently working on several processes to address the going concern issue. In January of 2024, ALCE filed an S1 with the SEC in order to raise additional funds in the first half of 2024. We are working with multiple global banks and funds to secure the necessary project financing to execute on our transatlantic business plan.

3.Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The Company prepares its consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”).

Basis of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The results of subsidiaries acquired or disposed of during the respective periods are included in the consolidated financial statements from the effective date of acquisition or up to the effective date of disposal, as appropriate.

Related Party Transactions

A Related Party transaction is any transaction, arrangement or relationship, or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships, in which (i) the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or will be a participant, and (ii) any Related Party has or will have a direct or indirect interest. A Related Party is any person who is or was (since the beginning of the last fiscal year even if such person does not presently serve in that role) an executive officer or director of the Company, any shareholder owning more than 5% of any class of the Company’s voting securities, or an immediate family member of any such person. Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognized when the Company becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. Refer to Footnote 25 for more details.


Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses for the periods presented. Significant items subject to such estimates include, but are not limited to, the assumptions utilized in the valuation of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, determination of a business combination or asset acquisition, impairment of long-lived assets, measurement of level 3 fair value assets, and recovery of capitalized cost. Management evaluates its estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis using historical experience and other factors, including the current economic environment, and makes adjustment when facts and circumstance dictate. These estimates are based on information available as of the date of financial statements; therefore, actual results could differ from these estimates.

Segments

The Company has two operating segments, U.S. Operations and European Operations, and the decision-making group is the CEO and CFO of the Company (as a group). The CODM regularly review the Reporting Packs that contain financial and operational results aggregated by geography as well as consolidated income statement, balance sheet, and equity of the overall company.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers cash and highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash and cash equivalents. The Company maintains cash and cash equivalents with major financial institutions, the largest concentration in JP Morgan in the U.S, Ireland, and Italy, Unicredit in Romania, and with ING in Poland and the Netherlands. The Company may at times exceed federally insured limits or statutorily insured limits in a foreign jurisdiction. The Company periodically assesses the financial condition and due to the size and stability of the institutions believes the risk of loss to be remote.

Restricted Cash

Restricted cash relates to balances that are in the bank accounts for specific defined purposes and cannot be used for any other undefined purposes. Restricted cash is primarily restricted stemming from requirements under the Green Bond terms. The balance has a debt service reserve account, per the requirements from the Bond Trustee, that issues quarterly coupons to the Bond holders.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable are uncollateralized customer obligations due under normal trade terms requiring payment within that period. Accounts receivables are presented net of allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company establishes an allowance for doubtful customer accounts, through a review of historical losses, customer balances, and industry economic conditions. Under the expected loss model, a loss (or allowance) is recognized upon initial recognition of the asset that reflects all future events that may lead to a loss being realized, regardless of whether it is probable that the future event will occur. The Company extends credit based on an evaluation of customers’ financial condition and determines any additional collateral requirements. Exposure to losses on receivables is principally dependent on each customer’s financial condition. The Company considers invoices past due when they are outstanding longer than the stated term. Under the expected loss model, a loss (or allowance) is recognized upon initial recognition of the asset that reflects all future events that may lead to a loss being realized, regardless of whether it is probable that the future event will occur. Management considers the carrying value of accounts receivable to be fully collectible. If amounts become uncollectible, they are charged to operations in the period in which that determination is made.

The allowance for credit losses was $7 thousand an $0 as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 respectively.


Concentration of Credit Risk

At times, the Company maintains cash balances in financial institutions which may exceed federally insured limits. The Company maintains cash balances in all countries in which it operates and in Ireland where the Company is headquartered. Government coverage for the Company’s cash balances are as follows:

European Union - $105,841 (€100,000) per account is covered for operations in Romania, Poland, Italy, the Netherlands, and the Company’s headquarters in Ireland.

United States - $250,000

The Company has four cash accounts across the European countries and a net of $18.8 million above government insurance amounts. The Company has six cash accounts across the United States and a net of $2.5 million above the government insurance amounts. The Company has not experienced any losses relating to such accounts and believes it is not exposed to significant credit risk on its cash and cash equivalents or restricted cash.

Additionally, one customer represented 35% of continuing operational revenues during the year ended December 31, 2023 and three customers represented 61% of the Company’s continuing operational accounts receivable for the year ended December 31, 2023. These concentrations represent a risk to revenues and cash flows should these customers face financial difficulties.

Economic Concentrations

The Company and its subsidiaries own and operate solar generating facilities installed on buildings and land located across Europe and the US. Future operations could be affected by changes in the economy, other conditions in those geographic areas or by changes in the demand for renewable energy.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation, amortization and impairment. The cost of an asset comprises its purchase price and any directly attributable costs of bringing the asset to its present working condition and location for its intended use. Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives. The useful lives per asset class are as follows:

Solar Energy Facilities carry a useful life of the lesser of 35 years from the original placed in-service date or the lease term of the land on which they are built.

Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the lease term or their estimated useful file.

Furniture and fixtures carry a useful life of 3 years.

Software and computer equipment carry a useful life of 3 and 5 years respectively.

Expenditures for major renewals and betterments which substantially extend the useful life of assets are capitalized. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs, which do not materially extend the useful lives of assets, are charged to expense as incurred. Upon retirement, sale or other disposition of equipment, the cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the respective accounts and a gain or loss, if any, is recognized in income/(loss) from operations in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss during the year of disposal. When the Company abandons the anticipated construction of a new solar energy facility during the development phase, costs previously capitalized to development in progress are written off at the parent company.


Capitalized Development Cost

Capitalized development cost relates to various projects that are under development for the period. As management determines to proceed with the development of a new solar park, or purchase an existing construction project of a solar park, cost toward the final value of that project are recorded in Capitalized Development Cost on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Cost can include, but are not limited to, financial, technical and legal due diligence costs.

As the Company closes either the purchase or development of new solar parks and begins construction in process and then are added to the final asset displayed in Property, and Equipment. If the Company does not close on the prospective project, these costs are written off to Development Cost on the Consolidated Statement Operations and Comprehensive Loss.

Impairment of Solar Energy Facilities

The Company reviews its investments in property and equipment for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. Impairment is evaluated at the asset group level, which is determined based upon the lowest level of separately identifiable cash flows. When evaluating for impairment, if the estimated undiscounted cash flows from the use of the asset group are less than the asset group’s carrying amount, then the asset group is deemed to be impaired and is included hereinwritten down to its fair value. Fair value is determined by reference.net realizable value of the assets using ASC 820. The amount of the impairment loss is equal to the excess of the asset group’s carrying value over its estimated fair value.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recorded an impairment loss of $11.8 million in the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss related to the Polish assets held for sale to reduce the carrying amount of the assets in the disposal group to their fair value less costs to sell. This was recognized in discontinued operations on the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss.

Deferred Financing Costs and Debt Discount Amortization

The Company incurs expenses related to debt arrangements. These deferred financing costs and debt discount costs are capitalized and amortized over the term of the related debt or revolving credit facilities and netted against the related debt.

Asset Retirement Obligations

In connection with the acquisition or development of solar energy facilities, the Company may have the legal requirement to remove long-lived assets constructed on leased property and to restore the leased property to its condition prior to the construction of the long-lived assets. This legal requirement is referred to as an asset retirement obligation (ARO). If the Company determines that an ARO is required for a specific solar energy facility, the Company records the present value of the estimated future liability when the solar energy facility is placed in service as an ARO liability. The discount rate used to estimate the present value of the expected future cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was 7.3% and 7.1% respectively. The Company accretes the ARO liability to its future value over the solar energy facility’s useful life and records the related interest expense to amortization expense on the consolidated statement of operations. Solar facilities that require AROs are recorded as part of the carrying value of property and depreciated over the solar energy facility’s useful life.

Leases

In February 2016, the FASB established Topic 842, Leases, by issuing Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-02, which requires lessees to recognize leases on-balance sheet and disclose key information about leasing arrangements. Topic 842 was subsequently amended by ASU No. 2018-01, Land Easement Practical Expedient for Transition to Topic 842; ASU No. 2018-10, Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases; and ASU No. 2018-11, Targeted Improvements. The new standard establishes a right-of-use model (ROU) that requires a lessee to recognize a ROU asset and lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with a term longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern and classification of expense recognition in the income statement. A modified retrospective transition approach is required, applying the new standard to all leases existing at the date of initial application. The Company adopted the new standard on January 1, 2022 and used the effective date as our date of initial application. Consequently, financial information will not be updated and the disclosures required under the new standard will not be provided for dates and periods before January 1, 2022. The new standard provides a number of optional practical expedients in transition. We elected the ‘package of practical expedients’, which permits us not to reassess under the new standard our prior conclusions about lease identification, lease classification and initial direct costs. Upon adoption the company recognized $8.8 million of Right of Use Assets and $8.7 million of associated liabilities.


48

Lease assets and liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the future lease payments over the lease term at the lease commencement date and are presented on the consolidated statements of financial condition. The Company estimates its incremental borrowing rate based on information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of future payments. For additional information, see Footnote 16 - Leases.

Operating lease expense attributable to site leases is reported within cost of revenues in the Company’s Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss; whereas lease expense attributable to all other operating leases is reported within selling, general, and administrative expense in the Company’s Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss.

Revenue Recognition

The Company follows the guidance of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”). The core principle underlying revenue recognition under ASC 606 is that revenue should be recognized as goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled. ASC 606 defines a five-step process to achieve this core principle. ASC 606 also mandates additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenues and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments, and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract.

The Company derives revenues through its subsidiaries from the sale of electricity and the sale of solar renewable energy credits (RECs) in Romania and guarantees of origin certificates (GoOs) in Poland. The Company receives Green Certificates based on the amount of energy produced in Romania. Energy generation revenue and solar renewable energy credits revenue are recognized as electricity generated by the Company’s solar energy facilities is delivered to the grid, at which time all performance obligations have been delivered. Revenues are based on actual output and contractual sale prices set forth its customer contracts.

The Company’s current portfolio of renewable energy facilities is generally contracted under long-term Country Renewable Programs (FIT programs) in Italy or Energy Offtake Agreements (PPAs/VPPAs) with creditworthy counterparties in Poland, Romania and the United States. Pricing of the electricity sold under these FITs and PPAs is generally fixed for the duration of the contract, although some of its PPAs have price escalators based on an index (such as the consumer price index) or other rates specified in the applicable PPA.

One solar park in the Netherlands receives pre-payments calculated at the beginning of the year and based on the previous years’ production (MWhs produced) multiplied by a calculated average price per MWh for the year and divided by twelve. The Company books revenue monthly by multiplying actual production per the Company’s meters by the average price provided by the Offtaker at the beginning of the year to estimate revenue for the month. There is a true-up performed in June of the following year using actual power produced for the previous year multiplied by the average EPEX price (average actual market price per KWh for the year) less the prepayment for the year. If the true-up calculation is positive, The Offtaker settles with a payment to the Company. If the true-up is negative, the Company settles with a payment to Offtaker.


Table

Disaggregated Revenues 

The following table shows the Company’s revenues disaggregated by country and contract type:

  Year Ended December 31, 
Revenue by Country 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Italy $3,360  $3,354 
Romania  16,608   13,710 
United States  116   25 
Total for continuing operations $20,084  $17,089 
         
Discontinued Operations:        
Netherlands $2,840  $1,596 
Poland  7,593   10,709 
Total for discontinued operations $10,433  $12,305 
Total for the period $30,517  $29,394 

  Year Ended December 31, 
Revenue by Offtake Type 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Country Renewable Programs $2,972  $2,885 
Green Certificates  10,548   9,409 
Energy Offtake Agreements  6,560   4,795 
Other Revenue  4   - 
Total for continuing operations $20,084  $17,089 
         
Discontinued Operations:        
Country Renewable Programs $5,499  $6,994 
Guarantees of Origin  129   44 
Energy Offtake Agreements  4,805   5,267 
Total for discontinued operations $10,433  $12,305 
Total for the period $30,517  $29,394 

One customer represented 35% of Contentscontinuing operational revenues during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to two customers that represented 29% for the year ended December 31, 2022. The revenues from these customers accounted for $11.4 million and $9.7 million of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 respectively.

Two customers represented 34% of the discontinued operational revenues during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to two customers that represented 42% for the year ended December 31, 2022. The revenues from these customers accounted for $11.2 million and $14.2 million of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 respectively.

Three customers represented 61% of the Company’s continuing operational accounts receivable for the year ended December 31, 2023. One customer represented 23% of the Company’s discontinued operational accounts receivable for the year ended December 31, 2023. The company did not have any customers who represented more than 10% of accounts receivable for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Unbilled Energy Incentives Earned

The Company derives revenues from the sale of green certificates for the Romania projects. The green certificates revenues are recognized in the month they are generated by the solar project and registered with the local authority. The Company considers them unbilled at the end of the period if they have not been invoiced to a third-party customer.


Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue primarily consists of operations and maintenance expense, insurance premiums, property taxes and other miscellaneous costs associated with the operations of solar energy facilities. Costs are charged to expense as incurred.

Taxes Recoverable and Payable

The Company records taxes recoverable when there has been an overpayment of taxes due to timing of the Value Added Tax (VAT) between vendors and customers. The VAT tax can also be offset against a Country’s income taxes where the VAT was registered.

Development Cost

Development costs are incurred when the Company abandons the development or acquisition of renewable energy projects. The Company depends heavily on government policies that support our business and enhance the economic feasibility of developing and operating solar energy projects in regions in which we operate or plan to develop and operate renewable energy facilities. The Company can decide to abandon a project if it becomes uneconomic due to various factors, for example, a change in market conditions leading to higher costs of construction, lower energy rates, or other factors that change the expected returns on the project. In addition, political factors or otherwise where governments from time to time may review their laws and policies that support renewable energy and consider actions that would make the laws and policies less conducive to the development and operation of renewable energy facilities. Any reductions or modifications to, or the elimination of, governmental incentives or policies that support renewable energy or the imposition of additional taxes or other assessments on renewable energy, could result in, among other items, the lack of a satisfactory market for the development and/or financing of new renewable energy projects, our abandoning the development of renewable energy projects, a loss of our investments in the projects and reduced project returns, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. At the time The Company decides to abandon a project, Development Cost are recognized on the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Other Comprehensive Income/(Loss)

Risks and Uncertainties

The Company’s operations are subject to significant risks and uncertainties including financial, operational, technological, and regulatory risks and the potential risk of business failure. See Note 2 regarding going concern matters.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company measures its financial instruments at fair value. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

U.S. GAAP establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three (3) broad levels. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs. The three (3) levels of fair value hierarchy are described below:

Level 1 – Quoted market prices available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date.

Level 2 – Pricing inputs other than quoted prices in active markets included in Level 1 that are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date. Inputs are observable, unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, unadjusted quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the related assets or liabilities.

Level 3 – Pricing inputs that are unobservable. Financial assets are considered Level 3 when their fair values are determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies or similar techniques, and at least one significant model assumption or input is unobservable.

The Company holds various financial instruments that are not required to be measured at fair value. For cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, various debt instruments, prepayments and other current assets, accounts payable, accrued liabilities and other current liabilities, the carrying value approximated their fair values due to the short-term maturity of these instruments. The Company’s forward purchase agreement asset is considered a Level 3 financial instrument at fair value and is described below (see Note 5).


Business Combinations and Acquisition of Assets

The Company applies the definition of a business in ASC 805, Business Combinations, to determine whether it is acquiring a business or a group of assets. When the Company acquires a business, the purchase price is allocated to; (i) the acquired tangible assets and liabilities assumed, primarily consisting of solar energy facilities and land, (ii) the identified intangible assets and liabilities, primarily consisting of favorable and unfavorable rate Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and Renewable Energy Credit (REC) agreements, (iii) asset retirement obligations, (iv) non-controlling interest, and (v) other working capital items based in each case on their estimated fair values. The excess of the purchase price, if any, over the estimated fair value of net assets acquired is recorded as goodwill. The fair value measurements of the assets acquired, and liabilities assumed were derived utilizing an income approach and based, in part, on significant inputs not observable in the market. These inputs include, but are not limited to, estimates of future power generation, commodity prices, operating costs, and appropriate discount rates. These inputs required significant judgments and estimates at the time of the valuation. In addition, acquisition costs related to business combinations are expensed as incurred.

When an acquired group of assets does not constitute a business, the transaction is accounted for as an asset acquisition. The cost of assets acquired, and liabilities assumed in asset acquisitions is allocated based upon relative fair value. The fair value measurements of the solar facilities acquired, and asset retirement obligations assumed were derived utilizing an income approach and based, in part, on significant inputs not observable in the market. These inputs include, but are not limited to, estimates of future power generation, commodity prices, operating costs, and appropriate discount rates. These inputs require significant judgments and estimates at the time of the valuation. Transaction costs, including legal and financing fees directly related to the acquisition, incurred are capitalized as a component of the assets acquired.

The allocation of the purchase price directly affects the following items in the Company’s consolidated financial statements:

The amount of purchase price allocated to the various tangible and intangible assets and liabilities on the Company Balance Sheet,

The amounts allocated to all other tangible assets and intangibles are amortized to depreciation or amortization expense, with the exception of favorable and unfavorable rate land leases and unfavorable rate Operation and Maintenance (O&M) contracts which are amortized to cost of revenue; and

The period of time over which tangible and intangible assets and liabilities are depreciated or amortized varies, and thus, changes in the amounts allocated to these assets and liabilities will have a direct impact on the Company’s results of operations.

Income Taxes

Deferred taxes are determined using the asset and liability method; whereby, deferred tax assets are recognized for deductible temporary differences, operating loss and tax credit carry forwards, and deferred tax liabilities are recognized for taxable temporary differences. Temporary differences are the differences between the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and their tax basis. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates on the date of enactment.


The Company evaluated the provisions of ASC 740 related to the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in the financial statements. ASC 740 prescribes a comprehensive model for how a company should recognize, present, and disclose uncertain positions that the company has taken or expects to take in its return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. Differences between the positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return and the benefit recognized and measured pursuant to the interpretation are referred to as “unrecognized benefits”. A liability is recognized for an unrecognized tax benefit because it represents an enterprise’s potential future obligation to the taxing-authority for a tax position that was not recognized as a result of applying the provisions of ASC 740.

As a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, the Company analyzed if a liability needed to be recorded for the deemed repatriation of undistributed earnings. It was determined that there is no outstanding liability associated with this based on overall negative undistributed earnings (accumulated deficit) in the consolidated foreign group. An additional provision of the TCJA is the implementation of the Global Intangible-Low Taxed Income Tax, or “GILTI.” The Company has elected to account for the impact of GILTI in the period in which the tax actually applies to the Company.

Penalties and interest assessed by income tax authorities would be included in income tax expense. For the period ended December 31, 2023, the Company did not incur any penalties or interest.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718. Stock-based compensation expense for equity instruments issued to employees and non-employees is measured based on the grant-date fair value of the awards. The fair value of each stock unit is determined based on the valuation of the Company’s stock on the date of grant. The fair value of each stock option is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes-Merton stock option pricing valuation model. The Company uses the simplified method for calculating the expected term of their options. The Company recognizes compensation costs using the straight-line method for equity compensation awards over the requisite service period of the awards, which is generally the awards’ vesting period. The Company accounts for forfeitures of awards in the period they occur.

Use of the Black-Scholes-Merton option-pricing model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions, including (1) the expected terms of the option, (2) the expected volatility of the price of the Company’s common stock, and (3) the expected dividend yield of our common stock. The assumptions used in the option-pricing model represent management’s best estimates. These estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgments. If factors change and different assumptions are used, the Company’s stock-based compensation expense could be materially different in the future. Additional inputs to the Black-Scholes-Merton option-pricing model include the risk-free interest rate and the fair value of the Company’s common stock. The Company determines the risk-free interest rate by using the U.S. Treasury Rates of the same period as the expected term of the stock-option.

Net Loss Per Share

Net loss per share is computed pursuant to ASC 260, Earnings per Share. Basic net loss per share attributable to common shareholders is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common stock outstanding for the period. Diluted net loss per share attributable to common shareholders is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common stock outstanding for the period plus the number of common stock that would have been outstanding if all potentially dilutive common stock had been issued, using the treasury stock method or if-converted method, as applicable. Potentially dilutive shares related to stock options, warrants, and convertible notes were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share due to their anti-dilutive effect due to losses in each period. The following table sets forth the outstanding potentially dilutive securities that have been excluded in the calculation of diluted net loss per share because their inclusion would be anti-dilutive:

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Warrants  12,345   11,945 
Total  12,345   11,945 


Foreign Currency Transactions and Other Comprehensive Loss

Foreign currency transactions are those transactions whose terms are denominated in a currency other than the currency of the primary economic environment in which the Company operates, which is referred to as the functional currency. The functional currency of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries is typically the applicable local currency which is Romanian Lei (RON), Polish Zloty (PLN) or European Union Euros (EUR). Transactions denominated in foreign currencies are remeasured to the functional currency using the exchange rate prevailing at the balance sheet date for balance sheet accounts and using an average exchange rate during the period, which approximates the daily exchange rate, for income statement accounts. Foreign currency gains or losses resulting from such remeasurement are included in the Consolidated Statement of Operations in the period in which they arise.

Transaction gains and losses are recognized in the Company’s Results of Operations based on the difference between the foreign exchange rates on the transaction date and on the reporting date. The Company had an immaterial net foreign exchange loss for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

The translation from functional foreign currency to United States Dollars (U.S. Dollar) is performed for balance sheet accounts using current exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date and using an average exchange rate during the period, which approximates the daily exchange rate, for income statement accounts. The effects of translating financial statements from functional currency to reporting currency are recorded in other comprehensive income. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the increase/(decrease) in comprehensive loss related to foreign currency translation gains was $0.7 million and ($1.0) million, respectively.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit losses (Topic 326), subsequently amended by ASU 2020-2. This new guidance will change how entities account for credit impairment for trade and other receivables, as well as for certain financial assets and other instruments held at amortized cost. The update will replace the current incurred loss model with an expected loss model. Under the incurred loss model, a loss (or allowance) is recognized only when an event has occurred (such as a payment delinquency) that causes the entity to believe that a loss is probable (that is has been “incurred”). Under the expected loss model, a loss (or allowance) is recognized upon initial recognition of the asset that reflects all future events that may lead to a loss being realized, regardless of whether it is probable that the future event will occur. The incurred loss model considers past events and conditions, while the expected loss model includes expectations for the future which have yet to occur. ASU 2018-19 was issued in November 2018 and excludes operating leases from the new guidance. The standard will require entities to record a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective. For public business entities that meet the definition of a U.S. Securities and Exchange (SEC) filer, the update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. As an Emerging Growth Company, the standard is effective for the Company’s annual reporting period and interim periods beginning first quarter of 2023. The Company has adopted this standard as of January 1, 2023 and the adoption did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In August 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2020-06, Debt-Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40). The ASU simplifies the accounting for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity. The FASB reduced the number of accounting models for convertible debt and convertible preferred stock instruments and made certain disclosure amendments to improve the information provided to users. In addition, the FASB amended the derivative guidance for the “own stock” scope exception and certain aspects of EPS guidance. For public business entities that meet the definition of a SEC filer, excluding entities eligible to be a smaller reporting company as defined by the SEC, the guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, including interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, the guidance is effective for fiscal years, including interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2023. Early adoption is permitted, but no earlier than fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company has adopted this standard as of January 1, 2023 and the adoption did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements.


Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures to enhance the transparency of income tax disclosures relating to the rate reconciliation, disclosure of income taxes paid, and certain other disclosures. The ASU should be applied prospectively and is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on the related disclosures; however, it does not expect this update to have an impact on its financial condition or results of operations.

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures to improve the disclosures about reportable segments and include more detailed information about a reportable segment’s expenses. This ASU also requires that a public entity with a single reportable segment, provide all of the disclosures required as part of the amendments and all existing disclosures required by Topic 280. The ASU should be applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements and is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023 and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on the financial statements and related disclosures.

4.Business Combination

As discussed in Note 1 – Organization and Formation, on December 22, 2023, Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp. (“CLIN”), Alternus Energy Group Plc (“AEG”) and Clean Earth Acquisition Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”) completed the Business Combination. Upon the Closing of the Business Combination, the following occurred:

In connection with the Business Combination, AEG transferred to CLIN all issued and outstanding AEG interests in certain of its subsidiaries (the “Acquired Subsidiaries”) in exchange for the issuance by CLIN at the Closing of 57,500,000 shares of common stock of CLIN. At Closing, CLIN changed its name to Alternus Clean Energy, Inc. (“ALCE” or the “Company”).

In connection with the Business Combination, 23,000,000 rights to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of Class A common stock was exchanged for 2,300,000 shares of the Company’s common stock.

In addition to shares issued to AEG noted above, 225,000 shares of Common Stock were issued at Closing to the Sponsor to settle a CLIN convertible promissory note held by the Sponsor at Closing.

Each share of CLIN Class A common stock held by the CLIN Sponsor prior to the closing of the Business Combination, which totaled 8,556,667 shares, was exchanged for, on a one-for-one basis for shares of the Company’s Common Stock.

Each share of CLIN common stock subject to possible redemption that was not redeemed prior to the closing of the Business Combination, which totaled 127,142 shares, was exchanged for, on a one-for-one basis for shares of the Company’s Common Stock.

