Fluence Energy, Inc. (FLNC) FY 2024 MD&A

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations provides information that management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of our audited consolidated financial statements and results of operations and should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. This discussion may contain forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and the section entitled “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information” and in other parts of this Annual Report. The discussion of changes in our financial condition and results of operations from the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022 is included in Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2023 filed with the SEC on November 29, 2023. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any periods in the future.

Upon the completion of our initial public offering (the “IPO”) and a series of organization transactions (collectively with the IPO, the “Transactions”) on November 1, 2021, Fluence Energy, Inc. became a holding company whose sole material assets are the limited liability interests in Fluence Energy, LLC (the “LLC Interests”). All of our business is conducted through Fluence Energy, LLC, together with its subsidiaries, and the financial results of Fluence Energy, LLC are consolidated in our financial statements. Except where the context clearly indicates otherwise, “Fluence,” “we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company” refers to Fluence Energy, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries.

The Company’s chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) is its Chief Executive Officer. The Company’s CODM reviews financial information on a consolidated basis for purposes of making operating decisions, allocating resources, and evaluating financial performance. As such, the Company has determined that it operates in one operating segment, which corresponds to one reportable segment.

Our fiscal year begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. References to “fiscal year 2022”, “fiscal year 2023” and “fiscal year 2024” refer to the fiscal years ended September 30, 2022, September 30, 2023 and September 30, 2024, respectively.

Key Components of Our Results of Operations

The following discussion describes certain line items in our consolidated statements of operations and our consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss).

Total Revenue

We generate revenue from battery-based energy storage solutions, service agreements with customers to provide operational services related to battery-based energy storage solutions, and from digital application contracts. Fluence enters into contracts with utility companies, developers, and commercial and industrial customers.

We derive the majority of our revenue from selling battery-based energy storage solutions. Generally, we must design the project, as each energy storage solution is customized depending on a customer’s energy needs, procure the major equipment, obtain manufacturing slots from our contract manufacturers, coordinate the logistics, and assemble the solution prior to delivery and installation at our customer project sites. The Company recognizes revenue over time for our energy storage solutions as we transfer control of our product to the customer.

Our revenue from selling battery-based energy storage solutions is affected by volume fulfilled, which is dependent on customer schedules and demand, changes in price, which is primarily dependent on the cost of lithium-ion energy storage hardware, and mix of products and solutions purchased by our customers.

Our revenue growth is directly tied to the continued adoption of energy storage solutions by our customers and our ability to increase our share of demand in the geographic regions where we currently compete and plan to compete in the future, which is driven by the demand for our products, geographic mix of our customers, strength of competitors’ product offerings, and availability of government incentives to the end-users of our products as well as our ability to continue to develop and commercialize new and innovative solutions that address the changing technology and performance requirements of our customers.

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Cost of Goods and Services

Cost of goods and services consists primarily of product costs, including purchased materials and supplies, as well as costs related to shipping, customer support, product warranty, and personnel. Personnel costs in cost of goods and services includes both direct labor costs as well as costs attributable to any individuals whose activities relate to the transformation of raw materials or component parts into finished goods or the transportation of materials to the customer. Cost of goods and services are recognized when services are performed or control of goods are transferred to the customers. Standard inventory materials that could be used interchangeably on other projects are included in cost of goods sold when they are integrated into, or restricted to, the production of a customer’s project.

Our product costs are affected by the underlying cost of raw materials, such as lithium-ion, and components to our solutions including inverters. Our product costs are also affected by technological innovation, economies of scale resulting in lower supply costs, and improvements in production processes and automation. We do not currently hedge against changes in the price of raw materials as we do not directly purchase raw materials; instead, we buy the components of energy storage products from our suppliers and we rely on our suppliers to hedge the underlying raw materials. We generally expect the ratio of cost of goods and services to revenue to decrease as sales volumes increase due to economies of scale, however, some of these costs, primarily personnel-related costs, are not directly affected by sales volume.

Gross Profit and Gross Profit Margin

Gross profit and gross profit margin may vary from quarter to quarter and are primarily affected by our volume fulfilled, product prices, and product costs.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses consist of research and development, sales and marketing and general and administrative expenses as well as depreciation and amortization. Personnel-related expenses are the most significant component of our operating expenses and include salaries, stock-based compensation, and employee benefits. We expect to invest in additional resources to support our growth which will increase our operating expenses in the near future.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of personnel-related costs across our global research and development (“R&D”) centers for engineers engaged in the design and development and testing of our integrated products and technologies and costs of materials and services procured for research and development projects. Engineering competencies include data science, machine learning, software development, network and cyber security, battery systems engineering, industrial controls, UI / UX, mechanical design, power systems engineering, certification, and more. R&D expenses also support three product testing labs located across the globe: a system-level testing facility in Pennsylvania that is used for quality assurance and the rapid iteration, testing, and launching of new Fluence energy storage technology and products, a testing facility located in Erlangen, Germany, and a deployment center located in Long Beach, California. We have established an additional Hardware in the Loop testing facility, which is co-located with our technical team in Bangalore, India. We expect R&D expenses to generally increase in future periods to support our growth and as we continue to invest in R&D activities that are necessary to achieve our technology and product roadmap goals. These expenses may vary from period to period as a percentage of revenue, depending primarily upon when we choose to make more significant investments.

Sales and Marketing Expenses

Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of personnel-related expenses, including salaries, stock-based compensation, employee benefits, and related personnel technology costs, and factoring discounts on receivables sold. We have and intend to continue to expand our sales presence and marketing efforts to additional countries in the future.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel-related expenses, including salaries, stock-based compensation, and employee benefits, for our executives, finance, human resources, information technology, engineering and legal organizations that do not relate directly to the sales or research and development functions, as well as travel expenses, facilities costs, bad debt expense, and fees for professional services. Professional services consist of audit, legal, tax, insurance, information technology, and other such costs.

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Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation consists primarily of costs associated with property, plant, and equipment (“PP&E”) and amortization of intangibles consisting of patents, licenses, and developed technology over their expected period of use. We expect that as we increase both our revenues and the number of our general and administrative personnel, we will invest in additional PP&E to support our growth resulting in additional depreciation and amortization.