In connection with the Business Combination, an investor that provided the Company funding through a promissory note, was due to receive warrants to purchase 300,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.01 per share and warrants to purchase 100,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share pursuant to the Secured Promissory Note Agreement dated October 3, 2023. Upon closing of the Business Combination, the investor received those warrants.

In connection with the Business Combination, CLIN entered into a Forward Purchase Agreement (the “FPA”) with certain accredited investors (the “FPA Investors”) that gave the FPA Investors the right, but not an obligation, to purchase up to 2,796,554 shares of CLIN’s common stock. Of the 2,796,554 shares, the FPA Investors purchased 1,300,320 shares of Common Stock and the Company issued an aggregate of 1,496,234 shares of the Company’s common stock pursuant to the FPA.

The proceeds received by the Company from the Business Combination, net of the FPA and transaction costs, totaled $5.1 million.


The following table presents the total Common Stock outstanding immediately after the closing of the Business Combination:

Number of
Shares
Exchange of CLIN common stock subject to possible redemption that was not redeemed for Alternus Clean Energy Inc. common stock127,142
Exchange of public share rights held by CLIN shareholders for Alternus Clean Energy Inc. common stock2,300,000
Issuance of Alternus Clean Energy, Inc. common stock to promissory note holders400,000
Exchange of CLIN Class A common stock held by CLIN Sponsor for Alternus Clean Energy Inc. common stock8,556,667
Subtotal - Business Combination, net of redemptions11,383,809
Issuance of shares under the FPA1,496,234
Shares purchased by the accredited investor under the FPA1,300,320
Issuance of Alternus Clean Energy Inc. common stock to Alternus Energy Group Plc. on the Closing Date57,500,000
Issuance of Alternus Clean Energy Inc. common stock to the CLIN Sponsor as a holder of CLIN convertible notes on the Closing Date225,000
Total – Alternus Clean Energy Inc. common stock outstanding as a result of the Business Combination, FPA, exchange of Acquired Subsidiaries’ shares for shares of Alternus Clean Energy Inc. and issuance of Alternus Clean Energy Inc. common stock the holder of CLIN convertible notes.71,905,363

5.Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Inputs used to measure fair value are prioritized within a three-level fair value hierarchy. This hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows:

Level 1 — Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3 — Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. This includes certain pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques that use significant unobservable inputs.

On December 3, 2023, the Company entered into an agreement with (i) Meteora Capital Partners, LP, (ii) Meteora Select Trading Opportunities Master, LP, and (iii) Meteora Strategic Capital, LLC (collectively “Meteora”) for OTC Equity Prepaid Forward Transactions (the “FPA”). The purpose of the FPA was to decrease the amount of redemptions in connection with the Company’s Special Meeting and potentially increase the working capital available to the Company following the Business Combination.


Pursuant to the terms of the FPA, Meteora purchased 2,796,554 (the “Purchased Amount”) shares of common stock concurrently with the Business Combination Closing pursuant to Meteora’s FPA Funding Amount PIPE Subscription Agreement, less the 1,300,320 shares of common stock separately purchased from third parties through a broker in the open market (“Recycled Shares”). Following the consummation of the Business Combination, Meteora delivered a Pricing Date Notice dated December 10, 2023 which included 1,300,320 Recycled Shares, 1,496,234 additional shares and 2,796,554 total number of shares. The FPA provides for a prepayment shortfall in an amount in U.S. dollars equal to $500,000. Meteora in its sole discretion may sell Recycled Shares at any time following the Trade Date at prices (i) at or above $10.00 during the first three months following the Closing Date and (ii) at any sales price thereafter, without payment by Meteora of any Early Termination Obligation until such time as the proceeds from such sales equal 100% of the Prepayment Shortfall The number of shares subject to the Forward Purchase Agreement is subject to reduction following a termination of the FPA with respect to such shares as described under “Optional Early Termination” in the FPA. The reset price is set at $10.00. Commencing June 22, 2024 the reset price will be subject to reduction upon the occurrence of a Dilutive Offering.

The Company holds various financial instruments that are not required to be recorded at fair value. For cash, restricted cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and short-term debt the carrying amounts approximate fair value due to the short maturity of these instruments.

The fair value of the Company’s recorded forward purchase agreement (“FPA”) is determined based on unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data, which require a Level 3 classification. A Monte Carlo simulation model was used to determine the fair value. The Company records the forward purchase agreement at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets with changes in fair value recorded in the consolidated statements of operation.

The following table presents balances of the forward purchase agreement with significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) as of December 31, 2023, in thousand:

  Fair Value Measurement 
  Level 1  Level 2  Level 3  Total 
Forward Purchase Agreement          -               -   483   483 
Total $-  $-  $483  $483 

The following table presents changes of the forward purchase agreement with significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) for the year ended December 31, 2023, in thousand:

  Forward Purchase Agreement Asset 
Balance at January 1, 2023 $- 
Recognition of Forward Purchase Agreement Asset  17,125 
Change in fair value  (16,642)
Balance at December 31, 2023 $483 

The Company measures the forward purchase agreement using a Monte Carlo simulation valuation model using the following assumptions:

Forward Purchase Agreement Asset
Rik-free rate4%
Underlying stock price$1.50
Expected volatility75%
Term2.98 years
Dividend yield0%


6.Business Combination and Acquisitions of Assets

The Company applies the definition of a business in ASC 805, Business Combinations, to determine whether it is acquiring a business or a group of assets. When the Company acquires a business, the purchase price is allocated to (I) the acquired tangible assets and liabilities assumed, primarily consisting of solar energy facilities and land, (ii) the identified intangible assets and liabilities, primarily consisting of favorable and unfavorable rate PPAs and REC agreements, (iii) asset retirement obligations, (iv) non-controlling interests, and (v) other working capital items based in each case on their estimated fair values. The excess of the purchase price, if any, over the estimated fair value of net assets acquired is recorded as goodwill. The fair value measurements of the assets acquired, and liabilities assumed were derived utilizing an income approach and based, in part, on significant inputs not observable in the market. These inputs include, but are not limited to, estimates of future power generation, commodity prices, operating costs, and appropriate discount rates. These inputs required significant judgments and estimates at the time of the valuation. In addition, acquisition costs related to business combinations are expensed as incurred.

Acquisition of RA01 Sp. Z.O.O.

On March 24, 2022, the Company acquired a solar park portfolio located in Poland from a third party for a total purchase price, net of cash received, of $1.1 million. The transaction was accounted for as an acquisition of assets, whereby the Company acquired $1.0 million of property and equipment and $0.1 million of other assets. These assets have been moved to discontinued operations as of December 31, 2023. Refer to Footnote 20 for more details.

Acquisition of Gardno Sp. Z.O.O.

On March 24, 2022, the Company acquired a solar park portfolio located in Poland from a third party for a total purchase price, net of cash received, of $6.6 million. The transaction was accounted for as an acquisition of assets, whereby the Company acquired $6.4 million of property and equipment, and $0.2 million of other assets. These assets have been moved to discontinued operations as of December 31, 2023. Refer to Footnote 20 for more details.

Acquisition of Gardno 2 Sp. Z.O.O.

On March 24, 2022, the Company acquired a solar park portfolio located in Poland from a third party for a total purchase price, net of cash received, of $4.4 million. The transaction was accounted for as an acquisition of assets, whereby the Company acquired $4.3 million of property and equipment, and $0.1 million of other assets. These assets have been moved to discontinued operations as of December 31, 2023. Refer to Footnote 20 for more details.


7.Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable relate to amounts due from customers for services that have been performed and invoices that have been sent. Unbilled energy incentives relate to services that have been performed for the customer but have yet to be invoiced. Accounts receivables, and unbilled energy incentives consist of the following (in thousands):

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Accounts receivable $651  $3,335 
Unbilled energy incentives earned  5,607   4,954 
Total $6,258  $8,289 

8.Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets

Prepaid and other current expenses generally consist of amounts paid to vendors for services that have not yet been performed. Other receivable, prepaid expenses and other current assets consist of the following (in thousands):

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets $2,602  $328 
Accrued revenue  6   294 
Other receivable  736   860 
Total $3,344  $1,482 

9.Property and Equipment, Net

The components of property and equipment, net were as follows at December 31 (in thousands):

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Solar energy facilities $55,318  $75,009 
Building  -   107 
Land  511   497 
Furniture and fixtures  210   49 
Asset retirement  168   341 
Construction in progress  12,421   3,093 
Total property and equipment  68,628   79,096 
Less: Accumulated depreciation  (7,326)  (10,143)
Total $61,302  $68,953 

There was $5.1 million transferred from construction in progress to solar energy facilities during the twelve-month period through December 31, 2023 and $0.6 million during the twelve-month period through December 31, 2022.

10.Capitalized development cost and other long-term assets

Capitalized development costs are amounts paid to vendors that are related to the purchase and construction of solar energy facilities. Notes receivable and prepaids consist of amounts owed to the Company as well as amounts paid to vendors for services that have yet to be received by the Company. Capitalized cost and other long-term assets consisted of the following (in thousands):

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Capitalized development cost $6,216  $2,146 
Other receivables  1,483   - 
Total $7,699  $2,146 

Capitalized development cost relates to various projects that are under development for the period. As the Company closes either a purchase or development of new solar parks, these development costs are added to the final asset displayed in Property, and Equipment. If the Company does not close on the prospective project, these costs are written off to Development Cost on the Consolidated Statement Operations and Comprehensive Loss.

Capitalized Development Cost consist of $2.1 million of active development in the U.S. and $4.1 million across Europe.


Other Receivables relates to, security deposits of $1.0 million in relation to the Power Purchase Agreement for a development project in Tennessee and $483 thousand related to the Forward Purchase Agreement.

11.Accounts Payable

Accounts payable represent amounts owed to suppliers of goods and services that the Group has consumed through operations. Accounts payable consist of the following (in thousands):

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Accounts payable $5,084  $1,138 
Total $5,084  $1,138 

12.Deferred Income

Deferred income relates to income related to Green Certificates from Romania that have been received but not sold. Deferred income consists of the following (in thousands):

  Activity 
Deferred income – Balance January 1, 2022 $3,139 
Green certificates received  10,729 
Green certificates sold  (8,849)
Foreign exchange gain/(loss)  (65)
Deferred income – Balance December 1, 2022 $4,954 
Green certificates received  10,663 
Green certificates sold  (10,169)
Foreign exchange gain/(loss)  159 
Deferred income – Balance December 31, 2023 $5,607 

13.Accrued Liabilities

Accrued expenses relate to various accruals for the Company. Accrued interest represents the interest in debt not paid in the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. Accrued liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Accrued legal $8,684  $- 
Accrued interest  5,516   1,992 
Accrued financing cost  3,537   - 
Accrued construction expense  2,134   - 
Accrued transaction cost - business combination  1,527   - 
Accrued audit fees  800   - 
Accrued payroll  148   501 
Other accrued expenses  2,064   978 
Total $24,410  $3,471 

14.Taxes Recoverable and Payable

Taxes recoverable and payable consist of VAT taxes payable and receivable from various European governments through group transactions in these countries. Taxes recoverable consist of the following (in thousands):

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Taxes recoverable $631  $1,388 
Less: Taxes payable  (14)  (616)
Total $617  $772 


15.Green Bonds, Convertible and Non-convertible Promissory Notes

The following table reflects the total debt balances of the Company as December 31, 2023 and 2022 (in thousands):

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Senior Secured Green Bonds $166,122  $149,481 
Senior Secured debt and promissory notes secured  32,312   13,486 
Total debt  198,434   162,967 
Less current maturities  (198,434)  - 
Long term debt, net of current maturities $-  $162,967 
         
Current Maturities $198,434  $- 
Less current debt discount  (892)  - 
Current Maturities net of debt discount $197,542  $- 
         
Long-term maturities $-  $162,967 
Less long-term debt discount  -   (4,272)
Long-term maturities net of debt discount $-  $158,695 

During the period ended December 31, 2022, the Company incurred approximately $200 thousand of debt issuance cost related to the green bonds discussed below. The Company incurred debt issuance costs of $4.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2023. Debt issuance costs are recorded as a debt discount and are amortized to interest expense over the life of the debt, upon the close of the related debt transaction, in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Interest expense stemming from amortization of debt discounts for continuing operations for the twelve-months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $4.9 million and $3.9 million, respectively.

There was no interest expense stemming from amortization of debt discounts for discontinued operations for the twelve-months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

All outstanding debt for the company is considered short-term based on their respective maturity dates and are to be repaid within the year 2024.

Senior secured debt:

In May 2022, AEG MH02 entered into a loan agreement with a group of private lenders of approximately $10.8 million with an initial stated interest rate of 8% and a maturity date of May 31, 2023. In February 2023, the loan agreement was amended stating a new interest rate of 16% retroactive to the date of the first draw in June 2022. In May 2023, the loan was extended and the interest rate was revised to 18% from June 1, 2023. In July 2023, the loan agreement was further extended to October 31, 2023. In November 2023, the loan agreement was further extended to May 31, 2024. Due to these addendums, $2.4 million of interest was recognized in the period ended December 31, 2023. The Company had principal outstanding of $11.0 million and $10.7 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

In June 2022, Alt US 02, a subsidiary of Alternus Energy Americas, and indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into an agreement as part of the transaction with Lightwave Renewables, LLC to acquire rights to develop a solar park in Tennessee. The Company entered into a construction promissory note of $5.9 million with a variable interest rate of prime plus 2.5% and an original maturity date of June 29, 2023. On January 26, 2024 the loan was extended to June 29, 2024 due to logistical issues that caused construction delays. The Company had principal outstanding of $4.3 million and $2.8 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

On February 28, 2023, Alt US 03, a subsidiary of Alternus Energy Americas, and indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into an agreement as part of the transaction to acquire rights to develop a solar park in Tennessee. Alt US 03 entered into a construction promissory note of $920 thousand with a variable interest rate of prime plus 2.5% and due May 31, 2024. This note had a principal outstanding balance of $717 thousand as of December 31, 2023.

In July 2023, one of the Company’s US subsidiaries acquired a 32 MWp solar PV project in Tennessee for $2.4 million financed through a bank loan having a six-month term, 24% APY, and an extended maturity date of February 29, 2024. In March 2024, the loan was further extended to May 31, 2024 with the rate reduced to 1.5%. The project is expected to start operating in Q1 2025. 100% of offtake is already secured by 30-year power purchase agreements with two regional utilities. The Company had a principal outstanding balance of $7.0 million as of December 31, 2023.


In July 2023, Alt Spain Holdco, one of the Company’s Spanish subsidiaries acquired the project rights to construct a 32 MWp portfolio of Solar PV projects in Valencia, Spain, with an initial payment of $1.9 million, financed through a bank loan having a six-month term and accruing ’Six Month Euribor’ plus 2% margin, currently 5.9% interest. On January 24, 2024, the maturity date was extended to July 28, 2024. The portfolio consists of six projects totaling 24.4 MWp. This note had a principal outstanding balance of $3.3 million as of December 31, 2023.

In October 2023, Alternus Energy Americas, one of the Company’s US subsidiaries secured a working capital loan in the amount of $3.2 million with a 0% interest until a specified date and a maturity date of March 31, 2024. The Company had a principal outstanding balance of $3.2 million as of December 31, 2023.

In December 2023, Alt US 07, one of the Company’s US subsidiaries acquired the project rights to a 14 MWp solar PV project in Alabama for $1.1 million financed through a bank loan having a six-month term, 24% APY, and a maturity date of May 28, 2024. The project is expected to start operating in Q2 2025. 100% of offtake is already secured by 30-year power purchase agreements with two regional utilities. This note had a principal outstanding balance of $1.1 million as of December 31, 2023.

In December 2023, the Company assumed an existing loan to the Sponsors of Clean Earth with a balance of $1.6 million with a 0% interest rate until perpetuity as part of the Business Combination with Clean Earth. The Company had a principal outstanding balance of $1.6 million as of December 31, 2023.

Convertible Promissory Notes:

There was convertible debt outstanding for the year ended December 31, 2022.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, 225,000 shares of Common Stock were issued at Closing to the Sponsor of Clean Earth to settle CLIN promissory notes of $1.6 million. The shares were issued at the closing price of $5 per share for $1.1 million. The difference of $0.5 million was recognized as an addition to Additional Paid in Capital. Management determined the extinguishment of this note is the result of a Troubled Debt Restructuring.

Other Debt:

In January 2021, the Company approved the issuance by one of its subsidiaries, Solis, of a series of 3-year senior secured green bonds in the maximum amount of $242.0 million (€200.0 million) with a stated coupon rate of 6.5% + EURIBOR and quarterly interest payments. The bond agreement is for repaying existing facilities of approximately $40.0 million (€33 million), and funding acquisitions of approximately $87.2 million (€72.0 million). The bonds are secured by the Solis Bond Company’s underlying assets. The Company raised approximately $125.0 million (€110.0 million) in the initial funding. In November 2021, Solis Bond Company DAC, completed an additional issue of $24.0 million (€20.0 million). The additional issue was completed at an issue price of 102% of par value, corresponding to a yield of 5.5%. The Company raised $11.1 million (€10.0 million) in March 2022 at 97% for an effective yield of 9.5%. In connection with the bond agreement the Company incurred approximately $11.8 million in debt issuance costs. The Company recorded these as a discount on the debt and they are being amortized as interest expense over the contractual period of the bond agreement. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, there was $149.5 million and $147.2 million outstanding on the Bond, respectively. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022 there was $166.1 million and $149.4 million outstanding on the Bond, respectively.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Solis Bond Company DAC, was in breach of the three financial covenants under Solis’ Bond terms: (i) the minimum Liquidity Covenant that requires the higher of €5.5 million or 5% of the outstanding Nominal Amount, (ii) the minimum Equity Ratio covenant of 25%, and (iii) the Leverage Ratio of NIBD/EBITDA to not be higher than 6.5 times for the year ended December 2021, 6.0 times for the year ended December 31, 2022 and 5.5 times for the period ending on the maturity date of the Bond, January 6, 2024. The Solis Bond carries a 3 months EURIBOR plus 6.5% per annum interest rate, and has quarterly interest payments, with a bullet payment to be paid on January 6, 2024. The Solis Bond is senior secured through a first priority pledge on the shares of Solis and its subsidiaries, a parent guarantee from Alternus Energy Group Plc, and a first priority assignment over any intercompany loans.


In April 2023 the bond holders approved a temporary waiver and an amendment to the bond terms to allow for a change of control in Solis (which allows for the transfer of Solis and its subsidiaries underneath Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp. on Closing). In addition, bondholders received a preference share in an Alternus Midco, which will hold certain development projects in Spain and Italy. The shares will have preference on any distribution from Midco to Alternus up to €10.0 million, and Midco will divest assets to ensure repayment of the €10.0 million should the bonds not have been fully repaid at maturity (January 6, 2024). Finally, bondholders will receive a 1% amendment fee, which equates to €1.4 million.

On June 5, 2023, the bondholders approved an extension to the waiver to September 30, 2023 and the bond trustee was granted certain additional information rights and the right to appoint half of the members of the board of directors of Solis, in addition to the members of the board appointed by Alternus. Under the waiver agreement, as extended, Solis must fully repay the Solid Bond by September 30, 2023. If Solis is unable to fully repay the Solis Bond by September 30, 2023, Solis’ bondholders have the right to immediately transfer ownership of Solis and all of its subsidiaries to the bondholders and proceed to sell Solis’ assets to recoup the full amount owed to the bondholders, which as of September 30, 2023 is currently €150,000,000 (approximately $159,000,000). If the ownership of Solis and all of its subsidiaries were to be transferred to the Solis bondholders, the majority of Alternus’ operating assets and related revenues and EBIDTA would be eliminated.

On October 16 2023, bondholders approved to further extend the temporary waiver to December 16, 2023. As such, the Solis bond debt is currently recorded as short-term debt. In consideration for the extension the Company agreed to repay the bonds at 107.5 of par value. This incremental par value amount of $11.1 million is recognized as the “Solis bond waiver fee” on the Company’s Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss and is an increase to the Green Bonds in Current Liabilities in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet. This was a non-cash transaction that resulted in an increase to the Company’s debt balance, and is treated as reconciling item to Net Loss on the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows.

On December 18, 2023, a representative group of the bondholders approved an extension of the temporary waivers and the maturity date of the Solis Bonds until January 31, 2024, with the right to further extend to February 29, 2024 at the Solis Bond trustee’s discretion, which was subsequently approved by a majority of the bondholders on January 3, 2024. As such, the Solis bond debt is currently recorded as short-term debt.

On December 28, 2023, Solis sold 100% of the share capital in its Italian subsidiaries for approximately €15.8 million (approximately $17.3 million).

Subsequently, on January 18, 2024, Solis sold 100% of the share capital in its Polish subsidiaries for approximately 54.4 million (approximately $59.1 million), and on February 21, 2024, Solis sold 100% of the share capital of its Netherlands subsidiary for approximately 6.5 million (approximately $7 million). The proceeds from the sale of these parks were used to pay the €59,100,000 million (approximately $68.5 million) of amounts outstanding under the bonds (See Footnote 26).

Management determined the amendments for the Bond represented a troubled debt restructuring under ASC 470-60. The result of the amendments noted above was an $11.1 million expense recorded as Solis Bond Waiver Fee on the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income/(Loss).

On December 21, 2022, Alternus Clean Energy’s wholly owned Irish subsidiaries, AEG JD 01 LTD and AEG MH 03 LTD entered in a financing facility with Deutsche Bank AG (“Lender”). This is a committed revolving debt financing of €80,000,000 to finance eligible project costs for the acquisition, construction, and operation of installation/ready to build solar PV plants across Europe, including the capacity for the financing to be upsized via a €420,000,000 uncommitted accordion facility to finance a pipeline of further projects across Europe with a total combined capacity of 600 MWp (the “Warehouse Facility”). The Warehouse Facility, which matures on the third anniversary of the closing date of the Credit Agreement (the “Maturity Date”), bears interest at Euribor plus an aggregate margin at a market rate for such facilities, which steps down by 0.5% once the underlying non-Euro costs financed reduces below 33.33% of the overall costs financed. The Warehouse Facility is not currently drawn upon, but a total of approximately €1,800,000 in arrangement and commitment fees is currently owed to the Lender. Once drawn, the Warehouse Facility capitalizes interest payments until projects reach their commercial operations dates through to the Maturity Date; it also provides for mandatory prepayments in certain situations.


16.Leases

The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease or contains a lease at inception, or acquisition when the Company acquires a new park. The Company has operating leases for corporate offices and land with remaining lease terms of 4 to 28 years.

Operating lease assets and operating lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the future lease payments over the lease term at the commencement date. As most of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company estimates its incremental borrowing rate based on information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of future payments. Lease expense related to the net present value of payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

The key components of the company’s operating leases were as follows (in thousands):

  December 31,  December 31, 
  2023  2022 
Operating Lease - Operating Cash Flows (Fixed Payments)  189   99 
Operating Lease - Operating Cash Flows (Liability Reduction)  129   54 
         
New ROU Assets - Operating Leases  409   8,482 
         
Weighted Average Lease Term - Operating Leases (years)  13.24   7.05 
Weighted Average Discount Rate - Operating Leases  7.65%  7.10%

The Company’s operating leases generally relate to the rent of office building space, as well as land and rooftops upon which the Company’s solar parks are built. These leases include those that have been assumed in connection with the Company’s asset acquisitions and business combinations. The Company’s leases are for varying terms and expire between 2027 and 2051.

In April 2022, the Company entered a new lease for office space in the US with a term of 7.5 years. The estimated annual cost of the lease is $147 thousand.

In October 2023, the Company entered a new lease for land in Madrid, Spain where solar parks are planned to be built. The lease term is 35 years with an estimated annual cost of $32 thousand.

In March 2022, the Company bought the Gardno and Gardno 2 parks in Poland, acquiring two operating leases to the land where the solar parks are located. The combined estimated annual cost of the leases is $69 thousand. The leases commenced in 2021 and run through 2046. These assets have been moved to discontinued operations as of December 31, 2023. Refer to Footnote 20 for more details.

In March 2022, the Company bought the Rakowic park in Poland, acquiring an operating lease for the land where the solar parks are located. The combined estimated annual cost of the leases is $7 thousand. The leases commenced in 2022 and run through 2046. These assets have been moved to discontinued operations as of December 31, 2023. Refer to Footnote 20 for more details.

Maturities of lease liabilities as of December 31, 2023 were as follows:

 (in thousands) 
Five-year lease schedule:   
2024 $231 
2025  237 
2026  242 
2027  248 
2028  216 
Thereafter  2,064 
Total lease payments  3,238 
Less imputed interest  (1,811)
Total $1,427 

The Company had no finance leases as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.


17.Commitments and Contingencies

Litigation

The Company recognizes a liability for loss contingencies when it believes it is probable a liability has occurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated. If some amount within a range of loss appears at the time to be a better estimate than any other amount within the range, the Company accrues that amount. When no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount, the Company accrues the minimum amount in the range. The Company has established an accrual for those legal proceedings and regulatory matters for which a loss is both probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated.

On May 4, 2023 Alternus received notice that Solartechnik, an international group specializing in solar installations, filed an arbitration claim against Alternus Energy Group PLC, Solis Bond Company DAC and ALT POL HC 01 SP. Z.o.o. in the Court of Arbitration at the Polish Chamber of Commerce, claiming that PLN 24,980,589 (approximately $5.8 million) is due and owed to Solartechnik pursuant to a preliminary share purchase agreement by and among the parties that did not ultimately close, plus costs, expenses, legal fees and interest. The Company has accrued a liability for this loss contingency in the amount of approximately $6.8 million, which represents the contractual amount allegedly owed. It is reasonably possible that the potential loss may exceed our accrued liability due to costs, expenses, legal fees and interest that are also alleged by Solartechnik as owed, but at the time of filing this report we are unable to determine an estimate of that possible additional loss in excess of the amount accrued. The arbitration is in its early stages, and the Company intends to vigorously defend this action.

Amendment to Agreement with Hover Energy, LLC

On October 31, 2023, the Company amended its agreement with Hover Energy, LLC to extend the remaining $500,000 of Prepaid Development Fees to June 30, 2024.

18.Asset Retirement Obligations

The Company’s AROs mostly relate to the retirement of solar park land or buildings. The discount rate used to estimate the present value of the expected future cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was 7.5% and 7.1%, respectively.

  Activity 
ARO Liability - Balance January 1, 2022 $411 
Additional obligations incurred  - 
Accretion expense  20 
Foreign exchange gain/(loss)  (34)
ARO Liability - Balance December 31, 2022 $397 
Additional obligations incurred  - 
Disposals  (235)
Accretion expense  24 
Foreign exchange gain/(loss)  11 
ARO Liability -- December 31, 2023 $197 

19.Development Cost

The Company depends heavily on government policies that support our business and enhance the economic feasibility of developing and operating solar energy projects in regions in which we operate or plan to develop and operate renewable energy facilities. The Company can decide to abandon a project if it becomes uneconomic due to various factors, for example, a change in market conditions leading to higher costs of construction, lower energy rates, or other factors that change the expected returns on the project. In addition, political factors or otherwise where governments from time to time may review their laws and policies that support renewable energy and consider actions that would make the laws and policies less conducive to the development and operation of renewable energy facilities. Any reductions or modifications to, or the elimination of, governmental incentives or policies that support renewable energy or the imposition of additional taxes or other assessments on renewable energy, could result in, among other items, the lack of a satisfactory market for the development and/or financing of new renewable energy projects, our abandoning the development of renewable energy projects, a loss of our investments in the projects and reduced project returns, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Development cost was $11.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, due to primarily to abandoning of development of renewable energy projects in Poland. The table below summarizes the development cost:

Project 1 $10,162 
Miscellaneous development cost  1,210 
Total $11,372 

These costs were primarily driven by Project 1 in Poland as a 45 million PLN (approximately $9.6 million) “breakup fee” applied when the Company did not close on the project. Of the $9.6 million due to the seller, $4.2 million has been paid and approximately $5.4 million is in Accrued Liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Miscellaneous development cost relates to cost associated with projects abandoned during various phases, due to lack of technical, legal, or financial feasibility.


20.Discontinued Operations – Assets Held for Sale

In July 2023, the Company engaged multiple parties to market the Polish and Netherlands assets to potential buyers. In the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company decided to proceed with the sales of the 6 PV parks in Poland and 1 park in the Netherlands. As the exit of these two markets represented a strategic shift for the Company, the assets were classified as discontinued operations in accordance with ASC 205-20. As of December 31, 2023, the Polish and Netherlands assets were classified as disposal groups held for sale. The Company sold the Polish assets on January 18, 2024 and the Netherland assets on February 21, 2024. The balances and results of the Polish and Netherlands disposal groups are presented below:

  As of December 31 
Poland 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Assets:      
Cash & cash equivalents $630  $431 
Other current assets  443   1,105 
Property, plant, and equipment, net  63,107   69,656 
Operating leases, non-current - assets  5,923   5,378 
Total assets held for sale $70,103  $76,570 
         
Liabilities:        
Accounts payable $2,935  $1,760 
Operating leases, current – liabilities  281   233 
Other current liabilities  1,549   1,157 
Operating leases, non-current - liabilities  5,798   4,995 
Other non-current liabilities  985   824 
Total liabilities to be disposed of $11,548  $8,969 
         
Net assets held for sale $58,555  $67,601 

  Year Ended December 31, 
Poland 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
       
Revenues $7,593  $10,709 
         
Operating Expenses        
Cost of revenues  (3,768)  (4,104)
Depreciation, amortization, and accretion  (2,563)  (2,482)
Loss on disposal of asset  (130)  - 
Total operating expenses  (6,461)  (6,586)
         
Income from discontinued operations  1,132   4,123 
         
Other income/(expense):        
Impairment loss recognized on the remeasurement to fair value less costs to sell  (11,766)  - 
Interest expense  (5,650)  (3,893)
Other expense  (157)  (30)
Total other expenses $(17,573) $(3,923)
Income/(Loss) before provision for income taxes $(16,441)  200 
Income taxes  -   (21)
Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations $(16,441) $179 
         
Impact of discontinued operations on EPS        
Net income/(loss) attributable to common stockholders, basic $(16,441) $179 
Net income/(loss) attributable to common stockholders, diluted  (16,441)  179 
Net income/(loss) per share attributable to common stockholders, basic $(0.28) $0.00 
Net income/(loss) per share attributable to common stockholders, diluted  0.00   0.00 
Weighted-average common stock outstanding, basic  57,862,598   57,500,000 
Weighted-average common stock outstanding, diluted  57,862,598   57,500,000 

Immediately before the classification of the disposal groups as discontinued operations, the recoverable amount was estimated for certain items of property, plant and equipment and impairment loss was identified. Following the classification, a write-down of ($11.8) million was recognized on December 31, 2023 to reduce the carrying amount of the assets in the disposal group to their fair value less costs to sell. This was recognized in discontinued operations in the statement of profit or loss. Fair value measurement disclosures are provided in Footnote 5.


  As of December 31, 
Netherlands 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Assets:      
Cash & cash equivalents $155  $13 
Accounts receivable, net  99   487 
Other current assets  58   82 
Property, plant, and equipment, net  7,845   7,984 
Operating leases, non-current – assets  1,469   1,438 
Other non-current assets  1,214   1,176 
Total assets held for sale $10,840  $11,180 
         
Liabilities:        
Accounts payable $925  $23 
Operating leases, current – liabilities  55   52 
Other current liabilities  430   235 
Operating leases, non-current – liabilities  1,301   1,312 
Total liabilities to be disposed of $2,711  $1,622 
         
Net assets held for sale $8,129  $9,558 

  Year Ended December 31, 
Netherlands 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
       
Revenues $2,840  $1,596 
         
Operating Expenses        
Cost of revenues  (450)  (368)
Depreciation, amortization, and accretion  (400)  (500)
Loss on disposal of asset  (7)  - 
Total operating expenses  (857)  (868)
         
Income from discontinued operations  1,983   728 
         
Other income/(expense):        
Interest expense  (1,131)  (787)
Other expense  (62)  - 
Total other expenses $(1,193) $(787)
Income/(Loss) before provision for income taxes $790  $(59)
Income taxes  (161)  - 
Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations $629  $(59)
         
Impact of discontinued operations on EPS        
Net income/(loss) attributable to common stockholders, basic $629  $(59)
Net income/(loss) attributable to common stockholders, diluted  629   (59)
Net income/(loss) per share attributable to common stockholders, basic $0.01  $(0.00)
Net income/(loss) per share attributable to common stockholders, diluted  0.01   (0.00)
Weighted-average common stock outstanding, basic  57,862,598   57,500,000 
Weighted-average common stock outstanding, diluted  57,862,598   57,500,000 

Immediately before the classification of the disposal groups as discontinued operations, the recoverable amount was estimated for certain items of property, plant and equipment and no impairment loss was identified. As of December 31, 2023, there were no further write-downs as the carrying amounts of the disposal groups did not fall below its fair value less costs to sell.


21.Italy Sale Disclosure

In June 2023 the Company engaged an Italian firm to market the Company’s operating assets in Italy. During the fourth quarter of 2023 a buyer was identified, and the sale of the assets was finalized on December 28, 2023. The Company received a cash consideration of $17.5 million for all operating assets. In accordance with ASC 360, the Company removed the disposal group and recognized a loss of $5.5 million upon sale on December 28, 2023, of which $0.6 million were cost associated with the sale. The balances and results of the Italian disposal group are presented below:

  As of
December 28,
  Year Ended
December 31,
 
Italy 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Assets:      
Cash & cash equivalents $100  $295 
Accounts receivable, net  -   932 
Other current assets  338   1,030 
Property, plant, and equipment, net  -   21,735 
Operating leases, non-current - assets  -   4 
Other non-current assets  3,819   800 
Total assets held for sale $4,257  $24,796 
         
Liabilities:        
Accounts payable $21  $109 
Other current liabilities  578   1,080 
Other non-current liabilities  -   216 
Total liabilities to be disposed of $599  $1,405 
         
Net assets held for sale $3,658  $23,391 

  Year Ended December 31, 
Italy 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
       
Revenues $3,360  $3,354 
         
Operating Expenses        
Cost of revenues  (1,204)  (812)
Selling, general, and administrative  (69)  (77)
Depreciation, amortization, and accretion  (1,638)  (1,614)
Loss on disposal of asset  (5,501)  - 
Total operating expenses  (8,412)  (2,503)
         
Income/(Loss) from discontinued operations  (5,052)  851 
         
Other income/(expense):        
Other expense  (15)  - 
Other income  -   22 
Total other expenses $(15) $22 
Income/(Loss) before provision for income taxes $(5,067) $873 
Income taxes  -   - 
Net income/(loss) from discontinued operations $(5,067) $873 
         
Impact on EPS        
Net income/(loss) attributable to common stockholders, basic $(5,067) $873 
Net income/(loss) attributable to common stockholders, diluted  (5,067)  873 
Net income/(loss) per share attributable to common stockholders, basic $(0.09) $0.02 
Net income/(loss) per share attributable to common stockholders, diluted  (0.09)  0.02 
Weighted-average common stock outstanding, basic  57,862,598   57,500,000 
Weighted-average common stock outstanding, diluted  57,862,598   57,500,000 


22.Shareholders’ Equity

Common Stock

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had a total of 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock authorized and 10,000,000 shares of Class B common stock authorized. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had a total of 150,000,000 shares of common stock authorized with 71,905,363 shares issued and outstanding.

Preferred Stock

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company also had a total of 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock authorized. There were no preferred shares issued or outstanding as of December 31, 2023, and 2022. The board of directors of the Company has the authority to establish one or more series of preferred stock, fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences and any other rights, if any, of each such series and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof.

Warrants

As of December 31, 2022, warrants to purchase up to 11,945,000 shares of common stock were issued and outstanding. These warrants were related to financing activities. The Company issued additional warrants to purchase up to 400,000 shares of common stock in 2023. As of December 31, 2023, warrants to purchase up to 12,345,000 shares of common stock were issued and outstanding.

  Warrants  

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

  Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term (Years)
 
          
Outstanding - January 31, 2022  11,945,000  $11.50   5.98 
Issued during the year  -   -   - 
Expired during the year  -   -   - 
Outstanding - December 31, 2022  11,945,000  $11.50   5.98 
Issued during the year  400,000   0.35   0.16 
Expired during the year  -   -   - 
Outstanding – December 31, 2023  12,345,000   11.22   4.93 
Exercisable – December 31, 2023  12,345,000  $11.22   4.93 

Convertible Note

As of December 31, 2022 and 2023, no convertible notes were issued or outstanding.

23.Segment and Geographic Information

The Company has two reportable segments that consist of PV operations by geographical region, U.S. Operations and European Operations. European operations represent our most significant business. The Chief Operating Decision-Maker (CODM) is the CEO and CFO of the Company (as a group).

The European Segment derives revenues from three sources, Country Renewable Programs, Green Certificates and Long-term Offtake Agreements. The US Segment revenues are derived from Long-term Offtake Agreements.

In evaluating financial performance, we focus on EBITDA, as a segment’s measure of profit or loss. EBITDA is earnings before interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization. As a trans-Atlantic independent solar power provider, we evaluate many of our capital expenditure decisions at a regional level. Accordingly, expenditures on property, plant and equipment and associated debt by segment are presented. The following tables present information related to the Company’s reportable segments.


The Company did not report segments in 2022 but are retrospectively reporting segments for 2022.

  Year Ended December 31, 
Revenue by Segment 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Europe $30,401  $29,368 
Europe – Discontinued Operations  (10,433)  (12,305)
United States  116   26 
Total for the period $20,084  $17,089 

  Year Ended December 31, 
Operating Loss by Segment 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Europe $(46,301) $(14,978)
United States  (23,163)  (3,470)
Total for the period $(69,464) $(18,448)

  Year Ended December 31, 
Assets by Segment 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Europe      
Fixed Assets $125,600  $141,862 
Other Assets  36,728   31,218 
Total for Europe $162,328  $173,080 
         
United States        
Fixed Assets $5,119  $599 
Other Assets  17,839   4,636 
Total for US $22,958  $5,235 

  Year Ended December 31, 
Liabilities by Segment 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Europe      
Debt $180,294  $155,896 
Other Liabilities  39,378   19,221 
Total for Europe $219,672  $175,117 
         
United States        
Debt $17,247  $2,793 
Other Liabilities  11,621   2,987 
Total for US $28,868  $5,780 

  Year Ended December 31, 
Revenue by Product Type 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Country Renewable Programs (FIT)      
Europe $8,356  $9,854 
US  -   - 
Total for the period $8,356  $9,854 
         
Green Certificates (FIT)        
Europe $10,677  $9,452 
US  -   - 
Total for the period $10,677  $9,452 
         
Energy Offtake Agreements (PPA)        
Europe $11,368  $10,062 
United States  116   26 
Total for the period $11,484  $10,088 


  Year Ended December 31, 
Geographic Information by Segment 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Europe      
Revenue $30,401  $29,368 
Revenue – Discontinued Operations $(10,433) $(12,305)
Long-lived assets $162,328  $173,080 
         
United States        
Revenue $116  $26 
Long-lived assets $22,958  $5,235 
         
Consolidated        
Revenue $30,517  $29,394 
Revenue – Discontinued Operations $(10,433) $(12,305)
Long-lived assets $185,286  $178,315 

  Year Ended December 31, 
EBITDA by Segment 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Europe $6,874  $6,537 
US  (4,560)  (3,370)
Total for the period $2,314  $3,167 

  Year Ended December 31, 
EBITDA Reconciliation to Net Loss 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Europe      
EBITDA $6,874  $6,537 
Depreciation, amortization, and accretion  (6,563)  (6,617)
Interest expense  (23,453)  (14,876)
Income taxes  (161)  (21)
Solis Bond Waiver  (11,766)  - 
Impairment loss recognized on the remeasurement to fair value less costs to sell  (11,232)  - 
Net Loss $(46,301) $(14,977)
         
US        
EBITDA $(4,560) $(3,370)
Depreciation, amortization, and accretion  (57)  (42)
Interest expense  (1,889)  (59)
Income taxes  (15)  - 
Valuation on FPA Asset  (16,642)  - 
Net Loss $(23,163) $(3,471)
Consolidated Net Loss $(69,464) $(18,448)

One customer represented 35% of continuing operational revenues during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to two customers that represented 29% for the year ended December 31, 2022. The revenues from these customers accounted for $11.4 million and $9.7 million of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 respectively.

Two customers represented 34% of the discontinued operational revenues during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to two customers that represented 42% for the year ended December 31, 2022. The revenues from these customers accounted for $11.2 million and $14.2 million of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 respectively.

Three customers represented 61% of the Company’s continuing operational accounts receivable for the year ended December 31, 2023. One customer represented 23% of the Company’s discontinued operational accounts receivable for the year ended December 31, 2023. The company did not have any customers who represented more than 10% of accounts receivable for the year ended December 31, 2022.


24.Income Tax Provision

Explanation of the relationship between tax expense and accounting profit:

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Income before taxes $(53,637) $(18,569)
Tax at the applicable rate of 21%  (11,263)  (3,899)
State income taxes, net of federal benefit  -   - 
Permanent items  5,852   1,439 
Tax effect of differences in foreign tax rates  2,622   2,046 
Other  302   (140)
Change in valuation allowance  2,502   554 
Actual income tax expense (benefit) $15  $- 

The tax effects of temporary difference and carryforwards that give rise to significant portions of the net deferred tax assets were as follows:

  Year Ended December 31, 
  2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Deferred tax assets:      
Net operating losses $1,329  $1,249 
Interest expense carryforward  4,343   1,948 
Lease liabilities  312   207 
Total deferred tax assets  5,984   3,404 
Deferred tax asset valuation allowance  (5,693)  (3,203)
Net deferred tax assets  291   201 
         
Deferred tax liabilities:        
Other  -   (1)
Right-of-use asset  (291)  (200)
Total deferred tax liabilities  (291)  (201)
Net deferred taxes $-  $- 

The Company’s valuation allowance increased during 2023 by $2.5 million, primarily due to the generation of net operating losses. Future realization of the tax benefits of existing temporary differences and net operating loss carryforwards ultimately depends on the existence of sufficient taxable income within the carryforward period.

Deferred tax assets have not been recognized in respect of these losses as they may not be used to offset taxable profits elsewhere in the Company and there are no other tax planning opportunities or other evidence of recoverability in the near future. Pursuant to US Internal Revenue Code Section 382, the Company’s US net operating losses may be limited to a statutorily determined annual amount if the Company experienced an ownership change. The Company is in the process of analyzing whether any changes to its capital structure resulted in an ownership change, and whether US net operating losses would be restricted in use as a result thereof.

The Company also had foreign net operating loss carryovers of $3.9 million, which includes net operating loss carryovers of $2.4 million and $51 thousand in Ireland and Luxembourg, respectively. The net operating loss carryover in Luxembourg $42 thousand expires in 2040. The remaining foreign net operating loss carryovers have unlimited carryforward periods. The Company is in the process of analyzing whether any changes to its capital structure resulted in an ownership change, and whether US net operating losses would be restricted in use as a result thereof.

Future realization of the tax benefits of existing temporary differences and net operating loss carryforwards ultimately depends on the existence of sufficient taxable income within the carryforward period. As of December 31, 2023, the Company performed an evaluation to determine whether a valuation allowance was needed. The Company considered all available evidence, both positive and negative, which included the results of operations for the current and preceding years. The Company determined that it was not possible to reasonably quantify future taxable income and determined that it is more likely than not that all of it deferred tax assets will not be realized. Accordingly, the Company maintained a full valuation allowance as of December 31, 2023.


25.Related Party

Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognized when the Company becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

AEG:

Alternus Energy Group Plc (“AEG”) was an eighty percent (80%) shareholder of the Company as of December 22, 2023 and as of December 31, 2023. On October 12, 2022 AEG entered into the Business Combination Agreement with the Company and Clean Earth Acquisition Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”) which closed on December 22, 2023 (See FN 1).In conjunction with the Business Combination Agreement, AEG also entered into an Investor Rights Agreement. The Investor Rights Agreement provides for certain governance requirements, registration rights and a lockup agreement under which AEG is restricted from selling its shares in the Company for one year, or until December 22, 2024, other than 1,437,500 shares after March 22, 2024 and an additional 1,437,500 after June 22, 2024, provided the shares are registered under a registration statement on SEC Form S-1.

Sponsor:

Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor LLC (“Sponsor”) was the founder and controlling shareholder of the Company during the year ended December 31, 2023 and up to the Business Combination Closing Date, December 22, 2023, when Sponsor became an 11% shareholder of the Company. The Sponsor entered into the Business Combination Agreement with the Company and AEG, and also entered into the Investor Rights Agreement and the Sponsor Support Agreement, The Sponsor agreed, pursuant to the Sponsor Support Agreement, to vote all of their shares of capital stock (and any securities convertible or exercisable into capital stock) in favor of the approval of the Business Combination and against any other transactions, as well as to waive its redemption rights, agree to not transfer securities of the Company, and waive any anti-dilution or similar protections with respect to founder shares.

In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with a business combination, the Sponsor initially loaned $350,000 to the Company, in accordance with an unsecured promissory note (the “WC Note”) issued on September 26, 2022, under which up to $850,000 may be advanced. On August 8, 2023, the Company issued an additional $650,000 promissory note to the Sponsor to fund the Second WC Note. The Second WC Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the date which the Company consummates its initial Business Combination. Both of these notes were settled on the Business Combination closing date in exchange for 225,000 shares of the Company’s common stock.

On December 18, 2023, the Sponsor entered into a non-redemption agreement (the “NRA”) with the Company and the investor named therein (the “Investor”). Pursuant to the terms of the NRA, among other things, the Investor agreed to withdraw redemptions in connection with the Business Combination on any Common Stock, held by the Investor and to purchase additional Common Stock from redeeming stockholders of the Company such that the Investor will be the holder of no fewer than 277,778 shares of Common Stock.

D&O:

In connection with the Business Combination Closing, the Company entered into indemnification agreements (each, an “Indemnification Agreement”) with its directors and executive officers. Each Indemnification Agreement provides for indemnification and advancements by the Company of certain expenses and costs if the basis of the indemnitee’s involvement in a matter was by reason of the fact that the indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or was serving at the Company’s request in an official capacity for another entity, in each case to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware.


Consulting Agreements:

On May 15, 2021 VestCo Corp., a company owned and controlled by our Chairman and CEO, Vincent Browne, entered into a Professional Consulting Agreement with one of our US subsidiaries under which it pays VestCo a monthly fee of $16,000. This agreement has a five year initial term and automatically extends for additional one year terms unless otherwise unilaterally terminated.

In July of 2023, John Thomas, one of our directors, entered into a Consulting Services Agreement with one of our US subsidiaries under which it pays Mr. Thomas a monthly fee of $11,000. This agreement has a five year initial term and automatically extends for additional one year terms unless otherwise unilaterally terminated.

  Year Ended December 31, 
Transactions with Directors 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Loan from Vestco, a related party to Board member and CEO Vincent Browne $210  $- 
Final payment made to Vestco on November 16, 2023  (210)  - 
Total $-  $- 

  Year Ended December 31, 
Director’s remuneration 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Remuneration in respect of services as directors $606  $315 
Remuneration in respect to long term incentive schemes  -   - 
Total $606  $315 

26.Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated subsequent events that have occurred through April 10, 2024, which is the date the financial statements were available to be issued and has determined that there were no subsequent events that required recognition or disclosure in the financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2023, except as disclosed below.

On January 3, 2024, Solis’, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and related party, bondholders formally approved an extension of the temporary waivers and the maturity date of the Solis Bonds until January 31, 2024, with the right to further extend to February 29, 2024 at the Solis Bond trustee’s discretion. On January 30, 2024, the Bond Trustee exercised its right to extend the waivers and the maturity date of the Bond Terms to February 29, 2024. On January 31, 2024, Solis provided notice to the trustee of the Solis Bonds of its intent to exercise call options to repay €59.1 million (approximately $69.5 million) of amounts outstanding under the bonds. On February 14, 2024, Solis exercised its call options. On February 26, 2024, the Solis Bond Trustee granted a technical extension to the Solis Bond in order for Solis to exercise its call option, and Solis provided notice to the trustee of its intent to exercise call options to repay €5.7 million (approximately $6.2 million) of amounts outstanding under the bonds. The repayment was completed on March 12, 2024.


Also on February 26, 2024, Solis and a representative group of the bondholders agreed to an additional extension of the temporary waivers and the maturity date of the Solis Bond until April 30, 2024, with the right to further extend to May 31, 2024 at the Bond Trustee’s discretion, and thereafter on a month to month basis to November 29, 2024 at the Bond Trustee’s discretion and approval from a majority of bondholders. This was formally approved by the bondholders on March 12, 2024.

On January 3, 2024, ALT US 08 LLC was incorporated in Delaware as a wholly owned subsidiary of Alternus Energy Americas Inc.

Also on January 3, 2024, a convertible note holder converted all of the principal and accrued interest owed under the note, equal to $1.0 million, into 1,320,000 shares of restricted common stock.

On January 11, 2024, we issued 7,765,000 shares of restricted common stock valued at $1.23 per share to Nordic ESG and Impact Fund SCSp (“Nordic ESG”) has settlement of AEG’s €8m note. This resulted in Nordic ESG becoming a related party and resulted in a decrease of AEG’s ownership of the Company from 80% to 72%.

On January 16, 2024 Solis entered into a sale and purchase agreement to sell one operating park in the Netherlands, Rilland. The sale closed on February 21, 2024 and Solis received EUR 6.5 million (approximately $7 million). The proceeds were used to pay down the Solis Bond.

Also on January 16, 2024, AEG MH 04 Limited was incorporated in Ireland as a wholly owned subsidiary of Alternus Lux 01 S.a.r.l.

On January 17, 2024, a subsidiary of the Company known as AEG JD 03 Limited changed its name to Alternus Europe Limited.

On January 19, 2024, all operating parks in Poland were sold by Solis in exchange for EUR 54.4 million (approximately $59.1 million). The proceeds were used to pay down the Solis Bond.

On January 23, 2024 we issued 81,301 shares of restricted common stock valued at $1.01 per share to a third party consultant in exchange for services.

On February 5, 2024 we amended and restated a promissory note originally issued October 3, 2023, such that the outstanding amount owed was increased from $3.2 million to $3.55 million and the maturity date was extended to February 28, 2025; we also issued to the noteholder warrants to purchase up to 90,000 shares of restricted common stock, exercisable at $0.01 per share having a 5 year term and fair value of $86 thousand. 

On February 20, 2024 we issued 100,000 shares of restricted common stock valued at $0.35 per share to a third party consultant in exchange for services.