Interest Income, net

Interest income, net consists primarily of interest income net of interest expense. Interest income consists of interest earned on cash deposits and interest on customer notes receivables. Interest expense consists primarily of interest on borrowings against notes receivable pledged as collateral, unused line fees and commitment fees related to credit facilities, and amortization of debt issuance costs.

Other (Income) Expense, net

Other (income) expense, net primarily consists of expense or income from foreign currency exchange gains and losses on monetary assets and liabilities, expense due to estimated payments to be made to related parties under the Tax Receivable Agreement, dated October 27, 2021, by and among Fluence Energy, Inc., Fluence Energy, LLC, Siemens Industry, Inc. and AES Grid Stability, LLC (the “Tax Receivable Agreement”), and factoring income from sale of receivables.

Income Tax Expense

We are subject to U.S. federal and state income taxes with respect to our allocable share of any taxable income or loss of Fluence Energy, LLC and are taxed at the prevailing corporate tax rates. We are also subject to foreign income taxes with respect to our foreign subsidiaries and our expectations are that valuation allowances will be recorded in certain tax jurisdictions. In addition to tax expenses, we also will incur expenses related to our operations, as well as payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, which we expect could be significant over time. We will receive a portion of any distributions made by Fluence Energy, LLC. Any cash received from such distributions from our subsidiaries will be first used by us to satisfy any tax liability and then to make payments required under the Tax Receivable Agreement.

Net Income (Loss)

Net income (loss) may vary from quarter to quarter and is primarily affected by our gross profit and operating expenses as defined above.

Key Factors, Trends, and Uncertainties Affecting our Performance

We believe that our performance and future success depend on several factors that present significant opportunities for us but also pose risks and challenges, including those discussed below and in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” within this Annual Report. See also subsections “Our Industry and Market Opportunity”, “Our Growth Strategy”, “Manufacturing”, “Supply Chain”, “Government Regulation and Compliance”, and “Competition” under Part I, Item 1. “Business” of this Annual Report for additional discussion of certain key factors, trends and uncertainties that may affect our performance.

Industry Outlook

The utility-scale battery storage industry as a whole is witnessing unprecedented growth, fueled by global transitions toward renewable energy, heightened focus on grid resilience, and supportive regulatory frameworks. Deployment of renewable energy resources has accelerated over the last decade. Industry-wide, the push for decarbonization is creating increasing demand for grid-scale energy storage, which is critical to enabling the integration of variable renewable energy sources, reducing the intermittency and volatility of renewable energy generation, and meeting ambitious net-zero targets. BloombergNEF estimates that the global utility scale market, excluding China, will add approximately 2,529 GWh between 2024 and 2035.

Our revenue growth is directly tied to the continued adoption of energy storage solutions by our customers. One factor that impacts this continued adoption of energy storage solutions is the cost of lithium-ion energy storage hardware. The cost of lithium-ion energy storage hardware has declined significantly in the aggregate in the last decade and has resulted in a large addressable market today. In fiscal year 2022, we saw prices for lithium-ion battery packs increase from prior years, though prices returned to their historical trend of declining year-over-year in fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The market for energy storage continues to rapidly evolve and while we believe lithium-ion battery pack costs will continue to decline over the long term, there is no guarantee that they will decline or decline at the rates we expect. If costs do not continue to decline long term and instead remain steady or increase, as seen in fiscal year 2022, this could adversely affect our ability to increase our revenue, our order intake, and grow our business.

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Overall, we believe Fluence is well-positioned to continue to capitalize on the utility-scale battery storage market as we continue to deliver solutions that address the complex needs of a transforming energy landscape. However, there is no guarantee that the deployment of renewable energy will occur at the rate estimated by BloombergNEF or that such renewable energy will rely on lithium-ion battery technology for energy storage. Macroeconomic uncertainties, supply chain disruptions, geo-political conflicts, government regulations and incentives, and other factors could result in fluctuations in demand for and deployment of renewable energy resources, adversely affecting our revenue and ability to generate profits in the future. See Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for further discussion on these risks.

Increased Electricity Demand

According to a publication from the Office of Policy of the U.S. Department of Energy in August 2024, electricity demand is forecasted to grow substantially in the United States over the next decade. Electricity demand is expected to be driven primarily by new data centers, artificial intelligence, new manufacturing facilities, and sector-wide electrification. We are seeing similar trends of increasing electricity demand in other countries, including in those in which we operate. We believe that such increase in electricity demand will cause an increase in demand for our energy storage solutions globally.

2021 Overheating Event at Customer Facility

On September 4, 2021, a 300 MW energy storage facility owned by one of our customers experienced an overheating event. Fluence served as the energy storage technology provider and designed and installed portions of the facility, which was completed in fiscal year 2021. No injuries were reported from the incident. The facility was taken offline as teams from Fluence, our customer, and the battery designer/manufacturer investigated the incident. Our customer released initial findings in the second fiscal quarter of 2022 on what it contends is the root cause of the incident. The customer’s stated findings, if ultimately confirmed and proven, could relate to certain scopes of work for which Fluence or its subcontractors could be responsible. The customer’s stated findings, however, could also relate to certain scopes of work for which other parties were responsible and/or relate to other causes, including the design and installation of portions of the facility over which Fluence did not have responsibility or control. The customer has alleged that Fluence is liable for the incident. At this time, Fluence cannot accept the customer’s stated findings and has denied liability. No formal legal proceedings have been commenced, but it is reasonably possible that litigation may result from this matter if a resolution cannot be achieved. Any such dispute would also likely include claims by Fluence and counterclaims by the customer relating to disputed costs arising from the original design and construction of the facility. The customer announced in July of 2022 that a large portion of the facility was back online. We are currently not able to estimate the impact, that this incident may have on our financial results. To date, we do not believe that this incident has impacted the market’s adoption of our products and solutions.

2023 Project-Related Litigation

In October 2023, Fluence filed a complaint in the Superior Court of California, Contra Costa County, against Diablo Energy Storage, LLC, Empire Business Park, LLC, the Bank of New York Mellon and others, seeking approximately $37.0 million in damages arising from the supply and construction of an energy storage facility for the defendants, including for the defendants’ nonpayment of contractual amounts owed. On or about November 10, 2023, Defendant Diablo Energy Storage, LLC filed a cross-complaint against Fluence, seeking a minimum of $25.0 million of alleged damages and disgorgement of all compensation received by Fluence for the project, in the amount of approximately $230.0 million. The disgorgement claim was based upon an alleged deficiency in Fluence’s contractor license. Fluence denies the allegations in the cross-complaint and intends to vigorously defend against them and to enforce our claims against the defendants. We are currently not able to estimate the impact, if any, that this litigation may have on our reputation or financial results, or on market adoption of our products.

Key Operating Metrics

The following tables presents our key operating metrics for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2024 and 2023. The tables below present the metrics in either Gigawatts (GW) or Gigawatt hours (GWh). Our key operating metrics focus on project milestones to

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measure our performance and designate each project as either “deployed”, “assets under management”, “contracted backlog”, or “pipeline”.

The following table presents our order intake for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2024 and 2023. The table is presented in Gigawatts (GW):

Deployed

Deployed represents cumulative energy storage products and solutions that have achieved substantial completion and are not decommissioned. Deployed is monitored by management to measure our performance towards achieving project milestones.

Assets Under Management

Assets under management for service contracts represents our long-term service contracts with customers associated with our completed energy storage system products and solutions. We start providing maintenance, monitoring, or other operational services after the storage product projects are completed. In some cases, services may be commenced for energy storage solutions prior to achievement of substantial completion. This is not limited to energy storage solutions delivered by Fluence. Assets under management for digital software represents contracts signed and active (post go live). Assets under management serves as an indicator of expected revenue from our customers and assists management in forecasting our expected financial performance.

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Contracted Backlog

For our energy storage products and solutions contracts, contracted backlog includes signed customer orders or contracts under execution prior to when substantial completion is achieved. For service contracts, contracted backlog includes signed service agreements associated with our storage product projects that have not been completed and the associated service has not started. For digital applications contracts, contracted backlog includes signed agreements where the associated subscription has not started.

We cannot guarantee that our contracted backlog will result in actual revenue in the originally anticipated period or at all. Contracted backlog may not generate margins equal to our historical operating results. We have only recently begun to track our contracted backlog on a consistent basis as performance measures, and as a result, we do not have significant experience in determining the level of realization that we will achieve on these contracts. Our customers may experience project delays or cancel orders as a result of external market factors and economic or other factors beyond our control. If our contracted backlog fails to result in revenue as anticipated or in a timely manner, we could experience a reduction in revenue, profitability, and liquidity.

Contracted/Order Intake

Contracted, which we use interchangeably with “order intake”, represents new energy storage product and solutions contracts, new service contracts. and new digital contracts signed during each period presented. We define “Contracted” as a firm and binding purchase order, letter of award, change order, or other signed contract (in each case an “Order”) from the customer that is received and accepted by Fluence. Our order intake is intended to convey the dollar amount and gigawatts (operating measure) contracted in the period presented. We believe that order intake provides useful information to investors and management because the order intake provides visibility into future revenue and enables evaluation of the effectiveness of the Company’s sales activity and the attractiveness of its offerings in the market.

Pipeline

Pipeline represents our uncontracted, potential revenue from energy storage products and solutions, service, and digital software contracts, which have a reasonable likelihood of contract execution within 24 months. Pipeline is an internal management metric that we construct from market information reported by our global sales force. Pipeline is monitored by management to understand the anticipated growth of our Company and our estimated future revenue related to customer contracts for our battery-based energy storage products and solutions, services, and digital software.

We cannot guarantee that our pipeline will result in actual revenue in the originally anticipated period or at all. Pipeline may not generate margins equal to our historical operating results. We have only recently begun to track our pipeline on a consistent basis as performance measures, and as a result, we do not have significant experience in determining the level of realization that we will achieve on these contracts. Our customers may experience project delays or cancel orders as a result of external market factors and economic or other factors beyond our control. If our pipeline fails to result in revenue as anticipated or in a timely manner, we could experience a reduction in revenue, profitability, and liquidity.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This section contains references to certain non-GAAP financial measures, including Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Gross Profit, Adjusted Gross Profit Margin, and Free Cash Flow.

Adjusted EBITDA is calculated from the consolidated statements of operations using net income (loss) adjusted for (i) interest income, net, (ii) income taxes, (iii) depreciation and amortization, (iv) stock-based compensation, and (v) other non-recurring income or expenses. Adjusted EBITDA also includes amounts impacting net income related to estimated payments due to related parties pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement.

Adjusted Gross Profit is calculated using gross profit, adjusted to exclude (i) stock-based compensation expenses, (ii) amortization, and (iii) other non-recurring income or expenses. Adjusted Gross Profit Margin is calculated using Adjusted Gross Profit divided by total revenue.

Free Cash Flow is calculated from the consolidated statements of cash flows and is defined as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, less purchase of property and equipment made in the period. We expect our Free Cash Flow to fluctuate in future periods as we invest in our business to support our plans for growth. Limitations on the use of Free Cash Flow include (i) it should not be inferred that the entire Free Cash Flow amount is available for discretionary expenditures (for example, cash is still required to satisfy other working capital needs, including short-term investment policy, restricted cash, and intangible assets); (ii) Free Cash Flow has limitations as an analytical tool, and it should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of other GAAP financial measures, such as net cash provided by operating activities; and (iii) this metric does not reflect our future contractual commitments.

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These non-GAAP measures are intended as supplemental measures of performance and/or liquidity that are neither required by, nor presented in accordance with, GAAP. We believe that such non-GAAP measures, when read in conjunction with our operating results presented under GAAP, can be used to better assess our performance from period to period and relative to performance of other companies in our industry, without regard to financing methods, historical cost basis or capital structure.

These non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for performance measures calculated in accordance with GAAP and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other entities. Readers are cautioned that these non-GAAP measures should not be construed as alternatives to other measures of financial performance calculated in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP measures and their reconciliation to GAAP financial measures are shown below.

The following tables present our non-GAAP measures for the periods indicated.

(a) Includes incentive awards that will be settled in shares and incentive awards that will be settled in cash.