On March 19, 2024 we entered into a settlement agreement with Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor, LLC , a related party, and SPAC Sponsor Capital Access (“SCA”) pursuant to which, among other things, we agreed to repay Sponsor’s debt to SCA, related to the CLIN SPAC entity extensions, in the amount of $1.4 million and issue 225,000 shares of restricted common stock valued at $0.47 per share to SCA.

On March 20, 2024, we received a letter from The Nasdaq Stock Market notifying us that, because the closing bid price for our common stock has been below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days, our common stock no longer complies with the minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market. We intend to actively monitor the bid price for our common stock between now and September 16, 2024 and will consider available options to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement.


Item 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSUREChanges in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosures

None.

On December 22, 2023, the Company dismissed BDO USA P.C. (“BDO”), CLIN’s independent registered public accounting firm prior to the Business Combination, as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, effective as of December 22, 2023. The Audit Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board approved the dismissal of BDO and intends to appoint a new independent registered public accounting firm for the Company for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. The Company engaged Mazars USA as it’s auditor for 2023. The Company has not had any disagreements with its accountants on accounting and financial statements.

Item 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURESControls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Disclosure

Our disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures designed to ensure that the information we are required to be discloseddisclose in our reports filedthat we file or submittedsubmit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC'sSEC rules and forms. Disclosure controlsforms, and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management includingto allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Our management, with the participation and supervision of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, have evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this annual report. Based on such evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer (together,have concluded that as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were not, in design and operation, effective at a reasonable assurance level due to the “Certifying Officers”),material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting described below.

A material weakness is a deficiency, or persons performing similar functions,combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company’s annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

The Company has identified the following material weakness in internal control over the financial reporting process.

The Company did not design and maintain an effective control environment commensurate with its financial reporting requirements. Specifically, the Company lacked a sufficient number of professionals with an appropriate level of accounting knowledge, training and experience to appropriately analyze, record and disclose accounting matters timely and accurately. Additionally, the lack of a sufficient number of professionals resulted in an inability to consistently establish appropriate authorities and responsibilities in pursuit of its financial reporting objectives, as demonstrated by, among other things, insufficient segregation of duties in its finance and accounting functions.

To the extent reasonably possible given our limited resources, we intend to take measures to cure the aforementioned weaknesses, including, but not limited to, increasing the capacity of our qualified financial personnel to ensure that accounting policies and procedures are consistent across the organization and that we have adequate controls over our Exchange Act reporting disclosures.


The Company did not design and maintain effective controls for communicating and sharing information within the Company. Specifically, the accounting and finance departments were not consistently provided the complete and adequate support, documentation, and information including the nature of relationships with certain counterparties to record transactions within the financial statements timely, completely and accurately.

The accounting group has implemented a monthly review with the appropriate responsible parties within the Company, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Underreview and confirm that the supervisionaccounting department has received the proper documentation for various transactions.

The Company did not design and maintain effective controls for transactions between related parties and affiliates recorded between itself, the parent company and its subsidiaries. Specifically, the accounting and finance departments lacked formalized documentation establishing intercompany due to/from balances and did not periodically assess the collectability of such outstanding balances.

As part of the new despac structure, the Company is in the process of formalizing documentation related to intercompany due to/from within the new organization structure, and with Alternus Energy, Inc, which is the participationmajority shareholder.

The Company did not design and maintain effective controls to address the identification of and accounting for certain non-routine, unusual or complex transactions, including the proper application of U.S. GAAP to such transactions. Specifically, the Company did not design and maintain controls to timely identify and account for warrant instruments related to certain promissory notes, forward purchase agreements, debt modifications, and impairment of discontinued operations.

The Company will have third party experts review non routine, unusual and complex transactions in order to have the required expertise to confirm the proper accounting treatment.

The Company did not design and maintain formal accounting policies, procedures and controls to achieve complete, accurate and timely financial accounting, reporting and disclosures, including controls over the period-end financial reporting process addressing areas including financial statement and footnote presentation and disclosures, account reconciliations and journal entries, including segregation of duties, assessing the reliability of reports and spreadsheets used in controls, and the timely identification and accounting for cut-off of expenditures.

The Company is working with an external consultant to review and assess the Company’s current internal control structure to improve the overall effectiveness of ourthe control environment. In addition, the Company is investing in third party software to improve the accuracy, review, and approval of account reconciliations and other accounting functions. Also, the Company is investing in third party software to improve the process around the completion of the financial statements.

The material weaknesses described above could result in a material misstatement to substantially all of the Company’s accounts or disclosures. These material weaknesses leads management including our Certifying Officers, we carried outto conclude that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are not effective to give reasonable assurance that the information required to be disclosed in reports that the Company files under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported as and when required.


Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting.

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Management utilized the criteria established in the Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) to conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a_15(e) and 15d_15(e) under the Exchange Act as of December 31, 2022. Based on the foregoing, our Certifying Officers concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

We do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all instances of fraud. Disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and procedures are met. Further, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all disclosure controls and procedures, no evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance that we have detected all our control deficiencies and instances of fraud, if any. The design of disclosure controls and procedures also is based partly on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.

Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting

This Annual Report does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have identified the material weaknesses described above in our internal controls over financial reporting and have therefore concluded that our internal controls over financial reporting are not effective at the reasonable assurance level.

As stated above, a material weakness is a deficiency, or an attestation reportcombination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company’s registered public accounting firm due toannual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a transition period established by rules of the SEC for newly public companies.timely basis.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during the most recent fiscal quarterthree months ended December 31, 2023 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Item 9B. OTHER INFORMATIONOther Information.

None.

Item 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONSDisclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections

None.

Not applicable.


49

Table of Contents

PART III

Item 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.

Directors, and Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Our

The following table sets forth the name, age and position of each of the directors and executive officers areof Alternus as follows:of April 15, 2024:

Name
Age
Position(s)

Name

Vincent Browne

Age

56

Title

Aaron T. Ratner

47

Chief Executive Officer

Martha F. Ross

60

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer

Nicholas Parker

62

Chairman of the Board of Directors

Candice Beaumont

Joseph E. Duey

48

51

Director

Chief Financial Officer

Bradford Allen

Taliesin Durant

65

52

Director

Chief Legal Officer

Michael R. Vahrenkamp

Gary Swan

57

54

Director

Chief Technical Officer
David Farrell

43

Chief Commercial Officer
Larry Farrell53Chief Information Officer
Gita Shah40Chief Sustainability Officer
John P. Thomas71Director
Aaron T. Ratner49Director
Nicholas Parker63Director
Tone Bjornov62Director
Mohammed Javade Chaudhri71Director
Candice Beaumont50Director

Executive Officers

Aaron T. Ratner Vincent Browne, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Vincent Browne is our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Brown brings a wealth of experience with his extensive background of over 20 years in senior and c-suite level management in the areas of finance and operations, including M&A, project finance and capital market transactions across listed and private companies.

From 2017 to present Mr. Browne also serves as AEG’s Chairman and CEO. From July of 2015 until September of 2017, he served as AEG’s CFO and as a Director. Since December of 2016, Mr. Browne has also served as a director of all of our subsidiaries except our Italian subsidiaries. Mr. Browne holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) degree from University College Dublin and is a regular contributor in commercialization of research and technology projects with the Technology and Enterprise Campus at Trinity College Dublin.

We believe Mr. Browne is qualified to serve as a director on our board in light of his role as our Chief Executive Officer, his previous experience as Chief Executive Officer of AEG, the management perspective he brings to board deliberations and his extensive management experience.

Joseph Duey, Chief Financial Officer

Joseph Duey is serving as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Duey has over 12 years of experience in the development, acquisition, construction and financing of renewable energy assets including key operating management, finance and audit functions and has held CFO roles with various independent power producers focused on developing, acquiring, owning, and operating clean energy generation.

From 2018 to present, Mr. Duey also serves as AEG’s CFO. Prior to this, Mr. Duey served as Chief Financial Officer of Helios Energy Group from August of 2016 through September 2018, an independent power producer focused on developing, acquiring, owning, and operating clean energy generation. From January 2012 through July 2016, Mr. Duey served as Chief Financial Officer of Green States Energy, Inc., an IPP focused on developing, acquiring, owning, and operating clean energy generation. From June 2008 to December 2011, Mr. Duey was the Controller for Power Partners Group, a division of MasTec (MTZ), which installed over 3.5 GWp of wind assets in the United States as the electrical contractor over a 7-year period. Mr. Duey was Vice-President of Finance and General Manager of Allumination Filmworks from September 2005 to June 2008. Mr. Duey joined the Goodrich Corporation in August 2002 to September 2005, where he was the Manager of Consolidations Planning and Analysis from January 2002 to August 2002, he was the Controller at Bran and Luebbe a division of the SPX Corporation (SPX). Mr. Duey’s early career experience was at Arthur Andersen, where he performed external, internal, and operational audits for Fortune 1000 Companies. Mr. Duey received an MBA from the University of Illinois and achieved CPA, CMA, CIA, and CFM designations.


Taliesin Durant, Chief Legal Officer

Taliesin Durant is our Chief Legal Officer. Ms. Durant has spent over 20 years serving in senior operating roles in a variety of US corporate and public enterprises.

Prior to Ms. Durant’s appointment as our Chief Legal Officer, she served as AEG’s CLO since 2018. Prior to that, she served as President of a boutique legal services firm, DART Business Services LLC, which she founded in March 2010 to provide general and securities legal services to small public companies. Prior to founding DART, from October 2008 to February 2010, she was the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Flint Telecom Group, Inc. Prior to this, from June 2001 to September 2008, Ms. Durant served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Semotus Solutions Inc. Ms. Durant graduated with a BA in Economics from Connecticut College. Ms. Durant is a member of the California State Bar Association, having earned a Juris Doctor degree at Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College where she was associate editor of the Environmental Law Review and completed her final year of law school at Santa Clara University School of Law.

Gary Swan, Chief Technical Officer

Gary Swan is our Chief Technical Officer. Mr. Swan comes with over 30 years of construction experience working on the design, construction, operation and sale of renewable energy assets across multiple continents.

Prior to Mr. Swan’s appointment as our Chief Technical Officer, he served as AEG’s CTO since 2021. Prior to AEG, Mr. Ratner bringsSwan was previously responsible for the construction of several large-scale wind and solar projects owned by Actis Energy portfolio companies AELA Energia (Chile) and BioTherm Energy (Africa). Prior to this, Mr. Swan spent 6 years at Mainstream Renewable Power as Head of Construction and Engineering Manager from July 2012 to March 2018, where he was responsible for delivering wind and solar projects through the construction phase into operation across Europe, North America, Latin America and Africa.

Mr. Swan holds a BAI in Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering from Trinity College Dublin and an MSc in Project Management from the University College Dublin Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.

David Farrell, Chief Commercial Officer

David Farrell is our Chief Commercial Officer. Mr. Farrell has over 20 years’ experience across capital markets, project finance, infrastructure and renewables, and the finance industry.

Prior to Mr. Farrell’s appointment as our Chief Commercial Officer, he served as AEG’s CCO since January 2022. Prior to AEG, from November of 2019 to January of 2022, Mr. Farrell was a Director of Corporate Finance at advisory firm Grant Thornton. Additional previous roles include Director of Mergers & Acquisitions at the investment bank, Duff & Phelps, from September of 2016 to November of 2019, Regional Head of Debt Structuring at the accountancy firm FGS, and various management roles in corporate, institutional, and commercial banking, together with several advisory board roles. In these roles, Mr. Farrell acquired extensive experience on both sides of corporate, real estate, and infrastructure and renewable financings along with numerous M&A transactions.

Mr. Farrell holds a BBS degree in economics and finance from the University of Limerick, an Associateship of Chartered Institute of Management Accounting, CIMA professional qualification from the Dublin Business School, and has a diploma in Corporate Financing from the Chartered Accountant Ireland.

Larry Farrell, Chief Information Officer

Larry Farrell is our Chief Information Officer. He has over 20 years of experience in senior leadership roles across production, operations and service delivery management, in both startups and Fortune 500 companies.

Prior to Mr. Farrell’s appointment as our Chief Information Officer, he served as AEG’s CIO since 2019. Prior to AEG, from March of 2015 to January of 2019, Mr. Farrell was Senior Director of Global Operations Application Support for Xerox, consolidating and developing support systems and infrastructure globally. From October 2012 to March of 2015 he was Director of Global Service Delivery.

Mr. Farrell is ITIL and Lean Six Sigma certified and studied Mechanical Engineering at Dundalk Institute of Technology and holds Diplomas in Management from Dublin Business School and Printing and Graphic Communication from Technological University, Dublin.


Gita Shah, Chief Sustainability Officer

Gita Shah is our Chief Sustainability Officer. Prior to Ms. Shah’s appointment as our Chief Sustainability Officer she was the CSO for AEG since 2021, where she joined in 2017 as the Strategic Planning Manager. Prior to joining AEG, Ms. Shah was a Development Executive in Stream Bioenergy, an Irish renewable energy company.

Ms. Shah holds a BSc in Spatial Planning and Environmental Management from Technological University, Dublin. She has studied at the Innovation Academy in University College Dublin and recently completed a course in Business Sustainability Management from Cambridge Online University.

Non-Employee Directors

Aaron T. Ratner, Director

Aaron T. Ratner is a member of our board of directors. Prior to serving on our board, Mr. Ratner was the Chief Executive Officer of Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp, our pre-combination listed entity.

Along with serving on our board, Mr. Ratner is also the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Vectr Carbon Partners, an early-stage global ClimateTech venture capital fund based in Hong Kong, as well as Co-Founder of CC Insurance Solutions, a climate insurance broker formerly known as Climate Risk Partners. Since November 2022 Mr. Ratner is also on the board of directors of Burcon NutraScience (TSK: BU), a plant protein technology company, and since October 2023 is on the board of directors of Toledo Solar, a cadmium telluride solar panel manufacturer. Additionally, since January 2022 Mr. Ratner is an Operating Partner of Nexus PMG, an engineering and project development services company, and since April 2020 is Managing Director of Mighty Sky LLC, a private investment holding company.

Mr. Ratner has over 20 years of domestic and international investment and development experience. Since 2022 he has been an Advisor to Cross River Infrastructure Partners.advisory experience, including 8 years in Asia, focusing on venture capital, climate technology, infrastructure investing, energy, and agriculture. From July 2020 to January 2022, Mr. Ratner was the President of Cross River Infrastructure Partners, LLC, a platform of development companies deploying climate technologytechnologies into sustainable infrastructure projects across carbon capture, hydrogen, advanced small modularSMR nuclear, energy, and sustainable alternative protein.protein, with a focus on first and early commercial projects. From November 20172016 to present,2020, Mr. Ratner has served aswas a Managing Director and the ClimateTechHead of Origination at Ultra Capital, a sustainable infrastructure project finance fund manager. At Ultra, he held seats on the Investment Committee and the Board of Directors. Also from 2016 to November 2022 he was the Venture Partner at Vectr Ventures, (“Vectr”), a Hong Kong-basedclimate tech venture capital investment fund manager. While at Vectr he has led investments in carbon utilization and transformation, pollination technology and sustainable protein production. From June 2016 to April 2020, fund.

Mr. Ratner was the Director and then the Managing Director, and Head of Origination, of Ultra Capital LLC, a sustainable infrastructure project finance investment fund manager. During that time, he led the firm’s activity in renewable natural gas and agriculture waste-to-value. From November 2014 to June 2016, Mr. Ratner was a Developer in Residence at Generate Capital, a sustainable infrastructure investment company based in San Francisco. While at Generate Capital he led investments in renewable natural gas and organic carbon production. From October 2012 to December 2014, Mr. Ratner was the President of i2 Capital Group, an impact investment merchant bank, where he worked on land conservation and mitigation banking, including the Sweetwater River Conservancy, at the time one of the largest mitigation banking projects in the United States. From May 2008 to December 2014, Mr. Ratner was a Managing Partner of Laguna Capital Partners, a principal investment and advisory firm based in Los Angeles, where he focused on technology and consumer startups. From 2000 to 2005, Mr. Ratner was an Associate with Simon Murray & Company, a multi-strategy investment firm based in Hong Kong, SAR. Mr. Ratner began his career in 1999 as an analyst in the Technology Investment Banking Group at Merrill Lynch in Palo Alto, California, where he worked on financings for Internet Capital Group, Webvan and other early internet companies. Mr. Ratner serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Aries I Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ: RAM). Mr. Ratner holds a B.A. degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master’s of Science in Management fromattended the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Martha F. Ross has served as our Chief Financial OfficerBusiness and Chief Operating Officer since 2021. Ms. Ross brings over 25 years of global financial, strategic growth and accounting leadership experience in tech, manufacturing, communications, banking and electric power generation, including expertise in various government-funded and regulated industries. Her career expertise is helping organizations scale through high growth and high change, whether organically, through mergers and acquisitions or significant business model changes involving outside investors. From January 2021 to present, she has been founder and Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance Knowledge LLC, specializing in chief financial officer, chief operations officer and business process improvement consulting. From May 2017 to October 2020, Ms. Ross served as Chief Financial Officer for the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, with annual revenues over $540 million, where she drove strategies aimed at safeguarding property, investments and funds to improve governance for more than 20,000 residents. She also led operational and programmatic finance strategy, focusing on infrastructure modernization, to meet the needs of the fastest growing metropolitan city in America. From 2012 to 2016, Ms. Ross served as Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Central Region, for Hill and Knowlton Strategies, a subsidiary of WPP plc (NYSE: WPP), where she oversaw reporting to the parent company for their public reporting and streamlining and strengthening accounting, financial reporting, Sarbanes-Oxley and internal audit controls. From 2004 to 2011 she was Business Unit Manager for Wholesale Power Services and Shared Servicescompleted his undergraduate education at the Lower Colorado River Authority, supporting $1.2 billion in revenuesUniversity of Pennsylvania (Economics (Honors) and $4.7 billion in assets, including budgetingInternational Relations) and capital planning for electric power generation. Previously, she held various financial leadership roles while working at Dell Inc. for nine years while it was publicly traded on NASDAQ, during which time she was responsible for global commercial account revenues, working with external auditors and financial reporting. She started her career in bankingJochi University, Tokyo.

We believe Mr. Ratner is qualified to serve as a commercial lenderdirector on our board in a holdinglight of his previous investment/entrepreneurial experience that he brings to board deliberations, and his extensive experience with advisory and clean energy projects.

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Nicholas Parker, Director

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company since acquired by Chase. Ms. RossNicholas Parker is a Texas Certified Public Accountant based in Austin, is an active member of the American Instituteour board of Certified Public Accountants and is designated as an International Mergers and Acquisitions Professional by the Institute for Mergers Acquisitions and Alliances. She attended The University of Texas and obtained both a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in Accounting and a Master’s in Science in Technology Commercialization.

Nicholas Parker has served asdirectors. Prior to serving on our Chairman of the Boardboard, since 2021. Since 2002, Mr. Parker has served as Chairman of Toronto-based Parker Venture Management Inc., a private company through which he controls investments in, and advises on, clean and smart technology businesses and platforms globally, including previously serving as chairman of UGE International LTD (TSX:UGE), a public solar renewable energy development company.

From January 2014 to September 2019, Mr. Parker served as Managing Partner of Global Acceleration Partners Inc., an Asia-focused technology cooperation platform in the energy, environment and water sectors. From 2002 to 2013, Mr. Parker was Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Cleantech Group LLC, a San Francisco-based research and consulting and convening firm that created and served the worldwide cleantech innovation community, which he successfully sold in 2009, with partial turnout through 2011. During his tenure at Cleantech Group, its startup clients raised over $6 billion from investors. From 1999 to 2004, Mr. Parker was Co-founder and Principal of Emerald Technology Ventures, a leading trans-Atlantic venture manager focused on energy and resource productivity. During this period, Mr. Parker led an investment in Evergreen Solar, which in 2000 became the second solar initial public offering to be listed on NASDAQ.Nasdaq. From 1996 to 1999, Mr. Parker was Senior Vice President of Environmental Capital Corporation, a Boston-based investment company majority-owned by Maurice Strong and his family. Mr. Parker started his business career in 1988 as Co-founder and President of The Delphi Group, one of Canada’s leading environmental strategy firms, through which he built and sold its London-based corporate finance arm.


Mr. Parker holds a B.A. Hons in Technology Studies from Carleton University and a Master’s in Business Administration in International Business from the CASS Business School, London.

We believe that Mr. Parker is qualified to serve as a director becauseon our board in light of his deep industry expertise and his experience as chairman of both public and private companies.extensive management experience.

Independent Directors

Candice Beaumont, Director has served as

Candice Beaumont is a member of our board of directorsdirectors. Prior to serving on our board, Ms. Beaumont has served since 2021.2016 as Chairman of the Salsano Group, a Panama based family office and conglomerate invested in private equity, and was a member of the Board of Directors of Clean Earth Acquisition Corp., our pre-combination entity, as well as Israel Acquisitions Corp a special purpose acquisition company that completed its IPO in January 2023. (Nasdaq: ISRLU)

From 2003 to present, Ms. Beaumont has served as Chief Investment Officer of L Investments, a single-family office invested in public and private equity. Beginning in October 2020,March 2021 Ms. Beaumont began to serve as an Advisor to Athena Technology Acquisition Corp (NYSE: ATHN.U) and as Advisor of Springwater Special Situations Corp. (NASDAQ: SWSS)SWSSU), a special purpose acquisition company formed to effectuate a merger or similar transaction with one or more businesses, which completed its initial public offering on August 25, 2021 and is currently searching for an initial business combination. Ms. Beaumont has served since 2016 as Chairman of the Salsano Group, a Panama based family office and conglomerate invested in private equity. From 2003 to present, Ms. Beaumont has served as Chief Investment Officer of L Investments, a single family office invested in public and private equity. She speaks at numerous family office and investment conferences globally, including the Stanford University Graduate School of Business Global Investor’s Forum, is a NYU Stern Family Office Council member serving on the Steering Committee, and is an Advisory Board member of the Family Office Association.2021. From 2012 to 2014, Ms. Beaumont was a member of the Board of Directors of I2BF Venture Fund II, a Dubai Financial Services Authority regulated clean tech venture capital firm with offices in Dubai, New York and London. Ms. Beaumont remains committed to community and philanthropic causes and serves on the International Council of Advisors for Global Dignity, a charity founded by Crown Prince Haakon of Norway to foster global respect and dignity across all borders, genders, religions, and races. Ms. Beaumont was part of the Milken Young Leaders Circle and is a member of the Milken Institute, as well as an active member of Young Presidents Organization. She started her career in Corporate Finance at Merrill Lynch in 1996 and worked as an investment banker at Lazard Frères from 1997 to 1999, during which time she executed over $20 billion of merger and acquisition advisory assignments. Ms. Beaumont also worked in private equity at Argonaut Capital from 1999 to 2001.

Due to her background, Ms. Beaumont speaks at numerous family office and investment conferences globally, including the Stanford University Graduate School of Business Global Investor’s Forum, while being a NYU Stern Family Office Council member serving on its Steering Committee, and is an Advisory Board member of the Family Office Association.

Ms. Beaumont obtained a Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of Miami, graduating first in her class with a major of International Finance & Marketing. Ms. Beaumont was Captain of the University of Miami varsity tennis team, where she earned Academic All American honors, and is also a former world-ranked professional tennis player. She completed Global Leadership & Public Policy for the 21st21st Century at Harvard Kennedy School in 2015. Ms. Beaumont was honored by Trusted Insight as one of the Top 30 Family Office Chief Investment Officers in 2017 and as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2014. Ms. Beaumont has a broad network of relationships, including investors in private and public equity, leading venture capital firms with compelling pre-initial public offering companies and has expertise sourcing deals, evaluating private and public businesses, and conducting detailed due diligence and risk management, allmanagement.

We believe Ms Beaumont is qualified to serve as a director on our board in light of which makes her an important partextensive business experience.

John P. Thomas, Director

Mr. Thomas is a member of our board of directors. From February 2018 to present Mr. Thomas also serves as a director of AEG.

Bradford Allen 

Prior to joining our board, Mr. Thomas has served in senior operating and management roles in a variety of corporate and public enterprises for over 35 years. From April 2011 to July 2022 he was Director and Managing Partner of Doonbeg Partners, LLC, which he co-founded. Prior to co-founding the Doonbeg, he was a founding partner of Pfife Hudson Group, from March 2003 to November 2010, a boutique investment bank. Prior to that, Mr. Thomas spent 12 years at the Grundstad Maritime Group, a Norwegian holding company with various maritime assets including product tankers and a cruise line, culminating as CEO and President of the Group. He joined Grundstad from Northrop Corporation, where from February 1984 to June 1988 he was responsible for Northrop’s corporate counter trade and offset operations worldwide. Before joining Northrop, Mr. Thomas was Owners Representative for West Africa and Resident Managing Director in Nigeria for Farrell Lines, a US Flag shipping company. He began his African experience as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in The Gambia, West Africa and later transferred to Micronesia.


Mr. Thomas graduated with a BS in Business Administration from Manhattan College.

We believe that Mr. Thomas is qualified to serve as a director on our board due to his service in senior operating and management roles of other companies.