(b) Amount for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 includes approximately $2.5 million in costs related to the termination of the Revolver and Amendment No. 3 to the ABL Credit Agreement, $1.5 million in expenses related to the Tax Receivable Agreement, $1.0 million in severance costs related to restructuring and $0.8 million in costs related to the secondary offering completed in December 2023. Amount for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 includes approximately $6.7 million in severance costs and consulting fees related to the restructuring plan from November 2022.

(a) Includes incentive awards that will be settled in shares and incentive awards that will be settled in cash.

(b) Amount related to amortization of capitalized software included in cost of goods and services.

(c) Amount for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 includes $0.9 million in severance costs related to the restructuring plan from November 2022.

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Results of Operations

Comparison of the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2024 to the Fiscal Year ended September 30, 2023

The following table sets forth our operating results for the periods indicated.

Total Revenue

Total revenue increased by $480.6 million, or 21.7%, in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023. The increase was mainly attributable to (i) the expansion of sales of our battery-based energy storage solutions by $454.6 million primarily driven by increased volumes of Gridstack cubes fulfilled and (ii) an increase of services revenue primarily due to additional battery-based energy storage products and solutions being deployed and transitioned to assets under management and increases in augmentation activities performed for certain projects.

Costs of Goods and Services

Cost of goods and services increased by $280.5 million, or 13.5%, in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023. The increase in cost of goods and services for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 was primarily attributable to (i) the increase of volume of Gridstack cubes fulfilled, (ii) a corresponding increase in services costs related to the increases in services revenue described above, and (iii) the favorable settlement of contractual claims with our largest battery module vendor of $19.5 million that had occurred in the prior period, which had the effect of reducing our costs, but did not reoccur in the current period. The overall increase in cost of goods and services was less than the increase in revenue during fiscal year 2024 due to net improvement of gross margins on portfolio of newer Gridstack solutions projects during the current period due to operational efficiencies.

Gross Profit and Gross Profit Margin

Gross profit increased by $200.1 million, or 142%, in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023. The increase in gross profit for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 was primarily due to the net improvement of gross margins on the portfolio of newer Gridstack solutions projects in the current period due to operational efficiencies described above in “Costs of goods and services.”

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses were relatively flat in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023.

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Sales and Marketing Expenses

Sales and marketing expenses increased by $22.7 million, or 55.3%, in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023. The increase in sales and marketing expenses for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 was primarily attributable to (i) a $15.6 million increase in salaries and personnel-related expenses, including stock-based compensation and information technology costs related to personnel, due to an increase in headcount to support our growth, and (ii) a $2.1 million factoring discount on sale of accounts receivable under the Master Receivables Purchase Agreement (“MRPA”) recorded in the current period.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses increased by $36.7 million, or 26.9%, in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023. The increase in general and administrative expenses for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 was primarily attributable to a $38.8 million increase in salaries and personnel-related expenses, including stock-based compensation, due to higher headcount to support our growth, partially offset by a net decrease in other general and administrative expenses.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization increased by $1.6 million, or 16.2%, in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, primarily attributable to a $1.2 million cumulative adjustment in depreciation recognized in June 2024 resulting from changing the useful life of IT equipment from five years to three years.

Interest Income, Net

Interest income, net was relatively flat in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023.

Other Income, Net

Other income, net increased by $0.3 million, or 4.7%, in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023. The increase in other income, net was primarily attributable to the factoring income of $2.1 million from sale of accounts receivable under the MRPA offset by an increase in expense of $1.5 million due to change in estimated payments due to related parties under the Tax Receivable Agreement.

Income Tax Expense

Income tax expense increased by $4.7 million, or 102.4%, in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023. The increase in tax expense is primarily due to increases in foreign pre-tax book income and U.S. tax on foreign earnings in fiscal year 2024, partially offset by the release of valuation allowances.

Net Income (Loss)

Net income increased by $135.2 million, or 129.0%, in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023. The increase is primarily attributable to increase in “gross profit,” partially offset by increases in operating expenses as described above.

Comparison of the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2023 to the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2022

For a discussion of our results of operations for the year ended September 30, 2023 compared to fiscal year ended September 30, 2022, please see Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, filed with the SEC on November 29, 2023.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Since inception and through September 30, 2024, our principal sources of liquidity were the proceeds from our IPO, our cash and cash equivalents from operations, short-term borrowings, borrowings available under our debt agreements, supply chain financing, capital contributions from AES Grid Stability, Siemens Industry, and proceeds from the investment by QIA Florence Holdings, LLC, an affiliate of QIA in 2021, proceeds from short-term investments, and borrowings against note receivables and proceeds from sale of accounts receivable under the MRPA.

We believe the proceeds received from our IPO, our existing cash and cash equivalents, cash flows from operations, sales of accounts receivable under the MRPA, borrowings against note receivables and availability under our 2024 Revolver will be sufficient to meet our expense and capital requirements for at least the next 12 months following the filing of this Annual Report.

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Our future capital requirements may vary materially from those currently planned and will depend on many factors, including our rate of revenue growth, the timing and extent of our growth initiatives, our introduction of new products, services, and digital application offerings, and overall regulatory and economic conditions. To the extent that current and anticipated future sources of liquidity are insufficient to fund our future business activities and cash requirements, we may be required to seek additional equity or debt financing. The sale of additional equity would result in additional dilutions to our stockholders. The incurrence of additional debt financing would result in debt service obligations and the instruments governing such debt could provide for operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations. If we are unable to raise additional capital or generate cash flows necessary to expand our operations and invest in continued innovation, we may not be able to compete successfully, which would harm our business, operations, and financial condition.

On November 1, 2021, upon the closing of our IPO, we received net proceeds of $935.8 million. The net proceeds from the IPO were used to purchase 35,650,000 newly issued LLC Interests directly from Fluence Energy, LLC. Fluence Energy, LLC used the net proceeds from the sale of LLC Interests to Fluence Energy, Inc. to repay all outstanding borrowings relating to a line of credit and promissory notes. The remainder of the proceeds has been and continues to be used for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

Prior to the IPO, the Company had an Uncommitted Line of Credit Agreement (“Line of Credit’) with Citibank, N.A. (“Citibank”) which allowed us to borrow an amount in aggregate not to exceed $50.0 million, with the expiration date on March 31, 2023. Outstanding borrowings from the Line of Credit were $50.0 million as of September 30, 2021. The weighted average annual interest rate of the borrowing was 2.83%. On November 1, 2021, the $50.0 million outstanding borrowings from the Line of Credit was paid off using the proceeds from our IPO and the Line of Credit was canceled shortly thereafter.

Additionally, prior to the IPO, we funded our liquidity through borrowings from AES Grid Stability and Siemens Industry. On August 11, 2021, Fluence Energy, LLC entered into a promissory note with each of Siemens Industry and AES Grid Stability, under which Fluence Energy, LLC received a bridge financing of an aggregate of $50.0 million. In connection with the bridge financing, Fluence Energy, LLC issued a $25.0 million promissory note to each of Siemens Industry and AES Grid Stability (together, the “Promissory Notes”). The Promissory Notes bore interest at a rate of 2.86%. The Promissory Notes were repaid on November 1, 2021 using proceeds from the IPO.

We have provided certain of our suppliers with access to a supply chain financing program through a third-party financing institution (the “SCF Bank”). This program allows us to seek extended payment terms with our suppliers and allows our suppliers to monetize their receivables prior to the payment due date, subject to a discount. Once a supplier elects to participate in the program and reaches an agreement with the SCF Bank, the supplier elects which individual invoices to sell to the SCF Bank. We then pay the SCF Bank on the invoice due date. We have no economic interest in a supplier’s decision to sell a receivable to the SCF Bank. The agreements between our suppliers and the SCF Bank are solely at their discretion and are negotiated directly between them. Our suppliers’ ability to continue using such agreements is primarily dependent upon the strength of our financial condition and guarantees issued by AES and Siemens. As of September 30, 2024, AES and Siemens each have outstanding issued guarantees of $50.0 million each, for a total of $100.0 million, to SCF Bank on our behalf. As of September 30, 2024, two suppliers were actively participating in the supply chain financing program, and we had $81.3 million of payables outstanding subject to the program. All outstanding payments owed under the program are recorded within “Accounts payable” in our consolidated balance sheets.

On August 11, 2023, we filed an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC which became effective upon filing and will remain effective for three years from the effectiveness date. The Form S-3 allows us to offer and sell from time-to-time Class A common stock, preferred stock, depository shares, debt securities, warrants, purchase contracts or units comprised of any combination of these securities for our own account and allows certain selling stockholders to offer and sell up to 135,666,665 shares of Class A common stock in one or more offerings. The Form S-3 is intended to provide us flexibility to conduct registered sales of our securities, subject to market conditions and our future capital needs. The terms of any future offering under the shelf registration statement will be established at the time of such offering and will be described in a prospectus supplement filed with the SEC prior to the completion of any such offering.

Revolving Credit Facility

We entered into a Revolving Credit Agreement for a revolving credit facility (the “Revolver”) on November 1, 2021, by and among Fluence Energy, LLC, as the borrower, Fluence Energy, Inc., as a parent guarantor, the subsidiary guarantors party thereto, the lenders party thereto, and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent and collateral agent. The aggregate amount of commitments was $200.0 million. The Revolver was originally scheduled to mature on November 1, 2025. The Revolving Credit Agreement was terminated effective November 22, 2023, in conjunction with the entry into the ABL Credit Agreement (as further described below), and at such time, the Company prepaid all amounts outstanding under the Revolver and terminated all commitments thereunder. No penalties were required to be paid as a result of the termination.

For further discussion of the Revolver, refer to “Note 12 - Debt” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

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Asset-Based Lending Facility

On November 22, 2023, the Company entered into an asset-based syndicated credit agreement (the “ABL Credit Agreement”) by and among Fluence Energy, LLC, as parent borrower, Fluence Energy, Inc., as parent, the other borrowers party thereto, the other guarantors party thereto, the lenders party thereto (the “ABL Lenders”), and Barclays Bank PLC (“Barclays”), as administrative agent, which was amended by the Master Assignment and Assumption and Issuing Bank Joinder, effective December 15, 2023 (the “ABL Joinder”), Amendment No. 1, dated April 8, 2024 (“Amendment No. 1”), and Amendment No. 2, dated May 8, 2024 (“Amendment No. 2”), which provided for revolving commitments in an aggregate principal amount of $400.0 million (the "ABL Facility"). The ABL Facility was secured by (i) a first priority pledge of Fluence Energy, Inc.’s equity interests in Fluence Energy, LLC and (ii) first priority security interests in, and mortgages on, substantially all tangible and intangible personal property and material fee-owned real property of Fluence Energy, Inc., Fluence Energy, LLC, and Fluence Energy Global Production Operation, LLC, in each case, subject to customary exceptions and limitations. Borrowings under the ABL Facility were scheduled to mature, and lending commitments thereunder would terminate, on November 22, 2027, which remains the maturity date of borrowings under the 2024 Revolver.

As of the time of our entry into Amendment No. 3 to the ABL Credit Agreement (as discussed below), there were no outstanding borrowings under the ABL Facility or letters of credit outstanding.

For further discussion of the ABL Credit Agreement, refer to “Note 12 - Debt” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

2024 Revolver

On August 6, 2024 (the "Amendment Effective Date"), Fluence Energy, Inc. entered into Amendment No. 3 to the ABL Credit Agreement (such agreement, as amended, the "2024 Credit Agreement") in order to (i) convert the existing ABL Facility to a senior secured cash flow revolving credit facility in an initial aggregate principal amount of up to $500.0 million (the "2024 Revolver"), (ii) replace Barclays as administrative agent under the 2024 Credit Agreement with Citibank, N.A., and (iii) make certain other modifications to the 2024 Credit Agreement as set forth therein. Capitalized terms used in this subsection that are not otherwise defined in this subsection are defined in the 2024 Credit Agreement.