Tone Bjornov, Director

Ms. Bjørnov is a member of our board of directors, prior to which she was as a member of AEG’ Board of Directors since August 2021. Mr. Allen

Since 2008 she has worked as a portfolio non-executive director in several Scandinavian companies across various sectors from banks and financial institutions to shipping, real estate, media, biotech and aquaculture. She has chaired multiple Boards and Board committees including risk, audit and nomination in European listed companies. Present board positions include Atlantic Sapphire ASA (Audit Committee Chair), Aqua Bio Technology ASA, Filmparken AS (Chair), Storyline Studios AS (Chair), Hausmann AS (Chair), Dugnad.ai.AS (Chair), TF Bank AB (Audit Committee Chair), Omsorgsbygg KF (Deputy Chair) and Varme og Bad AS (Credit Committee Chair).

Ms. Bjørnov received her undergraduate degree from the University of Oslo and an undergraduate degree from BI Norwegian Business School and resides in Oslo.

We believe that Ms. Bjornov is qualified to be a seasoned financier, entrepreneur, and business executive, having spent the past 35 years in senior roles at various firms in New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong. Mr. Allen’s experience in finance covers private wealth management, investment banking and venture capital, and has involved fund raising as well as mergers and acquisitions. As an entrepreneur, Mr. Allen has founded, funded and successfully exited three companies — BuyGolf.com, eFederal and NextVR — in the technology, e-commerce and enterprise software sectors. From August 2020 to present,

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Mr. Allen has served as Executive Chairman of Vaunt Inc., a leading sports and entertainment intellectual property development company. At Vaunt Inc., he is responsible for corporate strategy, strategic partnerships and all financings of the company. From September 2020 to July 2022, Mr. Allen serveddirector on theour board directors of Duddell Street Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company that successfully merged with FiscalNote Holdings, Inc. Mr. Allen previously served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vaunt Inc. from August 2018 to August 2020. Mr. Allen co-founded a leading virtual reality technology company, NextVR, which was acquired in 2020 by Apple Inc. From May 2014 to January 2018, he served as Executive Chairman of NextVR. Mr. Allen graduated from Villanova University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Mr. Allen’s experience in founding, operating and managing companies of varying size and complexity, and his extensivegiven her vast experience in the areas of finance, strategy and mergers and acquisitions enable him to provide valuable expertise to our board of directors.financial industry.

Michael R. Vahrenkamp Mohammed Javade Chaudhri, Directorhas served as

Mohammed Javade Chaudhri is a member of our board of directors since 2021. Mr. Vahrenkamp brings over 25 years of international technology and environmental services experience as a company builder and developer, a cultural relationship builder and innovative solution finder. From August 2018 to April 2020, he served as a Co-founder of ecoworks GmbH, where he started and developed a construction solution provider targeting the refurbishment of multifamily houses in Germany to a net zero standard using a serial pre-production approach.directors. Prior to ecoworks GmbH,serving on our board, Mr. Chaudhri was on the board of AEG since February of 2022.

Based in Washington D.C. and currently Of Counsel with Jones Day, he advises companies on domestic and international mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances as well as corporate governance, compliance, and internal investigations. From September of 2013 to 2019 he was the partner-in-charge of Jones Day’s Middle East & Africa region. Prior to that, from December 2015October of 2003 to April 2018, Mr. Vahrenkamp worked as an investment manager withSeptember of 2013, he was the Green Growth Fund 1General Counsel for Sempra Energy and Gateway Computers. He serves on financial restructuring towards triple bottom line results (focusing on socialseveral non-profit and environmental concerns), international expansion, cultural bridging and team efficiency. From 2010 to 2015, as Chief Executive Officer of STEAG Energy Services do Brasil, he developed the local service company into an established regional service provider and project developer with a strategic shift towards renewable energies, especially large biomass, industry scale cogeneration and small solar and hydro energy generation plants in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Previously, from 2004 until 2009, Mr. Vahrenkamp ran his own investment and service company, econetworks ltda., where he invested as an angel and seed investor in technology companies and projects, and where he led the M&A and post-merger integration process of two industrial water service companies into the FOXX HAZTECH Group. From 1997 to 2003, as Chief Technology Officer and Chief Executive Officer of Globaststar do Brasil, an EADS and LORAL Space company, he implemented and operated a low-earth-orbit satellite telephony and data network services in Brazil. Mr. Vahrenkamp is based in Berlin, Germany, where he holds a Master’s of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering fromadvisory boards, including the University of Oklahoma,California Global Policy & Strategy School, the US-Asia Institute, the Institute of the Americas, Asian-Americans Advancing Justice, Loyola School of Law Rule of Law Development, The Rumie Initiative, International Development Law of Organization, Friends of Gatoto, the Yale International Alliance, and isthe San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.


Mr. Chaudhri holds a long time Young Presidents’ Organization member. BSc & MSc in Environmental Science from Yale University and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University.

We believe that Mr. Vahrenkamp’s expertise in technologyChaudhri is qualified to be a director on our board given his twenty years’ experience as General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and environmental services, along with strategy and innovation, is an important tool as we explore opportunities for our initial business combination.Chief Environmental Officer at a Fortune 250 company.

Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors

There is one class of members serving on the board of directors. The term of each memberCorporate Governance

Board Leadership Structure

Our chairman of the board of directors is Vincent Browne, who is also our Chief Executive Officer. Our board of directors has concluded that our current leadership structure is appropriate at this time. However, our board of directors will expire upon a successful business combination.

Collectively, through their positions described above,continue to periodically review our officersleadership structure and directors have extensive experience in public companies andmay make such changes in the clean and renewable energy industry. These individuals play a key rolefuture as it deems appropriate.

Role of Board in identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, selectingRisk Oversight Process

Our board of directors has responsibility for the target businesses, and structuring, negotiating and consummating their acquisition.

Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers and directors, and persons who own more than ten percent of any publicly traded classoversight of our equity securities,risk management processes and, either as a whole or through its committees, regularly discusses with management our major risk exposures, their potential impact on our business and the steps we take to filemanage them. The risk oversight process includes receiving regular reports from board committees and members of ownershipsenior management to enable our board of directors to understand our risk identification, risk management and changes in ownership of equity securities of the Company with the SEC. Officers, directors, and greater-than-ten-percent stockholders are required by the SEC’s regulations to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms that they file.

Based solely upon a review of Forms 3 and Forms 4 furnished to the Company during the most recent fiscal year, and Forms 5risk mitigation strategies with respect to its most recent fiscal year, we believe that all such forms required to be filed pursuant to Section 16(a)areas of the Exchange Act were timely filed by the officers, directors,potential material risk, including operations, finance, legal, regulatory, strategic and security holders required to file the same during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.reputational risk.

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Board Committees

Audit Committee

Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of NASDAQ and Section 10A of the Exchange Act require thatfinancial risks. Periodically, the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. We have established anreviews our policies with respect to risk assessment, risk management, loss prevention and regulatory compliance. Oversight by the audit committee includes direct communication with our external auditors, and discussions with management regarding significant risk exposures and the actions management has taken to limit, monitor or control such exposures. The compensation committee is responsible for assessing whether any of our compensation policies or programs has the potential to encourage excessive risk-taking. The nominating and corporate governance committee manages risks associated with the independence of the board of directors, corporate disclosure practices and potential conflicts of interest. While each committee is responsible for evaluating certain risks and overseeing the management of such risks, the entire board of directors is regularly informed through committee reports about such risks. Matters of significant strategic risk are considered by our board of directors as a whole.

Composition of the Board of Directors

The board of directors is divided into three classes of directors (Class I, Class II and Class III), with each class serving for staggered three-year terms. Vincent Browne, John P. Thomas and Aaron T. Ratner constitute the Class III directors;, Nicholas Parker and Tone Bjornov constitute the Class II directors; Mohammed Javade Chaudhri and Candice Beaumont constitute the Class I directors. The initial term of the Class I directors shall expire immediately following the Company’s 2024 annual general meeting of the Company at which directors are appointed. The initial term of the Class II directors shall expire immediately following the Company’s 2025 annual general meeting at which directors are appointed. The initial term of the Class III directors shall expire immediately following the Company’s 2026 annual meeting at which directors are appointed.

Director Independence

The board of directors consists of Candice Beaumont, Bradford Allen and Michael Vahrenkamp, allseven directors, four of whom are “independent” within the meaning of Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules and meet the independent director standard under NASDAQ’s listing standards and undercriteria for independence set forth in Rule 10A-3(b)(1)10A-3 of the Exchange Act. Mr. AllenThe Nasdaq listing rules provide that a director cannot be considered independent if: 

the director is, or at any time during the past three (3) years was, an employee of the company;

the director or a family member of the director accepted any compensation from the company in excess of $120,000 during any period of twelve (12) consecutive months within the three (3) years preceding the independence determination (subject to certain exemptions, including, among other things, compensation for board or board committee service);


the director or a family member of the director is a partner in, controlling shareholder of, or an executive officer of an entity to which the company made, or from which the company received, payments in the current or any of the past three fiscal years that exceed 5% of the recipient’s consolidated gross revenue for that year or $200,000, whichever is greater (subject to certain exemptions);

the director or a family member of the director is employed as an executive officer of an entity where, at any time during the past three (3) years, any of the executive officers of the company served on the compensation committee of such other entity; or

the director or a family member of the director is a current partner of the company’s outside auditor, or at any time during the past three (3) years was a partner or employee of the company’s outside auditor, and who worked on the company’s audit.

Under such definitions, our Board has undertaken a review of the independence of each director. Based on the information provided by each director concerning his or her background, employment, and affiliations, our Board has determined that Nicholas Parker, Tone Bjornov, Candice Beaumont, and Mohammed Javade Chaudhri satisfy the “independence” requirements under Nasdaq Rule 5605.

Board Committees

The Board has established three standing committees: (i) audit committee (the “Audit Committee”); (ii) compensation committee (the “Compensation Committee”); and (iii) nominating and corporate governance committee (the “Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee”). Each of the committees operates pursuant to its charter. The committee charters will be reviewed annually by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. If appropriate, and in consultation with the chairs of the other committees, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may propose revisions to the charters. The responsibilities of each committee are described in more detail below.

Audit Committee. The Audit Committee consists of three directors, Tone Bjornov, Nicholas Parker and Mohammed Javade Chaudhri, all of which are currently “independent” as defined by Nasdaq. Tone Bjornov serves as Chairman of ourthe audit committee.

committee chairman and audit committee financial expert. The audit committee’s duties which are specified in our Audit Committee Charter,a charter and include, but are not be limited to:

reviewing and discussingmeeting with management and theour independent registered public accounting firm regarding, among other issues, audits, and adequacy of our annual audited financial statements,accounting and recommending to the board whether the audited financial statements should be included in our Form 10-K;control systems;

discussing with management and the independent registered public accounting firm significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation of our financial statements;
discussing with management major risk assessment and risk management policies;
monitoring the independence of the independent registered public accounting firm;

verifying the rotation of the lead (or coordinating) audit partner having primary responsibility for the audit and the audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit as required by law;

reviewing and approving all related-party transactions;
inquiring and discussing with management our compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

pre-approving all audit services and permitted non-audit services to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed;

appointing or replacing the independent registered public accounting firm;

determining the compensation and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent registered public accounting firm regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work;

establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or reports which raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies; and

reviewing and approving reimbursementall payments made to our existing stockholders, executive officers or directors and their respective affiliates. Any payments made to members of expenses incurredour audit committee will be reviewed and approved by our management team in identifying potential target businesses.board of directors, with the interested director or directors abstaining from such review and approval.

Financial Expert on


The Audit Committee

The audit committee will at all times be is composed exclusively of directors“independent directors” who are “financially literate” as defined under NASDAQ’sthe Nasdaq listing standards. The NASDAQNasdaq listing standards define “financially literate” as being able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including a company’s balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.

In addition, we must certify to NASDAQ that the committee has,

Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee consists of two directors: Mohammed Javade Chaudhri and will continue to have, at least one member who has past employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting, or other comparable experience or background that results in the individual’s financial sophistication. We have determined that Mr. Allen satisfies NASDAQ’s definitionTone Bjornov, both of financial sophistication and also qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,”which, are “independent” as defined under rules and regulations ofby Nasdaq. Mohammed Javade Chaudhri serves as the SEC.

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Nominating Committee

We have established a nominatingcompensation committee of the board of directors, which consists of Candice Beaumont, Bradford Allen and Michael Vahrenkamp, each of whom is an independent director under NASDAQ’s listing standards.chairman. The nominating committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board of directors. The nominating committee considers persons identified by its members, management, stockholders, investment bankers and others.

Guidelines for Selecting Director Nominees

The guidelines for selecting nominees, whichCompensation Committee’s duties are specified in the Nominating Committee Charter, generally provide that persons to be nominated:

should have demonstrated notable or significant achievements in business, education or public service;
should possess the requisite intelligence, educationa charter and experience to make a significant contribution to the board of directors and bring a range of skills, diverse perspectives and backgrounds to its deliberations; and
should have the highest ethical standards, a strong sense of professionalism and intense dedication to serving the interests of the stockholders.

The nominating committee will consider a number of qualifications relating to management and leadership experience, background and integrity and professionalism in evaluating a person’s candidacy for membership on the board of directors. The nominating committee may require certain skills or attributes, such as financial or accounting experience, to meet specific board needs that arise from time to time and will also consider the overall experience and makeup of its members to obtain a broad and diverse mix of board members. The nominating committee does not distinguish among nominees recommended by stockholders and other persons.

Compensation Committee

We have established a compensation committee of the board of directors, which consists of Candice Beaumont, Bradford Allen and Michael Vahrenkamp, each of whom meets the independent director standard under NASDAQ’s listing standards. Michael Vahrenkamp serves as Chairman of our compensation committee.

The compensation committee’s duties, which are specified in our Compensation Committee Charter, include, but are not be limited to:

reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’schief executive officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’schief executive officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer’schief executive officer’s based on such evaluation;

reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other Section 16 executive officers;

reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;

implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;

assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;

approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our executive officers and employees;

If required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and

reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.

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Table of Contents

The Compensation Committee Charter alsocharter provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by NASDAQNasdaq and the SEC.

Nomination and Corporate Governance CommitteeThe Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee consists of two directors: Mohammed Javade Chaudhri and Tone Bjornov. Mohammed Javade Chaudhri serves as the nominating and corporate governance committee chairman. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s duties are specified in a charter and include, but not be limited to:

assist the Board by identifying qualified candidates for director nominees, and to recommend to the Board of Directors the director nominees for the next annual meeting of stockholders;

lead the Board in its annual review of its performance;

recommend to the Board director nominees for each committee of the Board; and

develop and recommend to the Board corporate governance guidelines applicable to us.

Role of Board in Risk Oversight Process

Our Board has responsibility for the oversight of our risk management processes and, either as a whole or through its committees, regularly discusses with management our major risk exposures, their potential impact on our business and the steps we take to manage them. The risk oversight process includes receiving regular reports from board committees and members of senior management to enable our Board to understand our risk identification, risk management, and risk mitigation strategies with respect to areas of potential material risk, including operations, finance, legal, regulatory, cybersecurity, strategic and reputational risk.


Code of Ethics

We have

Our Board adopted a written code of business conduct and ethics applicable(“Code”) that applies to our directors, officers and employees, in accordance with applicable federal securities laws,including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. Our website has a current copy of whichthe Code and all disclosures that are required by law in regard to any amendments to, or waivers from, any provision of the Code.

Clawback Policy

On January 1, 2024, our Board adopted an executive compensation recoupment policy consistent with the requirements of the Exchange Act Rule 10D-1 and the Nasdaq listing standards thereunder, to help ensure that incentive compensation is paid based on accurate financial and operating data, and the correct calculation of performance against incentive targets. Our policy addresses recoupment of amounts from performance-based awards paid to all corporate officers, including awards under our equity incentive plans, in the event of a financial restatement to the extent that the payout for such awards would have been less, or in the event of fraud, or intentional, willful or gross misconduct that contributed to the need for a financial restatement.

Insider Trading Policy

We have an insider trading policy that prohibits our directors, executive officers, employees, independent contractors and consultants from the purchasing or selling our securities while being aware of material, non-public information about the Company as well as disclosing such information to others who may trade in securities of the Company. Our insider trading policy also prohibits our directors, executive officers, employees, independent contractors and consultants from engaging in hedging activities or other short-term or speculative transactions in the Company’s securities such as short sales, options trading, holding the Company’s securities in a margin account or pledging the Company’s securities as collateral for a loan, without the advance approval of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Our insider trading policy is filed as an exhibitExhibit 19.1 to this Annual Report. We will make a printed copyReport on Form 10-K.

Board Diversity Matrix

The following table sets forth Board level diversity information based on voluntary self-identification of incumbent directors as of April 15, 2024.

Board Diversity Matrix as of April 8, 2024

Total Number of Directors:7 
 MaleFemaleNon-BinaryDid Not Disclose Gender
Part I: Gender Identity
Directors5200
Part II: Demographic Background    
African American or Black0000
Alaskan Native or Native American0000
Asian1000
Hispanic or Latinx0000
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander0000
White4100
Two or More Races or Ethnicities0000
LGBTQ+0
Did Not Disclose Demographic Background1


Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers, directors and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of our codecommon stock to file with the SEC reports of ethics availabletheir ownership and changes in their ownership of our common stock. To our knowledge, based solely on review of the copies of such reports and amendments to any stockholder who so requests. Requestssuch reports with respect to the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC, all required Section 16 reports under the Exchange Act for our directors, executive officers and beneficial owners of greater than 10% of our common stock were filed on a printed copy may be directed to us as follows: Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp., 12600 Hill Country Blvd, Building R, Suite 275, Bee Cave, TX 78738 Attention: Secretary.timely basis during the year ended December 31, 2023, except for one late Form 3 filing reporting one transaction each made by each of Alternus Energy Group Plc, David Farrell, Gareth Swan, Gita Shah, Paul Thomas, Joseph Duey, William Farrell, Mohammed Javade Chaudhri, Taliesin Durant, Tone Bjornov, and Vincent Browne.

Item 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.Executive Compensation

No executive officer has received any cash

Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to compensation from us for services rendered to us. Any compensation to bethe years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, earned by or paid to our Chief Executive Officer and our two other most highly compensated executive officers will be determined, or recommended to the boardwhose total compensation exceeded US$100,000 (the “named executive officers”).

Name and Principal Position Year  Salary
($)
  Bonus
($)
  All Other
Compensation
($)
  Total
($)
 
Vincent Browne  2023   192,000(1)(2)  193,000(4)      385,000 
Chief Executive Officer  2022   192,000(1)(2)  41,000(3)      233,000 
Joseph E. Duey  2023   250,000   193,000(4)  18,000(2)  461,000 
Chief Financial Officer  2022   250,000       18,000(2)  268,000 
Taliesin Durant  2023   190,000       54,305(2)(5)  244,305 
Chief Legal Officer  2022   190,000   133,000(3)  18,000(2)  268,062 

(1)Mr. Browne’s salary includes fees earned by Vestco, a company he owns and controls, pursuant to a services agreement between VestCo and Alternus Energy Americas Inc.

(2)Other compensation includes car allowance (USA)

(3)Bonuses were paid in January and December 2022 for the fiscal year ending 2021.

(4)Bonuses paid in October 2023 for the fiscal year ending 2021.

(5)Includes housing allowance effective July 2023.

Employment Agreements.

Vincent Browne

VestCo Corp., a company owned and controlled by Vincent Browne, entered into a Professional Consulting Agreement with one of directors for determination, either byour US subsidiaries under which Alternus pays VestCo a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or bymonthly fee of $16,000. This agreement has a majorityfive-year initial term.

Additionally, Mr. Browne entered into an Employment Agreement (the “Browne Employment Agreement”) with an Irish subsidiary of the independent directorsCompany under which Mr. Browne receives an annual base salary of €120,000 and an annual bonus of up to 100% of his salary based on our boardachieving certain milestones. In addition, he is eligible to receive certain equity and/or equity-based awards under the Company’s long-term incentive compensation plan(s), none of directors.which has been issued at this time.

Other


The Company may terminate the Browne Employment Agreement for “Cause” which is defined as any of the following: (i) the conviction of a felony, or a crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude; (ii) fraud, misappropriation or embezzlement; or (iii) willful failure or gross negligence in the performance of assigned duties, which failure or negligence continues for more than thirty (30) days following written notice of such failure or negligence. Alternus may terminate the paymentBrowne Employment Agreement without Cause at any time by giving 90 days’ advance written notice and shall pay a sum equal to five years of consulting, success base salary. Mr. Browne may terminate his employment agreement for Good Reason (as defined in the Browne Employment Agreement) with 90 days’ notice, and Alternus shall be obligated to pay him severance pay equal to five years of base salary.

Joseph E. Duey

The Company and Mr. Duey entered into an employment agreement under which Mr. Duey receives an annual base salary of $250,000 and a cash bonus of up to 100% of his salary based on achieving certain milestones. In addition, he is eligible to receive certain equity and/or finder feesequity-based awards under the Company’s long-term incentive compensation plan(s), none of which has been issued at this time. This agreement has a five-year initial term.

The Company may terminate his employment agreement for “Cause” which is defined as any of the following: (i) the conviction of a felony, or a crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude; (ii) fraud, misappropriation or embezzlement; or (iii) willful failure or gross negligence in the performance of assigned duties, which failure or negligence continues for more than thirty (30) days following written notice of such failure or negligence. If the executive’s employment is terminated by Alternus without Cause during the term of the employment agreement, the Alternus must give two weeks’ prior written notice and shall pay severance pay equal to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors, initial stockholders or their affiliatesone year of base salary. If Alternus closes a ‘Change in connection withControl’ transaction, then the consummation of our initial business combinationemployment agreement will automatically terminate, and the repaymentCompany shall pay severance pay equal to two years of base salary and any unvested stock shall automatically become fully vested. The executive may terminate the employment agreement for Good Reason (as defined in such employment agreement) with 90 days’ notice, and Alternus shall be obligated to pay the executive severance pay equal to one year of base salary.

Taliesin Durant

The Company and Ms. Durant entered into an employment agreement under which Ms. Durant receives an annual base salary of $190,000 and a cash bonus of up to 100% of her salary based on achieving certain milestones. In addition, she is eligible to receive certain equity and/or equity-based awards under the Company’s long-term incentive compensation plan(s), none of which has been issued at this time. This agreement has a five-year initial term.

The Company may terminate her employment agreement for “Cause” which is defined as any of the $225,000 loan madefollowing: (i) the conviction of a felony, or a crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude; (ii) fraud, misappropriation or embezzlement; or (iii) willful failure or gross negligence in the performance of assigned duties, which failure or negligence continues for more than thirty (30) days following written notice of such failure or negligence. If the executive’s employment is terminated by affiliatesAlternus without Cause during the term of our sponsorthe Employment agreement, the Alternus must give two weeks’ prior written notice and shall pay severance pay equal to us priorone year of base salary. If Alternus closes a ‘Change in Control’ transaction, then the employment agreement will automatically terminate, and the Company shall pay severance pay equal to two years of base salary and any unvested stock shall automatically become fully vested. The executive may terminate the initial public offering, noemployment agreement for Good Reason (as defined in such employment agreement) with 90 days’ notice, and Alternus shall be obligated to pay the executive severance pay equal to one year of base salary.


Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End

As of December 31, 2023, the Company currently does not have any outstanding awards or options underlying its current Incentive Plan (as defined below).

Director Compensation Table

The following table provides information concerning compensation or fees of any kind will be paid to our sponsor, initial stockholders, members of our management team or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, they will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of consulting, success or finder fees payable by us upon consummation of an initial business combination. Additionally, there is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination.

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders. However, the amount of such compensation may not be known at the time of the stockholder meeting held to consider an initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K or a periodic report, as required by the SEC.

We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our executive officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after the initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business although we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of an initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our executive officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

No member of the compensation committee serves or served during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022,2023.

Members of the Board of Directors of the predecessor entity, Clean Earth Acquisition Corporation, did not receive fees for their services in 2023.

Mr. Brown’s compensation was as a member of the board of directors orpaid executive in 2023 and he did not receive compensation committee of a company that has one or more executive officers servingfor his services as a member of our Board or compensation committee.board member.

55

Name Fee Earned /
Paid in
Cash
($)
  Stock
Awards
($)
  Options
($)
  Others
($)
  Total
($)
 
John P. Thomas   -     -      -   70,078(1)  70,078 
Aaron T. Ratner  -   -   -   -   - 
Nicholas Parker  -   -   -   -   - 
Tone Bjornov  -   -   -   -   - 
Mohammed Javade Chaudhri  -   -   -   -   - 
Candice Beaumont  -   -   -   -   - 
Vincent Brown  -   -   -   -   - 

Table of Contents

(1)Mr. Thomas’ salary includes fees earned under a consulting agreement entered into in July 2023 with Alternus Energy Americas Inc.

Item 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.Security ownership Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

The following table below sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of ourthe common stock as of March 30, 2023, by:

each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock;
each of our named executive officersby (i) our directors and named executive officers; (ii) all the named executives and directors that beneficially owns shares of our common stock; and
all our executive officers and directors as a group.

The table below represents beneficial ownership of Class A common stock, Class B common stock and Class A common stock and Class B common stock voting together as a single class,group and is reported(iii) any other person or group that to our knowledge beneficially owns more than five percent of our outstanding shares of common stock.

We have determined beneficial ownership in accordance with the beneficial ownership rules and regulations of the SEC under whichSEC. These rules generally provide that a person is deemed to be the beneficial owner of a securitysecurities if thatsuch person has or shares the power to vote or direct the voting powerthereof, or investment power with respect to such securitydispose or direct the disposition thereof or has the right to acquire such ownershippowers within 60 days. The table doesShares of common stock subject to options that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of April 15, 2024 are deemed to be outstanding and beneficially owned by the person holding the options. Shares issuable pursuant to stock options or warrants are deemed outstanding for computing the percentage ownership of the person holding such options or warrants, but are not reflect record or beneficialdeemed outstanding for computing the percentage ownership of any outstanding warrantsother person. Except as no warrants are exercisable within 60 days.