The 2024 Revolver is secured by (i) a first priority pledge of the Company's equity interests in Fluence Energy, LLC and Fluence Energy Global Production Operation, LLC, (ii) first priority security interests in substantially all tangible and intangible personal property of the Company, Fluence Energy, LLC, Fluence Energy Global Production Operation, LLC and certain of its foreign subsidiaries, in each case, subject to customary exceptions and limitations, and (iii) a pledge of the Company's equity interests in certain of its foreign subsidiaries and security interests in certain assets of such foreign subsidiaries.

The 2024 Credit Agreement sets forth that (i) loans comprising each ABR Borrowing shall bear interest at the Alternate Base Rate plus 2.00%, (ii) loans comprising each Term Benchmark Borrowing shall bear interest at the Term SOFR Rate or the Adjusted EURIBOR Rate, as applicable, plus 3.00%, and (iii) the loans comprising each RFR Borrowing shall bear interest at the Daily Simple RFR plus 3.00%, in each instance subject to customary benchmark replacement provisions including, but not limited to, alternative benchmark rates, customary spread adjustments with respect to borrowings in foreign currencies and benchmark replacement conforming changes. Fluence Energy, LLC is required to pay to the lenders a commitment fee on the average daily unused portion of the commitments through maturity, which shall accrue at the rate of 0.50% per annum. The 2024 Credit Agreement provides for a cash draw sublimit of $150.0 million as well as a letter of credit sublimit in the amount of $500.0 million if certain conditions are met.

The 2024 Credit Agreement contains customary covenants for this type of financing, including, but not limited to, covenants that restrict our and certain of our subsidiaries’ ability to: incur indebtedness; incur liens; sell, transfer, or dispose of property and assets; make investments or acquisitions; pay dividends, make distributions or other restricted payments; and engage in affiliate transactions. The 2024 Credit Agreement limits our ability to make certain payments, including dividends and distributions on Fluence Energy, LLC's equity, the Company's equity, and other restricted payments. Under the terms of the 2024 Credit Agreement, Fluence Energy, LLC and its subsidiaries are currently limited in their ability to pay cash dividends to, lend to, or make other investments in the Company, subject to certain exceptions. In addition, we are required to maintain (i) from the Amendment Effective Date through December 31, 2025, Total Liquidity of no less than $150,000,000 at any time, (ii) from January 1, 2026 and thereafter, Total Liquidity of no less than $100,000,000 at any time or a Consolidated Leverage Ratio as of the last day of any Measurement Period not to exceed 3.50:1.00, and (iii) certain other financial requirements at each Guarantor Coverage Test Date. Such covenants are tested on a quarterly basis and upon the occurrence of other certain restricted payments, the incurrence of indebtedness, certain dispositions, and other specified transactions. As of September 30, 2024, we were in compliance with all such covenants.

If an event of default occurs with respect to a borrower, the lenders will be able to, among other things, terminate the commitments immediately, cash collateralize any outstanding letters of credit, declare any loans outstanding to be due and payable in whole or in part, and exercise other rights and remedies. The maturity date and the date of termination of lending commitments under the 2024 Credit Agreement remain unchanged at November 22, 2027. As of September 30, 2024, there are no cash borrowings under the 2024 Revolver, and there are $74.9 million letters of credit outstanding under the 2024 Revolver, with remaining availability of $425.1 million, net of letters of credit issued.

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Borrowings Against Note Receivable - Pledged as Collateral

In December 2022, we transferred $24.3 million in customer receivables to Standard Chartered Bank (“SCB”) in the Philippines for proceeds of $21.1 million. The receivables all related to our largest customer in that country. The underlying receivables transferred were previously aggregated into a long term note, with interest, with a maturity date of September 30, 2024. In April 2023, we aggregated and transferred an additional $30.9 million in receivables into a second long term note with the same customer to SCB for proceeds of $27.0 million, upon substantially similar terms as the December 2022 transfer and with a maturity date of December 27, 2024. These transactions are treated as secured borrowings as we did not transfer the entire note receivables due from the customer to SCB. We continue to receive quarterly interest income from the customer, while SCB is responsible for collecting payments on the principal balances which represent the initial receivable balances from the customer. We have no other continuing involvement or exposure related to the underlying receivables. On September 16, 2024, the $24.3 million of receivables were paid in full, resulting in release of the corresponding note and borrowing. As of September 30, 2024, the Company recorded net interest income of $0.3 million, which represents the net of $4.4 million in interest income and $4.1 million in interest expense recorded in “Interest income, net.” As of September 30, 2023, the Company recorded net interest income of $1.0 million, which represents the aggregate of $3.4 million in interest income and $2.4 million in interest expense.

Sale of Receivables under Master Receivables Purchase Agreement

On February 27, 2024, Fluence Energy, LLC entered into the MRPA, by and among Fluence Energy, LLC and any other seller from time to time party thereto, as sellers and servicers, and Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank ("CACIB"), as purchaser, of certain receivables on an uncommitted basis. The MRPA provides that the outstanding amount of all purchased receivables under the MRPA will not exceed $75.0 million, with sublimits for each account debtor and for certain kinds of receivables. The MRPA may be terminated by either party at any time by 30 days’ prior written notice. Fluence Energy, LLC has granted CACIB a security interest in the purchased receivables, and proceeds thereof, as more fully described in the MRPA, in order to perfect CACIB’s ownership interest in the purchased receivables and secure the payment and performance of all obligations of Fluence Energy, LLC to CACIB under the MRPA. The MRPA contains other customary representations and warranties and covenants.

When receivables are sold under the MRPA, they are sold without recourse, and our continuing involvement is limited to their servicing, for which the Company receives a fee commensurate with the service provided and therefore no servicing asset or liability related to these receivables was recognized for any period presented. The fair value of the sold receivables approximated their book value due to their short-term nature.

During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, we sold receivables to CACIB under the MRPA for net proceeds of $71.5 million. At the date of the true sale, the receivables were de-recognized in their entirety from the consolidated balance sheets. We charged a fee to our customer, primarily for providing extended payment terms, in relation to the sale of receivables. We recorded factoring income of $2.1 million and related factoring discount of $2.1 million during the period. The factoring income is recorded in “Other (income) expense, net” and the factoring discount is recorded in “Sales and marketing expense” on the consolidated statements of operations. Proceeds from the sold receivables are reflected in operating cash flows on the consolidated statements of cash flows.