The beneficial ownership ofindicated by the Company’s voting common stock isfootnotes below, we believe, based on 23,890,000 shares of Class A common stock outstandingthe information furnished to us, that the persons and 7,666,667 shares of Class B common stock outstanding, except as otherwise indicated.

Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all personsentities named in the table below will have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock that they will beneficially owned by them.own, subject to applicable community property laws. We have based our calculation of beneficial ownership on 80,076,664 shares of common stock outstanding as of April 15, 2024.

Combined Voting 

 

Class A Common Stock

Class B Common Stock

Power(2)

 

%

%

%

 

Name and Address of Beneficial Owners(1)

    

Number

    

of class

    

Number

    

of class

    

Number

    

of class

 

Directors and Executive Officers:(1)

    

  

    

  

    

  

    

  

    

  

    

  

Aaron T. Ratner(3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Martha Ross(3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nicholas Parker(3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Candice Beaumont(3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bradford Allen(3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael R. Vahrenkamp(3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

All directors and executive officers as a group (six individuals)

 

 

 

 

 

 

5% or Greater Beneficial Owners:

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor, LLC (4)

 

890,000

 

3.8

%  

7,666,667

 

100.0

%  

8,556,667

 

27.1

%

Linden Advisors LP(5)

 

1,500,000

 

6.3

%  

 

 

1,500,000

 

4.8

%

Saba Capital Management, L.P.(6)

 

1,598,000

 

6.7

%  

 

 

1,598,000

 

5.1

%


Name of Beneficial Owner Number of shares
of Company
Common Stock
Beneficially
Owned
  Percentage of
shares of
outstanding
Company
Common Stock
 
Greater than 5% Stockholders:      
Alternus Energy Group Plc(1)  57,500,000   71.8%
Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor LLC(2)(3)  8,781,667   11.0%
 Nordic ESG and Impact Fund SCSp  7,765,000   9.7%
Named Executive Officers and Directors: (4)        
Vincent Browne  0   * 
Joseph E. Duey  0   * 
Taliesin Durant  0   * 
Gary Swan  0   * 
David Farrell  0   * 
Larry Farrell  0   * 
Gita Shah  0   * 
John P. Thomas  0   * 
Aaron T. Ratner  0   * 
Nicholas Parker  0   * 
Tone Bjornov  0   * 
Mohammed Javade Chaudhri  0   * 
Candice Beaumont  0   * 
         
All directors and named executive officers as a group (13 individuals)  0   * 

*Less than 1 percent.

1.*Unless otherwise noted,Less than 1%.

(1)Alternus Clean Energy, Inc., 360 Kingsley Park Drive, Suite 250, Fort Mill, SC 29715.

(2)The Sponsor is the business address of eachrecord holder of the following individuals is c/o Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp., 12600 Hill Country Blvd, Building R, Suite 275, Bee Cave, Texas 78738.
2.Represents the percentage of voting power of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock voting together as a single class. Shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock atCompany Common Stock reported herein. Share ownership for officers and directors of the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to certain adjustments described in our charter documents.
3.DoesSponsor does not include any securities heldshares owned by Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor, LLC,the Sponsor. Martha Ross, Alex Greystoke and David Saab compose the Board of which each person is a member. Each such person disclaims beneficial ownershipManagers of the reported shares other than to the extent of his or her ultimate pecuniary interest therein.

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4.Sponsor. Any action by our sponsorthe Sponsor, including decisions with respect to our company or our common stock, includingthe Sponsor’s voting and dispositive decisions,power over the shares of the Company held by the Sponsor, requires a majority vote of the managers of the Board of Managers. Under the so-called “rule of three,” because voting and dispositive decisions are made by a majority of our sponsor’sthe Sponsor’s managers, none of the Sponsor’s managers of our sponsor is deemed to be a beneficial owner of our sponsor’sthe Sponsor’s securities, even those in which such manager holds a pecuniary interest. Accordingly, noneEach of ourAaron Ratner, Nicholas Parker and Candice Beaumont, directors or officersof the Company, holds membership interests in the Sponsor. None of the members of the Sponsor is deemed to have or share beneficial ownership of the common stockshares of Company Common Stock held by our sponsor.
5.Based on information contained in a Schedule 13G filed on March 7, 2022, by Linden Capital L.P. (“Linden Capital”); Linden GP LLC (“Linden GP”); Linden Advisors LP (“Linden Advisors”); and Siu Min (Joe) Wong. Linden GP is the general partner of Linden Capital and, in such capacity, may be deemed to beneficially own the 1,398,528 shares held by Linden Capital. Linden Advisors is the investment manager of Linden Capital and trading advisor or investment advisor for the Managed Accounts (defined below). Mr. Wong is the principal owner and controlling person of Linden Advisors and Linden GP. Each of Linden Advisors and Mr. Wong may be deemed the beneficial owner of 1,300,000 shares, which consists of the 1,398,528 shares held by Linden Capital and the 101,472 shares held by one or more separately managed accounts (the “Managed Accounts”).Sponsor. The business address for Linden Capitalof the Sponsor is Victoria Place, 31 Victoria Street, Hamilton HM10, Bermuda. The business address for the other reporting persons is 590 Madison Avenue, 15th Floor, New York, New York 10022.12600 Hill Country Blvd, Building R, Suite 275 Bee Cave, Texas 78738.

6.(3)Based on information contained in a Schedule 13G/A filed on February 14, 2023 by Saba Capital Management, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“Saba Capital”), Saba Capital Management GP, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Saba GP”), and Mr. Boaz R. Weinstein. The addressIncludes 2,555,556 shares of Common Stock that are subject to vesting upon the occurrence of certain stock price milestones or upon the occurrence of certain events

(4)Unless otherwise noted, the business officeaddress of each of the reporting personsfollowing individuals is 405 Lexington Avenue, 58th Floor, New York, New York 10174.360 Kingsley Park Drive, Suite 250, Fort Mill, SC 29715.

57

Item 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE.

Certain Relationships and Related Party PolicyTransactions, and Director Independence

Our Code

The following is a summary of Ethics requires ustransactions since January 1, 2022 to avoid, wherever possible, all relatedwhich we have been a party, transactions that could result in actual or potential conflicts of interests, except under guidelines approved by the board of directors (or the audit committee). Related-party transactions are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved exceeded or will exceed the lesser of (x) $120,000 or may be expected to exceed $120,000(y) 1% of the average of our total assets at December 31, 2023 and 2022, and in any calendar year, (2) we orwhich any of our subsidiaries is a participant, and (3) any (a)directors, executive officer, directorofficers or nominee for election as a director, (b) greaterholders of more than 5% beneficial owner of our shares of commoncapital stock, or (c)an affiliate or immediate family member of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), hasthereof, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest (otherother than solelycompensation and other arrangements that are described the sections titled “Executive Compensation” and “Non-Employee Director Compensation.” We also describe below certain other transactions with our directors, former directors, executive officers and stockholders.


AEG:

Alternus Energy Group Plc (“AEG”) was an eighty percent (80%) shareholder of the Company as of December 22, 2023 and as of December 31, 2023. On October 12, 2022 AEG entered into the Business Combination Agreement with the Company and Clean Earth Acquisition Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”) which closed on December 22, 2023 (See FN 1).In conjunction with the Business Combination Agreement, AEG also entered into an Investor Rights Agreement. The Investor Rights Agreement provides for certain governance requirements, registration rights and a resultlockup agreement under which AEG is restricted from selling its shares in the Company for one year, or until December 22, 2024, other than 1,437,500 shares after March 22, 2024 and an additional 1,437,500 after June 22, 2024, provided the shares are registered under a registration statement on SEC Form S-1.

Nordic ESG:

In January of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner2024 the Company issued 7,765,000 shares of another entity). A conflictrestricted common stock valued at $1.23 per share to Nordic ESG and Impact Fund SCSp (“Nordic ESG”) as settlement of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position.

Our audit committee, pursuant to its written charter, is responsible for reviewing and approving related-party transactions to the extent we enter into such transactions. The audit committee will consider all relevant factors when determining whether to approveAEG’s €8m note. This resulted in Nordic ESG becoming a related party transaction, including whetherand resulted in a decrease of AEG’s ownership of the related party transaction is on terms no less favorableCompany from 80% to us than terms generally available from72%.

Sponsor:

Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor LLC (“Sponsor”) was the founder and controlling shareholder of the Company during the year ended December 31, 2023 and up to the Business Combination Closing Date, December 22, 2023, when Sponsor became an unaffiliated third-party under11% shareholder of the same or similar circumstancesCompany. The Sponsor entered into the Business Combination Agreement with the Company and AEG, and also entered into the Investor Rights Agreement and the extentSponsor Support Agreement, The Sponsor agreed, pursuant to the Sponsor Support Agreement, to vote all of their shares of capital stock (and any securities convertible or exercisable into capital stock) in favor of the related party’s interest in the transaction. No director may participate in the approval of any transaction in which he is a related party, but that director is required to provide the audit committee with all material information concerning the transaction. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.

These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.

To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view. We will also need to obtain approval of a majority of our disinterested independent directors.

Founder shares

On August 17, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 or approximately $0.004 per share. On February 7, 2022, we effected a 1:1.33333339 stock split of our Class B common stock, resulting in our initial stockholders holding 7,666,667 founder shares. The number of founder shares was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 25% of the aggregate of our issued and outstanding shares after the initial public offering (not including the private units). The founder shares represent 100% of our issued and outstanding shares of Class B common stock.

Pursuant to a letter agreement, our sponsor has agreed that upon and subject to the completion of the initial business combination, approximately 33% of the founder shares then held by the sponsor shall be considered to be newly unvested shares, which will vest only if the closing price of our shares of Class A common stock on NASDAQ equals or exceeds $12.50 for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period after the closing of the initial business combination but before the tenth anniversary of the closing of the initial business combination. In the event the share price level described above is achieved before the first anniversary of the closing of the initial business combination, such unvested founder shares will not vest until the first anniversary of such closing. Additionally, if we enter into a binding agreement on or before the tenth anniversary of the initial business combination with respect to certain other transactions, as described in the letter agreement, all unvested founder shares will vest on the day prior to the closing of such transactions. Founder shares, if any, that remain unvested at the tenth anniversary of the closing of the initial business combination will be forfeited.

58

Unvested Founder Shares

Pursuant to the letter agreement, a total of 2,167,000 Founder Shares then held by the Sponsor will be considered newly unvested shares upon the completion of the Business Combination which shall vest only if the closing priceand against any other transactions, as well as to waive its redemption rights, agree to not transfer securities of the common stock equalsCompany, and waive any anti-dilution or exceeds $12.50 for any 20 trading days within a 30 day trading period after the Business Combination, but before the tenth anniversary of the Business Combination. In the event such price level is achieved before the first anniversary of the closing of the Business Combination, such unvested Founder Shares will not vest until the first anniversary of such closing. In the event that the Company enters into a binding agreement on or before the tenth anniversary of the Business Combinationsimilar protections with respect to a Sale (as defined in the agreement), all unvested Founder Shares shall vest on the day priorfounder shares.

In order to the closing of such Sale. Founder Shares, if any, that remain unvested at the tenth anniversary of the closing of the Business Combination will be forfeited.

Private Placement

Simultaneously with the initial public offering, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 890,000 private units at a price of $10.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $8,900,000. Each private unit consists of one private share and one-half of one private warrant to purchase one share of our Class A common stock exercisable at $11.50. The proceeds from the private units and the proceeds from the initial public offering (initially totaling $232,300,000 ($10.10 per unit)) are held in the trust account. There will be no redemption rightsfund working capital deficiencies or liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to the founder shares, private shares or private warrants, which will expire worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination.

The private warrants included with the private units are identical to the warrants sold in the initial public offering except that: (i) they will not be redeemable by us, (ii) they may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, (iii) they (along with the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private warrants) are entitled to registration rights, and (iv) the initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private units (or the private shares and warrants included therein), exceptfinance transaction costs in connection with a business combination, the same limited exceptions thatSponsor initially loaned $350,000 to the founder shares may be transferred as described above, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.

Promissory Note — Related Party

On September 22, 2021, we issuedCompany, in accordance with an unsecured promissory note to the sponsor (as amended, the “IPO Promissory(the “WC Note”), pursuant to which we may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $350,000.  As of February 28, 2022, we had borrowed $225,000 under the IPO Promissory Note. The IPO Promissory Note was non-interest bearing, unsecured and due issued on the earlier of May 15, 2022 or the closing of the initial public offering. The IPO Promissory Note was repaid on February 28, 2022.

Related Party Loans

In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of the initial public offering, our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into units at a price of $10.00 per unit. The units would be identical to the private units. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment.

On September 26, 2022, weunder which up to $850,000 may be advanced. On August 8, 2023, the Company issued an unsecuredadditional $650,000 promissory note to the sponsor (the “WC Promissory Note”), pursuantSponsor to which we may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $850,000.fund the Second WC Note. The Second WC Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable uponon the consummation ofdate which the Company consummates its initial Business Combination. AtBoth of these notes were settled on the electionBusiness Combination closing date in exchange for 225,000 shares of the sponsor and at any time prior to payment in full ofCompany’s common stock.

On December 18, 2023, the principal balance, the WC Promissory Note can be converted into conversion units comprised of one Class A common stock and one-half of one warrant that are identical to those issued in the private placement (“Conversion Units”). The number of convertible Conversion Units is calculated as the outstanding principal balance divided by $10. As of  December 31, 2022, the WC Promissory Note balance was $806,170.

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Anchor Investor Agreement

The anchor investor (who is also not affiliated with our sponsor or any member of our management team) purchased 9.9% of the units issued in the initial public offering pursuant to a November 2021 Subscription Agreement between our sponsor and the anchor investor, wherein the anchor investor also purchased membership interests in our sponsor. The excess fair value of the sponsor membership units over the price paid by the anchor investor of $4,736,326 was determined to be an offering cost in accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A and a corresponding contribution by our sponsor recorded in additional paid in capital.

The sponsor retains voting and dispositive power over the anchor investor’s allocated founder shares and private shares purchased by the sponsor in the private placement until the consummation of a business combination, following which time the sponsor will distribute such securities to the anchor investor (subject to applicable lock-up or escrow restrictions).

Related Party Consulting Agreement

In April 2022, weSponsor entered into a consultingnon-redemption agreement (the “NRA”) with a related party. During the termCompany and the investor named therein (the “Investor”). Pursuant to the terms of the agreement,NRA, among other things, the consultant (“Consultant”) will be responsible for financial modeling, compiling presentations, data room management, and research. We pay the Consultant compensation in the form of $7,500 per month in cash, as well as $5,000 per month in the form of newly issued Class B common stock with an exercise price of $10.00 per share paid in arrears. The grant date of the stock-based compensation award under the agreement is April 1, 2022. The performance condition required for vesting is a successful business combination, the outcome of which is not considered probable until the event occurs. In November 2022, the Company executed an amendmentInvestor agreed to the consulting agreement with the related party. The amendment changed the compensation structure to pay the Consultant $5,000 per month in cash and no additional compensation in the form of stock. The commencement date for the updated compensation structure was December 1, 2022. As of December 31, 2022, no stock-based compensation expense has been recorded and will not be accrued for or recognized until a successful business combination occurs. Additionally, the agreement will conclude upon the completion of a successful business combination. We incurred $65,000 for the year ended December 31, 2022, related to this agreement.

Registration Rights

Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into on February 23, 2022, the holders of the founder shares, private units (including any securities contained therein) and the units (including any securities contained therein) that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans are entitled to registration rights to require us to register a sale of any of our securities held by them (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to our Class A common stock). The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed by us and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period. We will bear the expenses incurredwithdraw redemptions in connection with the filingBusiness Combination on any Common Stock, held by the Investor and to purchase additional Common Stock from redeeming stockholders of anythe Company such registration statements.that the Investor will be the holder of no fewer than 277,778 shares of Common Stock.

Trust Account

D&O:

In connection with the Business Combination Closing, the Company entered into indemnification agreements (each, an “Indemnification Agreement”) with its directors and executive officers. Each Indemnification

Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor, LLC has agreed that, Agreement provides for indemnification and advancements by the Company of certain expenses and costs if the trust accountbasis of the indemnitee’s involvement in a matter was by reason of the fact that the indemnitee is liquidated withoutor was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the consummationCompany or any of a business combination, it will indemnify usits subsidiaries or was serving at the Company’s request in an official capacity for another entity, in each case to the fullest extent any claimspermitted by the laws of the State of Delaware.

Consulting Agreements:

On May 15, 2021 VestCo Corp., a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or any claimscompany owned and controlled by a prospective target business with which we have discussed enteringour Chairman and CEO, Vincent Browne, entered into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below $10.10 per public share, except for any claims by any third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account, regardless of whether such waiver is enforceable, and except for claims arising from our obligation to indemnify the underwriters of the initial public offering pursuant to the underwriting agreement. We have not independently verified whether Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor, LLC has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations, we have not asked Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor, LLC to reserve for such obligations and we believe that its only assets are securitiesProfessional Consulting Agreement with one of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor, LLC will be able to satisfy those obligations. We believe the likelihoodUS subsidiaries under which it pays VestCo a monthly fee of Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor, LLC having to indemnify the trust account is limited because we endeavor to have all third parties that provide products or services to us (except our independent registered accounting firm)$16,000. This agreement has a five-year initial term and prospective target businesses execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account.automatically extends for additional one year terms unless otherwise unilaterally terminated.


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TableIn July of Contents

Conflicts2023, John Thomas, one of Interest

In general, officersour directors, entered into a Consulting Services Agreement with one of our US subsidiaries under which it pays Mr. Thomas a monthly fee of $11,000. This agreement has a five year initial term and directorsautomatically extends for additional one year terms unless otherwise unilaterally terminated.

  Year Ended December 31, 
Transactions with Directors 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Loan from Vestco, a related party to Board member and CEO Vincent Browne $210  $    - 
Final payment made to Vestco on November 16, 2023  (210)  - 
Total $-  $- 

  Year Ended December 31, 
Director’s remuneration 2023  2022 
  (in thousands) 
Remuneration in respect of services as directors $606  $315 
Remuneration in respect to long term incentive schemes  -   - 
Total $606  $315 

Family Relationships

No family relationship exists between any of a Delaware corporation are required to present business opportunities to the corporation if:

the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity;
the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and
it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that:

except as may be prescribed by any written agreement with us, we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue; and
our officers and directors will not be liable to our company or our stockholders for monetary damages for breach of any fiduciary duty by reason of any of our activities or any of our sponsor or its affiliates to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law.

OurAlternus’ directors and officers presently have, and any of them in the future may have, additional, fiduciaryexecutive officers. There are no arrangements or contractual obligations to other entities (including other special purpose acquisition companies they areunderstandings with major shareholders, customers, suppliers or may become involved with)others pursuant to which such officer or director is or may be requiredany person referred to presentabove was selected as a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our directors or officers becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may need to honor these fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity. To address the matters set out above, and to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from such other corporate affiliations, each of our officers and directors has contractually agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, until the earliest of our execution of a definitive agreement for a business combination, our liquidation or such time as he or she ceases to be an officer or director, to present to our company for our consideration, prior to presentation to any other entity, any suitable business opportunity which may reasonably be required to be presented to us, subject to any fiduciary or contractual obligations he might have. The foregoing agreement does not restrict our officers and directors from becoming affiliated with other companies (including other special purpose acquisition companies) in the future which could take priority over our company. However, we believe that such agreement still benefits us because our officers and directors are obligated to present suitable business opportunities to us to the extent that none of their other fiduciary or contractual obligations require them to present it to another entity.

Our officers, directors and advisors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer, director or advisor of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our officers, directors and advisors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. The following members of our management team, board of directors and advisors have existing affiliations with special purpose acquisition companies formed to effectuate a merger or similar transaction with one or more businesses: Beginning in October 2021, Mr. Ratner began to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of Aries I Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ: RAM), a special purpose acquisition company formed to effectuate a merger or similar transaction with one or more businesses. Additionally, since August 2021, Ms. Beaumont has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Springwater Special Situations Corp. (NASDAQ: SWSS), a special purpose acquisition company that raised $168 million through its initial public offering in August 2021 and is focused on acquiring a company in the European special situation sector, but may seek an acquisition of a target in any industry. Mr. Greystoke, one of our Co-founders, is also a Director of Springwater Special Situations Corp. and he is Founder and Advisor to GOAL Acquisitions Corp. (NASDAQ: PUCK), a blank check company that completed its initial public offering in February 2021 and may pursue initial business combination targets in any businesses or industries and has until August 28, 2023 to do so (absent an extension in accordance with its charter). Mr. Gruschka, a member of our Advisory Board, is also CEO of Springwater Special Situations Corp. and is an Advisor to GOAL Acquisitions Corp. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target.senior management. 

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Our directors and officers are also not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Our Sponsor and Management Team — Certain of our directors and officers are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.”

We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our directors or officers will materially affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination.

Potential investors should also be aware of the following potential conflicts of interest:

None of our directors or officers is required to commit his or her full time to our affairs and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating his or her time among various business activities.
In the course of their other business activities, our directors and officers may become aware of investment and business opportunities that may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Our initial stockholders, directors and officers have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any Class B common stock and Class A common stock held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Class B common stock if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the completion window. However, if our initial stockholders (or any of our directors, officers or affiliates) acquire public shares, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private units held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private warrants will expire worthless.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, we will enter into one or more promissory notes with our sponsor. These loans will be non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of the closing of our initial business combination and our liquidation if we have not completed an initial business combination within the completion window. Our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our directors and officers may, but are not obligated to, loan us additional funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the private units issued to our sponsor. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
Our directors and officers may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether to proceed with a particular business combination.
Our directors and officers may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such directors and officers was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.

The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.

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Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our directors and officers have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities.

The following table summarizes the pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations of our officers and directors besides our sponsor:

Individual

Entity

Affiliation

Aaron T. Ratner

Cross River Infrastructure Partners LLC

Vectr Ventures

Aries I Acquisition Corporation

Executive Management

Partner

Director

Martha Ross

Renaissance Knowledge LLC

Founder

Nicholas Parker

Parker Venture Management Inc.

Chairman

Candice Beaumont

Salsano Group

L Investments

Springwater Special Situations Corp.

Chairman

Chief Investment Officer

Director

Bradford Allen

Vaunt Inc.

Executive

While the foregoing may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.

Investors should also be aware of the following additional potential conflicts of interest:

None of our officers and directors is required to commit their full time to our affairs and, accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities.
Unless we consummate our initial business combination, our officers, directors and sponsor will not receive reimbursement or repayment for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them, or loans made to us, to the extent that such expenses exceed the amount of available proceeds not deposited in the trust account.
The founder shares beneficially owned by our initial stockholders and the private units purchased by our sponsor, and any warrants which our officers or directors may purchase in the aftermarket will expire worthless if a business combination is not consummated. Additionally, our officers and directors and affiliates will not receive liquidation distributions from the trust account with respect to any of the founder shares or private shares.

ForDirector Independence

We use the foregoing reasons, our board may have a conflictdefinition of interest in determining whether a particular target business“independence” of The NASDAQ Stock Market to make this determination. NASDAQ Listing Rule 5605(a)(2) provides that an “independent director” is an appropriate to effect a business combination with.

To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors, sponsor or initial stockholders unless we have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view. We will also need to obtain the approval of a majority of our disinterested independent directors. Furthermore, in no event will any of our sponsor, members of our management team or their respective affiliates be paid any compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the payment of consulting, success or finder fees to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors, initial stockholders or their affiliates in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, repayment of the IPO Promissory Note and reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses.

Director Independence

NASDAQ rules require that a majority of the board of directors of a company listed on NASDAQ must be composed of “independent directors,” which is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or

63

any other individual having a relationship, which, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors,Company’s Board, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. We have determinedThe NASDAQ listing rules provide that Candice Beaumont, Bradford Allena director cannot be considered independent if:

The director is, or at any time during the past three years was, an employee of the company;
The director or a family member of the director accepted any compensation from the company in excess of $120,000 during any period of 12 consecutive months within the three years preceding the independence determination (subject to certain exclusions, including, among other things, compensation for board or board committee service);

A family member of the director is, or at any time during the past three years was, an executive officer of the company;
The director or a family member of the director is a partner in, controlling shareholder of, or an executive officer of an entity to which the company made, or from which the company received, payments in the current or any of the past three fiscal years that exceed 5% of the recipient’s consolidated gross revenue for that year or $200,000, whichever is greater (subject to certain exclusions);
The director or a family member of the director is employed as an executive officer of an entity where, at any time during the past three years, any of the executive officers of the company served on the compensation committee of such other entity; or
The director or a family member of the director is a current partner of the company’s outside auditor, or at any time during the past three years was a partner or employee of the company’s outside auditor, and who worked on the company’s audit.
Under such definitions, two of our directors can be considered independent.