Tax Receivable Agreement

In connection with the IPO, we entered into the Tax Receivable Agreement with Fluence Energy, LLC and Siemens Industry and AES Grid Stability (together, the “Founders”). Under the Tax Receivable Agreement, we are required to make cash payments to the Founders equal to 85% of the tax benefits, if any, that we actually realize, or in certain circumstances are deemed to realize, as a result of (1) the increases in our share of the tax basis of assets of Fluence Energy, LLC and its subsidiaries resulting from any redemptions or exchanges of LLC Interests from the Founders and certain distributions (or deemed distributions) by Fluence Energy, LLC; and (2) certain other tax benefits arising from payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. The payment obligation under the Tax Receivable Agreement is an obligation of Fluence Energy, Inc. and not of Fluence Energy, LLC. We expect to use distributions from Fluence Energy, LLC to fund any payments that we will be required to make under the Tax Receivable Agreement. To the extent we are unable to make timely payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement for any reason, such payments generally will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid; provided, however, that nonpayment for a specified period may constitute a material breach of a material obligation under the Tax Receivable Agreement resulting in the acceleration of payments due under the Tax Receivable Agreement. Fluence Energy, Inc. expects to benefit from the remaining 15% of cash tax benefits, if any, it realizes from such tax benefits. For purposes of the Tax Receivable Agreement, the cash tax benefits will be computed by comparing the actual income tax liability of Fluence Energy, Inc. to the amount of such taxes that Fluence Energy, Inc. would have been required to pay had there been no such tax basis adjustments of the assets of Fluence Energy, LLC or its subsidiaries as a result of redemptions or exchanges and had Fluence Energy, Inc. not entered into the Tax Receivable Agreement.

Redemptions or exchanges of LLC Interests post-IPO are expected to result in increases in the tax basis of the assets of Fluence Energy, LLC and certain of its subsidiaries. Increases in tax basis and tax basis adjustments generated over time may increase (for tax purposes) the depreciation and amortization deductions available to Fluence Energy, Inc. and, therefore, may reduce the amount of U.S. federal, state, and local tax that Fluence Energy, Inc. would otherwise be required to pay in the future, although the IRS may

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challenge all or part of the validity of that tax basis, and a court could sustain such a challenge. Fluence Energy, Inc.’s allocable share of tax basis and the anticipated tax basis adjustments upon redemptions or exchanges of LLC Interests may also decrease gains (or increase losses) on future dispositions of certain assets to the extent tax basis is allocated to those assets. Actual tax benefits realized by Fluence Energy, Inc. may differ from tax benefits calculated under the Tax Receivable Agreement as a result of the use of certain assumptions in the Tax Receivable Agreement, including the use of an assumed state and local income tax rate to calculate tax benefits. The payment obligation under the Tax Receivable Agreement is an obligation of Fluence Energy, Inc. and not of Fluence Energy, LLC. We expect to use distributions from Fluence Energy, LLC to fund any payments that we will be required to make under the Tax Receivable Agreement. To the extent we are unable to make timely payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement for any reason, such payments generally will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid; provided, however, that nonpayment for a specified period may constitute a material breach of a material obligation under the Tax Receivable Agreement resulting in the acceleration of payments due under the Tax Receivable Agreement. Fluence Energy, Inc. expects to benefit from the remaining 15% of cash tax benefits, if any, it realizes from such tax benefits. For purposes of the Tax Receivable Agreement, the cash tax benefits will be computed by comparing the actual income tax liability of Fluence Energy, Inc. to the amount of such taxes that Fluence Energy, Inc. would have been required to pay had there been no such tax basis adjustments of the assets of Fluence Energy, LLC or its subsidiaries as a result of redemptions or exchanges and had Fluence Energy, Inc. not entered into the Tax Receivable Agreement. The actual and hypothetical tax liabilities determined in the Tax Receivable Agreement will be calculated using the actual U.S. federal income tax rate in effect for the applicable period and an assumed state and local income tax rate (along with the use of certain other assumptions). The term of the Tax Receivable Agreement will continue until all such tax benefits have been utilized or expired, unless Fluence Energy, Inc. exercises its right to terminate the Tax Receivable Agreement early, certain changes of control occur or Fluence Energy, Inc. breaches any of its material obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement, in which case, all obligations generally (and in the case of such a change of control or such breach, only if the Founders elect) will be accelerated and due as if Fluence Energy, Inc. had exercised its right to terminate the Tax Receivable Agreement. The payment to be made upon an early termination of the Tax Receivable Agreement will generally equal the present value of payments to be made under the Tax Receivable Agreement using certain assumptions. Estimating the amount of payments that may be made under the Tax Receivable Agreement is by its nature imprecise, insofar as the calculation of amounts payable depends on a variety of factors. The tax basis adjustments upon the redemption or exchange of LLC Interests, as well as the amount and timing of any payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, will vary depending upon a number of factors, including the timing of purchases or exchanges, the price of shares of our Class A common stock at the time of the purchase or exchange, the extent to which such purchases or exchanges do not result in a basis adjustment, the amount of tax attributes, changes in tax rates and the amount and timing of our income.

On June 30, 2022, Siemens Industry, Inc. exercised its redemption right pursuant to the terms of LLC Agreement with respect to its entire holding of 58,586,695 LLC Interests of Fluence Energy, LLC, together with the corresponding cancellation of an equivalent number of shares of Class B-1 common stock of Fluence Energy, Inc., par value $0.00001 per share.

On December 8, 2023, AES Grid Stability exercised its redemption right pursuant to the terms of the LLC Agreement with respect to 7,087,500 LLC Interests of Fluence Energy, LLC, together with the corresponding cancellation of an equivalent number of shares of Class B-1 common stock of Fluence Energy, Inc., par value $0.00001 per share (the “AES Redemption” and, together with the Siemens Redemptions, the “Siemens and AES Redemptions”). The Siemens and AES Redemptions resulted in increases in the tax basis of the assets of Fluence Energy, LLC and certain of its subsidiaries. The increases in tax basis and tax basis adjustments increases (for tax purposes) the depreciation and amortization deductions available to Fluence Energy, Inc. and, therefore, may reduce the amount of U.S. federal, state, and local tax that Fluence Energy, Inc. would otherwise be required to pay in the future, although the IRS may challenge all or part of the validity of that tax basis, and a court could sustain such a challenge.