Policy Concerning Related Person Transactions

Alternus’ board of directors adopted a related person transaction policy setting forth the policies and Michael Vahrenkamp are independent directorsprocedures for the identification, review and approval or ratification of related person transactions. This policy covers, with certain exceptions set forth in Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the NASDAQ rulesSecurities Act, any transaction, arrangement or relationship, or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships, in which we had a related person were or will be participants and Rule 10A-3the amount involved exceeds $120,000 or 1% of the Exchange Act.average of our total assets as of the end of our last two completed fiscal years, including purchases of goods or services by or from the related person or entities in which the related person has a material interest, indebtedness and guarantees of indebtedness. In reviewing and approving any such transactions, our audit committee will consider all relevant facts and circumstances as appropriate, such as the purpose of the transaction, the availability of other sources of comparable products or services, management’s recommendation with respect to the proposed related person transaction and the extent of the related person’s interest in the transaction.

All of the transactions described in this section were entered into prior to the adoption of this policy.

Item 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.Principal Accounting Fees and Services

The firm of

Audit and Non-Audit Fees

BDO USA, LLP or(n/k/a BDO actedUSA, P.C.)(“BDO”) served as ourthe independent registered public accounting firm to audit our books and accounts for the fiscal year endedending December 31, 2022 and provided audit services up to the Business Combination Closing date, December 22, 2023.

Mazars USA LLP (“Mazars US”) served as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit our combined books and accounts for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) throughfiscal year ending December 31, 2021. 2023.

The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to BDO for services rendered.

Audit Fees

Audit fees consist oftable below presents the aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by Mazars US, and BDO for the audit of our year-end financial statementsyears ended December 31, 2023 and services that2022.

  2023  2022 
Audit fees $   $  
BDO  231,014   153,973 
Mazars US  1,167,963     
Audit-related fees      - 
All other fees      - 
Total fess $1,398,977  $153,973 

In the above table, “audit fees” are normally provided by BDO in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees billed by BDO for professional services rendered forprovided related to the audit of our annual financial statements, quarterly reviews of our interim financial statements, and services normally provided by the initial public offering and other required filings with the SEC for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 totaled $153,973 and $125,000, respectively. The Company anticipates additional billings of approximately $15,000independent accountant in connection with services performedregulatory filings or engagements for those fiscal periods. “Audit-related fees” are fees not included in audit fees that are billed by the year ended December 31, 2022.

Audit-Related Fees

Audit-related services consist of fees billedindependent accountant for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements. These audit-related fees also consist of the review of our registration statements filed with the SEC and related services normally provided in connection with regulatory filings or engagements. “All other fees” are fees billed by the independent accountant for products and services not reported under “Audit Fees.” Theseincluded in the foregoing categories.

Pre–Approval Policy of Services Performed by Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Audit Committee’s policy is to pre–approve all audit and non–audit related services, include attesttax services thatand other services. Pre–approval is generally provided for up to one year, and any pre–approval is detailed as to the particular service or category of services and is generally subject to a specific budget. The Audit Committee has delegated the pre–approval authority to its chairperson when expedition of services is necessary. The independent registered public accounting firm and management are not required to periodically report to the full Audit Committee regarding the extent of services provided by statute or regulationthe independent registered public accounting firm in accordance with this pre–approval and consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. We did not pay BDO for any audit-related services during the year ended December 31, 2022 andfees for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.

Tax Fees

We did not pay BDO for tax compliance, tax planning and tax advice for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.

All Other Fees

We did not pay BDO for other services for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.

Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures

Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of the initial public offering. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered priorperformed to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).date.


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Table of Contents

PART IV

Item 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.

(a)The following documents are filed as part of this Annual Report:

(1)

(1)

Financial Statements:

Page

The financial statements are filed as part of this Annual Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

F-2

Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021

F-3

Statements of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021

F-4

Statements of Changes in Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021

F-5

Statements of Cash Flows for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021

F-6

Notes to Financial Statements

F-7 to F-22

(2)

under “Item 8. Financial Statements Schedule

and Supplementary Data.”

None.

(2)

(3)

Exhibits

The financial statement schedules are omitted because they are either not applicable or the information required is presented in the financial statements and notes thereto under “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

The following exhibits are filed as part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The SEC maintains an Internet site at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including the Company. Copies of the exhibits which are incorporated herein by reference can be obtained on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.

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(3)The exhibits listed in the following Exhibit Index are filed, furnished or incorporated by reference as part of this Annual Report.

(b) Exhibits

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.

Description

1.1

2.1†

Underwriting Agreement, dated February 23, 2022, by and between the Company and Citigroup Global Markets Inc., as representative of the several underwriters(1)

2.1

Business Combination Agreement dated as of October 12, 2022, by and among the Company,Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp., Alternus Energy Group Plc and Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor LLC.**(3)LLC, dated October 12, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp.’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-1883984), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 12, 2022)

3.1

2.2

First Amendment to the Business Combination Agreement dated April 12, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp.’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 18, 2023)

Second2.3†Amended and Restated Business Combination Agreement dated December 22, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.3 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)
3.1Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Alternus Clean Energy, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Secretary of State of the State of DelawareSecurities and Exchange Commission on February 23, 2022(1)December 22, 2023)

3.2

Bylaws(2)Amended and Restated Bylaws of Alternus Clean Energy, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)

4.1

Specimen Unit Certificate(2)

4.2

Specimen Private Unit Certificate(2)

4.3

Form of Specimen Common Stock Certificate(2)Certificate of Alternus Clean Energy, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)

4.4

4.2**

Specimen Warrant Certificate(2)Alternus Clean Energy, Inc. Description of Securities

4.5

10.1

Specimen Right Certificate(2)Solis Bond Terms by and among Solis Bond Company DAC and Nordic Trustee AS dated January 5, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)

4.6

10.2

Solis Bond Terms Amendment Agreement No. 1 dated July 5, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)

10.3Solis Bond Terms Amendment Agreement No. 2 dated May 16, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)
10.4Solis Bond Terms Amendment Agreement No. 3 dated July 16, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)
10.5†Loan Agreement by and among OBN Financial Services Limited, Paul O’Brien and AEG MH 02 Limited dated June 1, 2022, as amended and restated (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)


10.6†Secured Senior Facility Agreement by and among AEG JD 01 LTD and Deutsche Bank AG dated December 21, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)
10.7†Secured Mezzanine Facility Agreement by and among AEG MH 03 LTD and Deutsche Bank AG dated December 21, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)
10.8Amended and Restated Convertible Promissory Note issued to Wissam Anastas dated April 19, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)
10.9Secured Promissory Note dated October 3, 2023, by and among Alternus Energy Americas Inc. and SCM Tech LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.9 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)
10.10Warrant Agreement dated February 23, 2022, by and between the Company and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent(1)

4.7

Rights Agreement, dated February 23, 2022, by and between the Company and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as rights agent(1)

4.8*

Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp. Description of Securities

10.1

Letter Agreement, dated February 23,December 22, 2023, by and among the Company its executive officers, its directors and SCM Tech LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)

10.11Warrant Agreement dated December 22, 2023, by and among the Company and SCM Tech LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December, 22 2023)
10.12Form of Warrant Certificate that was issued by the Registrant to Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor LLC(1)LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-276630), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 19, 2024)

10.2

10.13#

Investment Management TrustEmployment Agreement dated February 23, 2022 by and betweenamong Vincent Browne and AEG JD 03 LTD dated December 22, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)

10.14#Consulting Services Agreement by and among VestCo Corp and Alternus Energy Americas Inc. dated May 15, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)
10.15#Employment Agreement by and among Joseph Duey and the Company dated December 22, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee(1)Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)

10.3

10.16#

Employment Agreement by and among Taliesin Durant and the Company dated December 22, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)

Registration10.17#Employment Agreement by and among Gary Swan and Solis Bond Company DAC dated March 31, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)
10.18#Employment Agreement by and among David Farrell and JD 03 Ltd dated October 5, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)
10.19#Employment Agreement by and among Larry Farrell and Solis Bond Company DAC dated September 1, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)
10.20Investor Rights Agreement dated February 23, 2022, by and among the Company, Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor LLC and Alternus Energy Group Plc dated October 12, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp.’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-1883984), filed with the other holders party thereto(1)Securities and Exchange Commission on October 12, 2022)

10.4

10.21#

Alternus Clean Energy, Inc. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)

Private Placement Units10.22Forward Purchase Agreement dated February 23, 2022 by and betweenamong Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp., Meteora Capital Partners, LP, Meteora Select Trading Opportunities Master, L.P. and Meteora Strategic Capital, LLC dated December 3, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp.’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the CompanySecurities and Exchange Commission on December 4, 2023)


10.23Non-Redemption Agreement by and among Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp., the Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor LLC(1)LLC, and the investor named therein dated December 18, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.22 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)

10.5

10.24

Form of IndemnityIndemnification Agreement dated February 23, 2022,(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)

10.25Share Purchase Agreement by and between theamong Solis Bond Designated Activity Company and each of its officersUndo S.r.l. dated December 28, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and directors(1)Exchange Commission on December 28, 2023).

14.1

10.26

Share Purchase Agreement by and among Solis Bond Designated Activity Company and Theia Investment (Netherlands) 1 B.V. dated December 28, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 28, 2023.

10.27Share Purchase Agreement by and among Solis Bond Designated Activity Company and Theia Investment (Netherlands) 1 B.V. dated January 16, 2024 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 16, 2024).
14.1Code of Ethics(2)Ethics (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 14.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-41306), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2023)

21.1*

19.1**

Insider Trading Policy

21.1**Subsidiaries List
31.1**Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the RegistrantSarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

31.1*

31.2**

Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

32.1**Certifications of the Chief Executive Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a)pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

31.2*

32.2**

Certification of the Chief Financial Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a)

32.1*

CertificationCertifications of the Chief Executive Officer required by Rule 13a-14(b) or Rule 15d-14(b) andpursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

32.2*

97.1**

Certification of the Chief Financial Officer required by Rule 13a-14(b) or Rule 15d-14(b) and 18 U.S.C. 1350Clawback Policy

101.INS*

101.INS

Inline XBRL Instance Document.

101.SCH*101.SCH

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.

101.CAL*

101.CAL

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.

101.DEF*

101.DEF

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.

101.LAB*

101.LAB

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.

101.PRE*

101.PRE

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.

104

Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).

*Filed herewith

**

TheCertain exhibits and schedules to this Exhibitexhibit have been omitted in accordance with Regulation S-K Item 601(b)(2). The Company hereby undertakesagrees to furnish supplementally a copy of anyall omitted scheduleexhibits and schedules to the SEC upon its request; provided, however, that the Company may request confidential treatment for any such schedules so furnished.

request.

(1)#Previously filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 28, 2022Indicates management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

(2)**Previously filed as an exhibit to our Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended (File No. 333-261201)Filed herewith
(3)Previously filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 12, 2022

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary

The Company has elected not to include summary information.


66

Table of Contents

Item 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY.SIGNATURES

Not applicable.

67

Table of Contents

SIGNATURES

In accordance withPursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrantCompany has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Date: April 15, 2024

ALTERNUS CLEAN EARTH ACQUISITIONS CORP.ENERGY, INC.

Dated: March 30, 2023

By:

/s/ Aaron T. Ratner

Vincent Browne

Aaron T. Ratner
Vincent Browne

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this Reportreport has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities andindicated on the dates indicated.April 15, 2024.

NameSignature

PositionTitle

Date

/s/ Vincent Browne

Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerApril 15, 2024
Vincent Browne(Principal Executive Officer)
/s/ Joseph E. DueyChief Financial OfficerApril 15, 2024
Joseph E. Duey(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
/s/ Aaron T. Ratner

Chief Executive Officer

Director

March 30, 2023

April 15, 2024

Aaron T. Ratner

(Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ Martha F. Ross

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer

March 30, 2023

Martha F. Ross

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

/s/ Nicholas Parker

Chairman of the Board of Directors

Director

March 30, 2023

April 15, 2024

Nicholas Parker

/s/ Tone Bjornov

DirectorApril 15, 2024
Tone Bjornov
/s/ Mohammed Javade ChaudhriDirectorApril 15, 2024
Mohammed Javade Chaudhri
/s/ Candice Beaumont

Director

March 30, 2023

April 15, 2024

Candice Beaumont

/s/ Bradford Allen

John Thomas

Director

March 30, 2023

April 15, 2024

Bradford Allen

John Thomas

/s/ Michael R. Vahrenkamp

Director

March 30, 2023

Michael R. Vahrenkamp

68

F-1

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Stockholders and Board of Directors

Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in common stock subject to possible redemption and stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Going Concern Uncertainty

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company does not have sufficient cash and working capital to sustain its operations. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ BDO USA, LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.

New York, New York

March 30, 2023

F-2

CLEAN EARTH ACQUISITIONS CORP.

BALANCE SHEETS

December 31,

    

2022

    

2021

ASSETS

Current assets:

Cash

$

630,460

$

33,912

Prepaid expenses – current

298,172

Other receivable

7,462

189

Marketable securities held in Trust Account

235,586,028

Total Current Assets

236,522,122

34,101

Non-current assets:

Deferred offering costs

703,079

Total Non-current Assets

703,079

TOTAL ASSETS

$

236,522,122

$

737,180

LIABILITIES, CLASS A COMMON STOCK SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE REDEMPTION AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)

Current liabilities:

Accrued expenses

$

2,035,291

$

1,600

Accounts payable

47,919

Accrued offering costs

542,981

588,126

Promissory note – related party

806,170

125,000

Deferred underwriter fee payable

4,427,500

Total Current Liabilities

7,859,861

714,726

Total Liabilities

7,859,861

714,726

Commitments and Contingencies (Note 5)

Class A common stock subject to possible redemption; $0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 23,000,000 shares issued and outstanding at redemption

235,586,028

Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)

Preferred shares, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding

Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized; 890,000 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 23,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption)

89

Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized; 7,666,667 shares issued and outstanding

767

767

Additional paid-in capital

24,233

Accumulated deficit

(6,924,623)

(2,546)

Total Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)

(6,923,767)

22,454

TOTAL LIABILITIES, CLASS A COMMON STOCK SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE REDEMPTION AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)

$

236,522,122

$

737,180

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

F-3

CLEAN EARTH ACQUISITIONS CORP.

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

For the Period From

May 14, 2021

Year Ended

(Inception) Through

    

December 31, 

    

December 31, 

    

2022

    

2021

Franchise tax expense

$

200,000

$

1,600

Bank fees

947

Insurance expense

360,142

Dues and subscriptions

203,639

Marketing and advertising expenses

99,845

Legal and accounting expenses

1,213,772

Placement services fee

500,000

Formation, general and administrative expenses

946

Total operating expenses

2,578,345

2,546

Loss from operations

(2,578,345)

(2,546)

Other income:

Dividend income on marketable securities held in Trust Account

1,057,978

Realized gains on marketable securities held in Trust Account

2,228,053

Total other income

3,286,031

Income (loss) before provision for income taxes

707,686

(2,546)

Provision for income taxes

(647,731)

Net income (loss)

$

59,955

$

(2,546)

Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, redeemable Class A common stock

19,282,192

Basic and diluted net income per share, redeemable Class A common stock

$

0.60

$

Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, non-redeemable Class A and Class B common stock

8,412,804

7,666,667

Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share, non-redeemable Class A and Class B common stock

$

(1.38)

$

(0.00)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

F-4

CLEAN EARTH ACQUISITIONS CORP.

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN COMMON STOCK SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE REDEMPTION AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)

Class A

Common Stock Subject to Possible

Class A Common

Class B

Additional

Total

Redemption

Stock

Common Stock

Paid-in

Accumulated

Stockholders’

    

Shares

    

Amount

  

  

Shares

    

Amount

    

Shares

    

Amount

    

Capital

    

Deficit

    

Equity (Deficit)

Balance – January 1, 2022

$

$

7,666,667

$

767

$

24,233

$

(2,546)

$

22,454

Issuance of Class A common stock in initial public offering

 

23,000,000

192,829,587

23,227,765

23,227,765

Sale of private placement units

890,000

89

8,899,911

8,900,000

Remeasurement of Class A common stock to redemption value

42,756,441

(32,151,909)

(10,604,532)

(42,756,441)

Forfeiture of deferred underwriter fee payable

3,622,500

3,622,500

Net income

59,955

59,955

Balance – December 31, 2022

 

23,000,000

$

235,586,028

890,000

$

89

7,666,667

$

767

$

$

(6,924,623)

$

(6,923,767)

Class A

Common Stock Subject to Possible

Class A Common

Class B

Additional

Total

Redemption

Stock

Common Stock

Paid-in

Accumulated

Stockholders’

    

Shares

    

Amount

  

  

Shares

    

Amount

    

Shares

    

Amount

    

Capital

    

Deficit

    

Equity (Deficit)

Balance — May 14, 2021 (inception)

$

$

$

$

$

$

Issuance of Class B common stock to Sponsor

 

 

7,666,667

767

 

24,233

 

 

25,000

Net loss

(2,546)

(2,546)

Balance – December 31, 2021

 

$

$

7,666,667

$

767

$

24,233

$

(2,546)

$

22,454

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

F-5

CLEAN EARTH ACQUISITIONS CORP.

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

For the Period From

Twelve Months

May 14, 2021

Ended

(Inception) Through

December 31,

December 31,

    

2022

    

2021

Cash Flows from Operating Activities:

    

  

Net income (loss)

$

59,955

$

(2,546)

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash used in operating activities:

 

Realized gain on marketable securities held in Trust account

(2,228,053)

Gain on extinguishment of liabilities

(4,000)

Payment of related party costs

(189)

Formation costs

877

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Prepaid expenses

 

(298,172)

Accounts payable

47,919

Accrued expenses

 

2,033,691

1,600

Other receivable

(7,462)

Net cash used in operating activities

(396,122)

(258)

Cash Flows from Investing Activities:

 

Initial investment of money market funds in Trust Account

(232,300,000)

Redemption of money market funds

232,896,440

Purchases of treasury securities

(466,121,947)

Redemptions of treasury securities

468,350,000

Purchases of money market funds

(236,182,468)

Net cash used in investing activities

(233,357,975)

Cash Flows from Financing Activities:

Proceeds from issuance of Class B common stock to Sponsor

 

25,000

Proceeds from issuance of units

 

230,000,000

Proceeds from sale of private placement units

 

8,900,000

Payment of underwriting fee

(4,600,000)

Proceeds from promissory note – related party

906,170

125,000

Payment of promissory note – related party

 

(225,000)

Proceeds from related party receivable

 

189

Payment of deferred offering costs

 

(630,714)

(115,830)

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

234,350,645

34,170

 

Net Change in Cash

 

596,548

33,912

Cash – Beginning

 

33,912

Cash – Ending

$

630,460

$

33,912

 

Non-Cash Investing and Financing Activities:

 

Remeasurement of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption

$

42,756,441

$

Deferred underwriter fee payable

$

8,050,000

$

Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs

$

21,588

$

588,126

Forfeiture of deferred underwriter fee payable

$

3,622,500

$

Cash paid for taxes

$

1,252

$

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

F-6

CLEAN EARTH ACQUISITIONS CORP.

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1.    Description of Organization and Business Operations

Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on May 14, 2021. The Company is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (the “Business Combination”).

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2022, relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described below, and following the Initial Public Offering, identifying a target company for a Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering placed in the Trust Account (described below).

The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on February 23, 2022 (the “Effective Date”). On February 28, 2022, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 23,000,000 units (“Units” or “Public Shares”) at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $230,000,000, which is discussed in Note 3. Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 890,000 Private Placement Units (the “Private Units”) at a price of $10.00 per Private Unit in a private placement with Clean Earth Acquisitions Sponsor, LLC (the “Sponsor”) generating proceeds of $8,900,000 from the sale of the Private Units.

Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on February 28, 2022, $232,300,000 ($10.10 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Units was placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”), located in the United States which is invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds selected by the Company meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7(d) of the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination, (ii) the redemption of any Public Shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, and (iii) the redemption of the Company’s Public Shares if the Company is unable to complete the initial Business Combination within 15 months (or up to 18 months with extensions) from February 28, 2022, the closing of the Initial Public Offering (the “Combination Period”).

The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete a Business Combination having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding taxes payable on income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into an initial Business Combination. The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target, the Company’s stockholders prior to the Business Combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and the Company in the Business Combination transaction.

The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. Except as required by law or the rules of NASDAQ, the decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The public stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants.

F-7

The Company will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a stockholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC containing substantially the same information as would be included in a proxy statement prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or legal reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 4), Private Shares (as defined in Note 4) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering (a) in favor of approving a Business Combination and (b) not to redeem any shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a Business Combination or sell any shares to the Company in a tender offer in connection with a Business Combination. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or do not vote at all.

The Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to its Founder Shares, Private Shares and Public Shares held by it in connection with the completion of a Business Combination, (b) to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Founder Shares and Private Shares if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination, and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation that would affect the public stockholders’ ability to redeem or sell their shares to the Company in connection with a Business Combination or affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination, unless the Company provides the public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.

If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s rights or warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.

In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below $10.10 per Public Share, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a valid and enforceable agreement with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (except the Company’s independent registered accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.

Business Combination Agreement

On October 12, 2022, the Company entered into a Business Combination Agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”) with Alternus Energy Group Plc (the “Seller”). Pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, we will acquire certain subsidiaries of the Seller, for up to 90,000,000 shares. Initially, we will issue 55,000,000 shares at closing (subject to a working capital adjustment capped at 1,000,000 additional shares) plus up to 35,000,000 shares subject to certain earn-out provisions, which will be deposited in escrow and will be released if certain conditions are met. The Business Combination Agreement may be terminated under certain customary

F-8

and limited circumstances at any time prior to the closing, including, among others, (i) by mutual written consent of the Company and the Seller, (ii) upon any injunction or other governmental order preventing the consummation of the transaction which shall have become final and non-appealable, (iii) upon a material breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement (subject to an opportunity to cure, if such violation or breach is capable of being cured), (iv) if the closing has not occurred by May 26, 2023 and such failure in closing on or before such date is not due to the breach of the Business Combination Agreement by the party seeking to terminate and (v) by the Company, if the Seller fails to consummate the transaction following the satisfaction of the conditions to the Seller's closing. The Seller will be obligated to pay the Company a termination fee of $2,000,000 if the Business Combination Agreement is terminated by the Company pursuant to clause (v).

Risks and Uncertainties

Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of the financial statements.

The credit and financial markets have experienced extreme volatility and disruptions due to the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The conflict is expected to have further global economic consequences, including but not limited to the possibility of severely diminished liquidity and credit availability, declines in consumer confidence, declines in economic growth, increases in inflation rates and uncertainty about economic and political stability. In addition, the United States and other countries have imposed sanctions on Russia which increases the risk that Russia, as a retaliatory action, may launch cyberattacks against the United States, its government, infrastructure and businesses. Any of the foregoing consequences, including those we cannot yet predict, may cause our business, financial condition, results of operations and the price of our common shares to be adversely affected.

The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of these uncertainties.

Going Concern

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $630,460 of operating cash and a working capital deficit of $2,496,267. At December 31, 2022, working capital excludes the amount of Marketable Securities held in Trust Account and the amount of deferred underwriter fee payable. The Company classified the Marketable Securities held in Trust Account as a current asset as the Company has less than 12 months from the balance sheet date to consummate a Business Combination, at which point, if the Company did not find a Business Combination partner, the Company would cease to exist and the funds would be liquidated from the Trust Account. The Company classified the Deferred Underwriting Fees Payable as current liabilities as the Company has less than 12 months from the balance sheet date to consummate a Business Combination, at which point, if the Company did not find a Business Combination partner, the Company would cease to exist and the deferred underwriting commission would not be paid as the fees owed are contingent upon a successful Business Combination.

The Company’s liquidity needs through December 31, 2022 had been satisfied through a payment from the Sponsor of $25,000 for Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class B common stock” and shares thereof, “founder shares”), the Initial Public Offering and the issuance of the Private Units (see Note 3 and Note 4). Additionally, the Company drew on an unsecured promissory note to pay certain offering costs and a convertible promissory note with the Sponsor (see Note 4).

The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. The Company lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. The initial stockholders, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”, see Note 4). The Company cannot assure that its plans to consummate an initial Business Combination will be successful.

These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern one year from the date the financial statements are issued. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

F-9

Note 2.    Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

Emerging Growth Company

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s 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.

Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.

Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. There were no cash equivalents as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Marketable Securities Held in Trust Account

Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on February 28, 2022, an amount of $232,300,000 from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Units were placed in the Trust Account and invested only in U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7(d) under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. The Trust Account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of the initial Business Combination; (ii) the redemption of any Public Shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company does not complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, the return of the funds held in the Trust Account to the public stockholders as part of redemption of the Public Shares. The Company accounts for marketable securities held in the Trust Account in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 320, “Investments – Debt Securities” (“ASC 320”). Trading securities are measured at fair value with holding

F-10

gains and losses included in earnings. The estimated fair values of the marketable securities held in the Trust Account are determined using available market information. The Company was invested in U.S. Treasury Bills and money market funds invested in U.S. government securities for the year ended December 31, 2022. Income generated from the U.S. Treasury Bills was recorded to realized gains on marketable securities held in Trust Account on the statements of operations and presented as an adjustment to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities on the statements of cash flows. Income generated from money market funds invested in U.S. government securities was recorded to dividend income on marketable securities held in Trust Account and presented within cash flows from investing activities on the statements of cash flows. Redemptions and purchases of U.S. Treasury Bills and money market securities held in Trust Account are presented within cash flows from investing activities on the statements of cash flows.

Offering Costs Associated with the Initial Public Offering

The Company complies with the requirements of ASC 340-10-S99-1, “Other Assets and Deferred Costs” and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A – “Expenses of Offering”. Offering costs consist principally of incentives to anchor investor (defined in Note 4) and professional and registration fees that are related to the Initial Public Offering. The Company incurred offering costs from the Initial Public Offering of $18,678,975, consisting of $4,600,000 of underwriting fee, $8,050,000 of deferred underwriting commission, $1,292,649 of actual offering costs, and $4,736,326 excess fair value of Founder Shares as a result of the Anchor Investor transaction (see Note 5). The Company recorded the $18,678,975 of offering costs as a reduction of the carrying value of Class A common stock in temporary equity and additional paid-in capital (see Note 3).

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurement” (“ASC 820”), defines fair value as the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants. Fair value measurements are classified on a three-tier hierarchy as follows:

Level 1 — defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets;

Level 2 — defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and

Level 3 — defined as unobservable inputs for which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.

In many cases, a valuation technique used to measure fair value includes inputs from multiple levels of the fair value hierarchy described above. The lowest level of significant input determines the placement of the entire fair value measurement in the hierarchy.

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities which qualify as financial instruments under ASC 820 approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.

Warrants and Rights

The Company accounts for the public and private warrants and rights as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the instruments’ specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in ASC 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (“ASC 480”) and ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC 815”). Pursuant to the Company’s evaluation, the Company concluded that the public and private warrants and rights do not meet the criteria to be accounted for as liability under ASC 480. The Company further evaluated the public and private warrants and rights under ASC 815-40, “Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity” (“ASC 815-40”) and concluded that the public warrants, private warrants and rights are indexed to the Company’s own stock and meet the criteria to be classified in stockholders’ equity (deficit).

Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption

The Company accounts for its common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC 480. Common stock subject to mandatory redemption (if any) is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that features redemption rights that are within the control of the holder or subject

F-11

to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity (deficit). The Company’s Class A common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at December 31, 2022, 23,000,000 shares of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption are presented, at redemption value equal to the amount held in the Trust Account, as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity (deficit) section of the Company’s balance sheet.

The Class A common stock subject to possible redemption are subject to the subsequent measurement guidance in ASC 480-10-S99. Under such guidance, the Company must subsequently measure the shares to their redemption amount because, as a result of the allocation of net proceeds to transaction costs, the initial carrying amount of the common stock is less than $10.00 per share. In accordance with the guidance, the Company has elected to measure the common stock subject to possible redemption to their redemption amount (i.e., $10.10 per share) immediately as if the end of the first reporting period after the IPO, February 28, 2022, was the redemption date. Such changes are reflected in additional paid-in capital, or in the absence of additional paid-in capital, in accumulated deficit.

The Class A common stock subject to possible redemption is reflected on the balance sheet at December 31, 2022 as follows:

Gross proceeds from initial public offering

    

$

230,000,000

Less:

Fair value allocated to public warrants

(4,390,700)

Fair value allocated to rights

(15,741,200)

Offering costs allocated to Class A common stock subject to possible redemption

(17,038,513)

Plus:

Re-measurement on Class A common stock subject to possible redemption

42,756,441

Class A common shares subject to possible redemption, December 31, 2022

 

$

235,586,028

The proceeds of the Initial Public Offering were allocated to the Class A common stock and the Public Warrants and Rights based on their relative fair values. The Company recognizes changes in redemption value of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable common stock to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Such changes are reflected in additional paid-in capital, or in the absence of additional capital, in accumulated deficit. On February 28, 2022, the Company recorded a remeasurement of $39,491,791, $32,151,909 of which was recorded in additional paid-in capital and $7,339,882 was recorded in accumulated deficit, to remeasure the value of Class A common stock to its redemption value. The Company has recorded an additional remeasurement of $3,264,650 through December 31, 2022 to remeasure the value of Class A common stock to its redemption value of the amount held in the Trust Account.

Promissory Note – Related Party

The Company accounts for its WC Promissory Note (see Note 4) in accordance with ASC 470, “Debt” and ASC 815. The Company accounts for the WC Promissory Note at amortized cost and does not bifurcate and separately account for the embedded conversion feature as it does not meet the definition of a derivative instrument.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for its stock-based compensation arrangements in accordance with ASC 718, “Compensation-Stock Compensation”. The awards have a performance condition that requires the consummation of an initial business combination to fully vest. As the performance condition is not probable and will likely not become probable until the consummation of an initial business combination, the Company will defer recognition of the compensation costs until the consummation of an initial business combination.

Net Income (Loss) per Common Stock

The statements of operations includes a presentation of income (loss) per Class A redeemable common stock and loss per Class A and Class B non-redeemable common stock following the two-class method of income per common stock. In order to determine the net income (loss) attributable to both the Class A redeemable common stock and Class A and Class B non-redeemable common stock, the Company first considered the total net income (loss) allocable to both sets of stock. This is calculated using the total net income (loss) less any dividends paid. For purposes of calculating net income (loss) per share, any remeasurement of the Class A common stock subject to possible redemption was treated as dividends paid to the public stockholders.

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Net income (loss) per common stock is computed by dividing net income (loss) by class by the weighted average number of common stock outstanding during the period. The Company has not considered the effect of the 11,500,000 Public Warrants in the calculation of diluted net income (loss) per share, since the exercise of such warrants are contingent upon the occurrence of future events and the inclusion of such warrants would be anti-dilutive. Net income (loss) per common stock for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 was calculated by dividing the net income (loss) into the amount of Class B non-redeemable common stock outstanding as no Class A common stock was issued during this period.

The following tables reflect the calculation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per common stock for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 (in dollars, except share amounts):

Twelve Months Ended

December 31,

2022

Net loss from beginning of year through date of initial public offering

$

(37,034)

Net income from date of initial public offering through December 31, 2022

96,989

Total net income year to date

59,955

Remeasurement of temporary equity to redemption value

(42,756,441)

Net loss including remeasurement of temporary equity to redemption value

$

(42,696,486)

    

Twelve Months Ended

December 31,

2022

Class A

Class A & Class B

    

Redeemable

    

Non-redeemable

Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share:

 

  

 

  

Numerator:

 

  

 

  

Allocation of net loss including accretion of temporary equity

 

$

(31,092,238)

 

$

(11,604,248)

Deemed dividend for remeasurement of temporary equity to redemption value

 

42,756,441

 

Total net income (loss) by class

$

11,664,203

$

(11,604,248)

Weighted average shares outstanding

 

19,282,192

 

8,412,804

Net income (loss) per share

$

0.60

$

(1.38)

The following tables reflect the calculation of basic and diluted net loss per common stock for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 (in dollars, except share amounts):

For the Period From

May 14, 2021

(Inception) Through

December 31,

2021

Net loss

$

(2,546)

Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, non-redeemable Class B common stock

7,666,667

Basic and diluted net loss per share, non-redeemable Class B common stock

$

(0.00)

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Income taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with the provisions of ASC 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”). Under the asset and liability method, as required by this accounting standard, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statement and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted income tax rates expected to apply to the period when assets are realized or liabilities are settled. Any effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the statements of operations in the period that includes the enactment date. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Current income taxes are provided for in accordance with the laws of the relevant taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties as of December 31, 2022 or December 31, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.

ASC 740 prescribes a comprehensive model for how companies should recognize, measure, present, and disclose in their financial statements uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken on a tax return. Under ASC 740, tax positions must initially be recognized in the financial statements when it is more likely than not the position will be sustained upon examination by the tax authorities. Such tax positions must initially and subsequently be measured as the largest amount of tax benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the tax authority assuming full knowledge of the position and relevant facts.

Related Parties

Parties, which can be a corporation or individual, are considered to be related if the Company has the ability, directly or indirectly, to control the other party or exercise significant influence over the other party in making financial and operational decisions. Companies are also considered to be related if they are subject to common control or common significant influence.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation coverage limits. At December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB’) issued Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) No. 2020-06, Debt with Conversion and other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40). The new guidance eliminates the beneficial conversion and cash conversion accounting models for convertible instruments. It also amends the accounting for certain contracts in an entity’s own equity that are currently accounted for as derivatives because of specific settlement provisions. In addition, the new guidance modifies how particular convertible instruments and certain contracts that may be settled in cash or shares impact the diluted EPS computation. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the effect the updated standard will have on its financial position, results of operations or financial statement disclosure.

The Company has considered all new accounting pronouncements and has concluded that there are no other new pronouncements that may have a material impact on the results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows, based on the current information.

Note 3.    Initial Public Offering

Pursuant to the Initial Public Offering on February 28, 2022, the Company sold 23,000,000 Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock, one right and one-half of one warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 6).

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An aggregate of $10.10 per Unit sold in the Initial Public Offering is held in the Trust Account and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7(d) of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company.

Note 4.    Related Party Transactions

Founder Shares

On August 17, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 5,750,000 shares of the Company’s Class B common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 or approximately $0.004 per share (the “Founder Shares”). On February 7, 2022, we effected a 1:1.33333339 stock split of our Class B common stock, resulting in our initial stockholders holding 7,666,667 Founder Shares. All share and per-share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the stock split. The Founder Shares collectively represent the Sponsor’s 25% ownership of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering (excluding the Private Shares).

The Sponsor has agreed, subject to certain limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until after the completion of a Business Combination.

The Founder Shares will convert into shares of Class A common stock after the initial Business Combination.

Unvested Founder Shares

Pursuant to the letter agreement, a total of 2,167,000 Founder Shares then held by the Sponsor will be considered newly unvested shares upon the completion of the Business Combination, which shall vest only if the closing price of the common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 for any 20 trading days within a 30 day trading period after the Business Combination, but before the tenth anniversary of the Business Combination. In the event such price level is achieved before the first anniversary of the closing of the Business Combination, such unvested Founder Shares will not vest until the first anniversary of such closing. In the event that the Company enters into a binding agreement on or before the tenth anniversary of the Business Combination with respect to a Sale (as defined in the agreement), all unvested Founder Shares shall vest on the day prior to the closing of such Sale. Founder Shares, if any, that remain unvested at the tenth anniversary of the closing of the Business Combination will be forfeited.

Private Placement

The Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 890,000 Private Units at a price of $10.00 per Private Unit for an aggregate purchase price of $8,900,000 in a private placement that occurred simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the proceeds of which were recorded in additional paid in capital. Each Private Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock (“Private Share”) and one-half of one warrant (“Private Warrant”). Each Private Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per full share, subject to adjustment. The proceeds from the Private Units were added to the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and are held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Units will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law).

Promissory Note — Related Party

On September 22, 2021, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note to the Sponsor (the “IPO Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $350,000. The Company drew $100,000 and $125,000 on the IPO Promissory Note for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, respectively. As of February 28, 2022, the Company had borrowed an aggregate $225,000 under the IPO Promissory Note. The IPO Promissory Note was non-interest bearing and was repaid in full on February 28, 2022. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the outstanding balance under the IPO Promissory Note was $0 and $125,000, respectively.

F-15

Related Party Loans

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Initial Stockholders, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into units of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit. The units would be identical to the Private Units.

On September 26, 2022, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note to the Sponsor (the “WC Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $850,000. The WC Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of the initial Business Combination. At the election of the Sponsor and at any time prior to payment in full of the principal balance, the WC Promissory Note can be converted into conversion units comprised of one Class A common stock and one-half of one warrant that are identical to those issued in the private placement (“Conversion Units”). The number of convertible Conversion Units is calculated as the outstanding principal balance divided by $10. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the WC Promissory Note balance was $806,170 and $0, respectively.

Anchor Investor Agreement

A third-party investor (the “Anchor Investor”) (who is also not affiliated with our Sponsor or any member of our management team) purchased 2,277,000 of the units issued in the Initial Public Offering pursuant to a November 2021 Subscription Agreement between our Sponsor and the Anchor Investor, wherein the Anchor Investor also purchased membership interests in our Sponsor. The excess fair value of the Sponsor membership units over the price paid by the Anchor Investor of $4,736,326 was determined to be an offering cost in accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A (see Note 2) and a corresponding contribution by our Sponsor recorded in additional paid in capital.

The Sponsor retains voting and dispositive power over the Anchor Investor’s allocated Founder Shares and shares purchased by the Sponsor in the private placement until the consummation of the Business Combination, following which time the Sponsor will distribute such securities to the Anchor Investor (subject to applicable lock-up or escrow restrictions).

Related Party Consulting Agreement

In April 2022, the Company entered into a consulting agreement with a related party. During the term of the agreement, the consultant (“Consultant”) will be responsible for financial modeling, compiling presentations, data room management, and research. The Company will pay the Consultant compensation in the form of $7,500 per month in cash, as well as $5,000 per month in the form of newly issued Class B common stock with an exercise price of $10.00 per share paid in arrears. The grant date of the stock-based compensation award under the agreement is April 1, 2022. The performance condition required for vesting is a successful business combination, the outcome of which is not considered probable until the event occurs. In November 2022, the Company executed an amendment to the consulting agreement with the related party. The amendment changed the compensation structure to pay the Consultant $5,000 per month in cash and no additional compensation in the form of stock. The commencement date for the updated compensation structure was December 1, 2022. As of December 31, 2022, no stock-based compensation expense has been recorded and will not be accrued for or recognized until a successful business combination occurs. Additionally, the agreement will conclude upon the completion of a successful business combination. The Company incurred $65,000 and $0 for the year ended December 31, 2022 and for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, respectively, related to this agreement.

Note 5.    Commitments and Contingencies

Registration and Stockholder Rights

The holders of the Founder Shares, as well as the holders of the Private Units and any units that may be issued in payment of Working Capital Loans made to the Company, will be entitled to registration rights. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that the Company register such securities. The holders of a majority of the Private Units and units issued in

F-16

payment of Working Capital Loans (or underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after the Company consummates a Business Combination. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

Underwriting Agreement

The Company granted the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the Initial Public Offering to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Initial Public Offering price less the underwriting commissions. The underwriters exercised the option in full on February 28, 2022.

The underwriters were entitled to a underwriting commission of 2.00% of the gross proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, or $4,600,000, which was paid upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering.

The underwriters are also entitled to a deferred underwriting commission of 3.50% of the gross proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, or $8,050,000, payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions. The full amount was placed in the Trust Account and will be released to the underwriters only on, and concurrently with, completion of an initial business combination. In October 2022, one of the Company’s underwriters waived their right to 50% of the deferred underwriting commissions, forfeiting $3,622,500 of their deferred underwriting commission. As the Combination Period expires on May 28, 2023, without extensions, the deferred underwriter fee payable is classified as a current liability as of December 31, 2022.

Placement Services Agreement

In August 2022, the Company entered into an agreement with a Placement Agent to serve as a non-exclusive capital markets advisor and placement agent for the Company in connection with a proposed private placement of the Company’s equity or equity-linked, preferred, debt or debt-like, securities. The Placement Agent will receive a nonrefundable cash fee of $500,000 and an additional cash fee of $450,000 that is contingent upon the closing of the Business Combination. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has recorded the $500,000 nonrefundable cash fee within accrued expenses on the balance sheet and as placement services fee expense on the statements of operations. The Company has not recorded any amounts related to the $450,000 cash fee as of December 31, 2022 as it is contingent upon the closing of the Business Combination.

Consulting Agreement

In June 2022, the Company entered into a consulting agreement. During the term of the agreement, the Consultant will advise the Company concerning matters related to qualifying business combinations, including services such as de-SPAC readiness assessment, post transaction close preparation advisory, the overall capital markets climate related to global macroeconomic conditions, world leading exchanges, potential competitors, and general advice with respect to the business. The Company will pay the Consultant compensation in the form of $15,000 per month. Upon closing of an initial business combination, the Company will pay the Consultant a one-time success fee cash bonus of $25,000. Additionally, at the successful close of a business combination, the Company will pay a cash bonus of $50,000 if certain criteria are met for redemptions. Payment to the Consultant for any cash bonus fee is dependent upon the closing of an initial business combination. In November 2022, the Company terminated the agreement with the Consultant in accordance with the terms of the agreement. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, the Company incurred $64,353 under this agreement, of which $15,000 remains payable and is accrued for within accounts payable.

Note 6.    Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)

On February 23, 2022, the Company adopted the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (the “Certificate of Incorporation”). Under the Certificate of Incorporation, the total number of shares of all classes of capital stock, each with a par value of $0.0001 per share, which the Company is authorized to issue is 111,000,000 shares, consisting of (a) 110,000,000 shares of common stock (the “Common Stock”), including (i) 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock (the “Class A common stock”), and (ii) 10,000,000 shares of Class B common stock (the “Class B common stock”), and (b) 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock (the “Preferred Stock”).

Preferred stock— The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At December 31, 2022 and 2021, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.

F-17

Class A common stock— The Company is authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote for each common share. At December 31, 2022 and 2021, there were 890,000 and zero shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding, excluding 23,000,000 and zero shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding subject to possible redemption, respectively.

Class B common stock— The Company is authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. On August 17, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 5,750,000 shares of the Company’s Class B common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 or approximately $0.004 per share (the “Founder Shares”). On February 7, 2022, we effected a 1:1.33333339 stock split of our Class B common stock, resulting in our initial stockholders holding 7,666,667 Founder Shares as of December 31, 2022. All share and per-share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the stock split.

With respect to any matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including any vote in connection with a Business Combination, except as required by law, holders of our Founder Shares and holders of our Class A common stock will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.

The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in the Initial Public Offering and related to the closing of a Business Combination, the ratio at which Class B common stock shall convert into Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 25% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination, excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination and excluding any private placement-equivalent shares and warrants underlying units issued to our Sponsor, its affiliates or any member of our management team upon conversion of Working Capital Loans.

Rights— Each holder of a right will automatically receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of Class A common stock upon consummation of a Business Combination, even if the holder of a right redeemed all shares held by him, her or it in connection with a Business Combination or an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation with respect to its pre-business combination activities. In the event that the Company will not be the surviving company upon completion of a Business Combination, each holder of a right will be required to affirmatively exchange his, her or its rights in order to receive the one-tenth (1/10) of a share underlying each right upon consummation of the Business Combination.

The Company will not issue fractional shares in connection with an exchange of rights. Fractional shares will either be rounded down to the nearest whole share or otherwise addressed in accordance with the applicable provisions of Delaware law. As a result, the holders of the rights must hold rights in multiples of 10 in order to receive shares for all of the holders’ rights upon closing of a Business Combination. If the Company is unable to complete an initial Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company redeems the Public Shares for the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of rights will not receive any of such funds for their rights and the rights will expire worthless.

Warrants— Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one whole share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, at any time commencing 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination. The warrants will expire five years after the completion of the initial Business Combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

F-18

The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of the initial Business Combination, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement or a new registration statement with the SEC covering the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of the initial Business Combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to the shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement; provided that if the shares of Class A common stock are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, it will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but the Company will use its commercially reasonably efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. If a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of the initial Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption, but the Company will use its commercially reasonably efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) less the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” as used in this paragraph shall mean the volume weighted average price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent.

Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00.

Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the Private Warrants):

in whole and not in part;
at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
provided that the reference value of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share; and
either there is an effective registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants, and a current prospectus relating thereto, available throughout the 30-day redemption period; or
the Company has elected to require the exercise of the Public Warrants on a “cashless basis”.

In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of the initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Class A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates the initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “— Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.

The Private Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering, except that the Private Warrants may be exercised for cash or on a “cashless basis”, the Private Warrants and the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Warrants may be subject to certain transfer restrictions, and the Private Warrants are not redeemable at the option of the Company. The Private Warrants shall not become Public Warrants as a result of any transfer of the Private Warrants, regardless of the transferee.

F-19


Table of Contents

If a tender offer, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by the holders of the Class A common stock and upon completion of such offer, the offeror owns beneficially more than 50% of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock, the holder of the warrant shall be entitled to receive the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a stockholder if such warrant had been exercised, accepted such offer and all of the Class A common stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to the offer. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of the Class A common stock in the applicable event is payable in the form of common equity in the successor entity that is listed on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, and if the holder of the warrant properly exercises the warrant within thirty days following the public disclosure of the consummation of the applicable event by the Company, the warrant price shall be reduced by an amount equal to the difference (but in no event less than zero) of (i) the warrant price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the Per Share Consideration (as defined in the warrant agreement) minus (B) the value of the warrant based on the Black-Scholes Warrant Value for a Capped American Call on Bloomberg Financial Markets.

Note 7. Income Tax

The following presents the components of the income tax provision for the year ended December 31, 2022. The income tax provision for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 was deemed to be de minimis.

    

December 31,

2022

Current - Federal

 

$

647,731

Current - State

Deferred - Federal

 

(499,117)

Deferred - State

Change in Valuation Allowance

 

499,117

Income Tax Provision

$

647,731

The following presents the reconciliation of the federal income tax rate to the Company’s effective tax rate at December 31, 2022. The income tax provision for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 was deemed to be de minimis.

December 31,

2022

Statutory U.S. federal income tax rate

21.00

%

Change in valuation allowance

70.53

%

Income tax provision

91.53

%

The following presents the Company’s net deferred tax assets at December 31, 2022. The income tax provision for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 was deemed to be de minimis.

    

December 31,

2022

Capitalized start-up costs

$

499,651

Net operating loss carryforward

 

Total deferred tax assets

 

499,651

Valuation allowance

 

(499,651)

Deferred tax assets

$

As of December 31, 2022 the Company has no federal or state net operating loss carryforwards.

Future realization of the tax benefits of existing temporary differences and net operating loss carryforwards ultimately depends on the existence of sufficient taxable income within the carryforward period. As of December 31, 2022, the Company performed an evaluation to determine whether a valuation allowance was needed. The Company considered all available evidence, both positive and negative, which included the results of operations for the current and preceding years. The Company determined that it was not possible to reasonably quantify future taxable income and determined that it is more likely than not that all the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Accordingly, the Company maintained a full valuation allowance as of December 31, 2022.

F-20

The following presents the Company’s valuation allowance for the year ended December 31, 2022. The income tax provision for the period from May 14, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 was deemed to be de minimis.

    

December 31,

2022

Valuation allowance at beginning of year

$

534

Increases recorded to income tax provision

 

499,117

Decreases recorded to income tax provision

 

Valuation allowance at end of year

$

499,651

The calculation of tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax laws and regulations for both federal taxes and the many states in which the Company operates or does business in.  ASC 740-10 states that a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position may be recognized when it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including resolutions of any related appeals or litigation processes, on the basis of the technical merits.

Uncertain tax positions are recorded as liabilities in accordance with ASC 740-10 and are adjusted upon the evaluation of new information not previously available. Because of the complexity of some of these uncertainties, the ultimate resolution may result in a payment that is materially different from the current estimate of the unrecognized tax benefit liabilities. These differences will be reflected as increases or decreases to income tax expense in the period in which new information is available.  As of December 31, 2022, there are no uncertain tax positions recorded in the financial statements.

The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits on the income tax expense line in the accompanying statements of operations as required. As of December 31, 2022, there were no significant accrued interest or penalties.

The Company files tax returns as prescribed by the tax laws of the jurisdictions in which it operates.  In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to examination by federal and state jurisdictions, where applicable.  There are currently no pending tax examinations.  The Company's tax years are still open under statute from inception.  The resolution of tax matters is not expected to have a material effect on the Company's financial statements.

Note 8. Fair Value Measurements

At December 31, 2022, the Company’s marketable securities held in the Trust Account were valued at $235,586,028. The cash and marketable securities held in the Trust Account must be recorded on the balance sheet at fair value and are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each re-measurement, the valuations will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statements of operations.

The following table presents the fair value information, as of December 31, 2022, of the Company’s financial assets that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques the Company utilized to determine such fair value. The Company’s marketable securities held in the Trust Account are based on realized gains on U.S. Treasury Bills, reinvestments of dividend income on money market funds, and market fluctuations in the value of invested money market fund marketable securities, which are considered observable. The fair value of the marketable securities held in trust is classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.

The following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy the Company’s assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis:

    

(Level 1)

    

(Level 2)

    

(Level 3)

Assets

 

  

 

  

 

  

Marketable securities held in trust account

$

235,586,028

$

$

F-21

false FY 0001883984

Measurement

The Company established the initial fair value for the cash and marketable securities held in the Trust Account on February 28, 2022, the date of the consummation of the Company’s Initial Public Offering. As the cash was transferred to the Trust Account on February 28, 2022, the value at that date is the value of the cash transferred. Changes in fair value will result from dividend and interest income and market fluctuations in the value of invested marketable securities which will be reflected on each month end bank statement.

Note 9. Subsequent Events

On March 24, 2023, the Company entered into a capital markets advisory services agreement with a capital markets advisor (the “Advisor”). The agreement is from the execution date of the agreement until the date that is 12 months following the closing of the business combination between the Company and the Seller. The advisory fee is a minimum $500,000 with a placement agent fee equal to 4.0% of the gross proceeds received from the sale of the Company’s equity or equity-linked securities. The advisory fee is payable in cash at the time of and as a condition to the closing of the Company’s business combination transaction with the Seller. Advisory fees can be up to a maximum of $1,000,000 depending on the amount of equity raised, as defined by the gross proceeds available to the post-business combination company immediately after the closing of the Business Combination.

On March 27, 2023, the Company entered into an investor relations agreement with an investor relations firm. The term of this agreement begins on April 1, 2023 and will continue until the earlier of (i) the closing of the business combination transaction with the Seller. Or (ii) December 31, 2023. The investor relations fee is $3,000 per month.

F-22