As a result of the tax basis adjustment of the assets of Fluence Energy, LLC and its subsidiaries upon the Siemens Redemption and our possible utilization of certain tax attributes, the payments that we may make under the Tax Receivable Agreement will be substantial. The Redemptions will result in future tax savings of $126.4 million. Siemens and AES will be entitled to receive payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement equaling 85% of such amount, or $107.4 million; assuming, among other factors, (i) we will have sufficient taxable income to fully utilize the tax benefits; (ii) Fluence Energy, LLC is able to fully depreciate or amortize its assets; and (iii) no material changes in applicable tax law. The payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are not conditioned upon continued ownership of us by the Founders. Although the timing and extent of future payments could vary significantly under the Tax Receivable Agreement for the factors discussed above, we anticipate funding payments from the Tax Receivable Agreement from cash flow from operations of our subsidiaries, available cash or available borrowings under any future debt agreements, and such payments are not anticipated to be dependent upon the availability of proceeds of the IPO. We recorded $1.5 million of Tax Receivable Agreement payment to related party expense for the 2024 tax year. The payment will be finalized after the filing of the Fluence Energy, Inc. U.S. income tax return during the year-ending September 30, 2025.

With the exception of the $1.5 million of Tax Receivable Agreement payment recorded as of September 30, 2024, we determined it is not probable additional payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement would be made, given there is no expectation of future sufficient taxable income over the term of the agreement to utilize deductions in the future. Therefore, the Company has not recognized additional liability, outside of the $1.5 million. Should we determine that the Tax Receivable Agreement payment is probable, a corresponding liability will be recorded and as a result, our future results of operations and earnings could be impacted as a result of these matters.

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Credit Support and Reimbursement Agreement

We are party to an Amended and Restated Credit Support and Reimbursement Agreement, dated June 9, 2021, with AES and Siemens Industry (the “Credit Support and Reimbursement Agreement”) whereby they may, from time to time, agree to furnish credit support to us in the form of direct issuances of credit support to our lenders or other beneficiaries or through their lenders’ provision of letters of credit to backstop our own facilities or obligations. Pursuant to the Credit Support and Reimbursement Agreement, if AES or Siemens Industry agree to provide a particular credit support (which they are permitted to grant or deny in their sole discretion), they are entitled to receipt of a credit support fee, reimbursement of actual costs and expenses incurred in having a credit support instrument issued and maintained, and reimbursement for all amounts paid to our lenders or other counterparties, payable upon demand. The Credit Support and Reimbursement Agreement initially expires on June 9, 2025 (the “initial expiration date”), and will automatically and indefinitely continue after such date; except that either AES or Siemens Industry is permitted to terminate the agreement effective at any time on or after the initial expiration date by providing not less than six months prior notice. Any credit support under the Credit Support and Reimbursement Agreement will remain in effect after any such termination until such credit support has been replaced by the Company.

Currently, the Company has outstanding performance guarantees provided by AES and Siemens Industry and their respective affiliates that guarantee Fluence’s performance obligations under certain contracts with Fluence’s customers. These performance guarantees are issued pursuant to the terms of the Credit Support and Reimbursement Agreement. Fluence paid performance guarantee fees to its affiliates in exchange for guaranteeing Fluence’s performance obligations under certain contracts with Fluence’s customers. The guarantee fees are included in “Costs of goods and services” on Fluence’s consolidated statements of operations. Guarantees are also issued by AES and Siemens, pursuant to the terms of the Credit Support and Reimbursement Agreement, in connection with the supplier chain financing program.

Commitments, Guarantees, Letter of Credits, Surety Bonds, and other Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of September 30, 2024, the Company had outstanding bank guarantees, parent guarantees, letters of credit, and surety bonds issued as performance security arrangements for a large number of customer projects. In addition, we have a limited number of parent company guarantees issued as payment security to certain vendors. The Company also has certain battery purchase obligations and spending requirements under our master supply agreement with suppliers. We are also party to both assurance and service-type warranties for various lengths of time. Refer to “Note 14 - Commitments and Contingencies” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report for more information regarding our contingent obligations, including off-balance sheet arrangements and legal contingencies.

Historical Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows from operating, investing, and financing activities for the periods presented.

Net cash flows provided by operating activities was $79.7 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, compared to net cash used in operating activities of $111.9 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, representing a change of $191.6 million in net cash provided by operating activities. The change was mainly due an increase of $135.2 million in net income and improvement in cash provided by working capital balances of $37.8 million. The details of cash provided by (used in) operations for each period are described below:

Net cash flows provided by operating activities of $79.7 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, was primarily due to (i) net income of $30.4 million (ii) increases in accounts payable of $370.1 million due to the timing, as compared to fiscal year 2023, payments to various vendors, and (iii) net positive effects of changes in current accruals and provisions of $160.2 million. These cash inflows were partially offset by (i) deferred revenue, inclusive of related parties decreasing in aggregate by $82.0 million, and (ii) receivables, inclusive of trade, unbilled accounts receivable and related parties increasing in aggregate by $393.8 million, due to timing of various customer project billings and cash collections in accordance with contract milestone payment schedules.

Net cash flows used in operating activities of $111.9 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, were primarily due to (i) net loss of $104.8 million, (ii) decreases in accounts payable of $242.3 million due to timing of purchases and payments to various vendors (iii) deferred revenue, inclusive of related parties decreasing in aggregate by $198.4 million, due to timing of various customer project billings and cash collections in accordance with contract milestone payment schedules. These cash outflows were offset by positive effects of utilization of inventory of $432.8 million.

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Net cash flows used in investing activities were $19.0 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 which were primarily due to capital expenditures on software of $10.9 million and purchases of property and equipment of $8.1 million. Net cash flows provided by investing activities were $94.4 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 which were primarily due to $111.7 million from proceeds from maturities of short-term investments, offset by $5.0 million in payments for purchase of investment in joint venture, $9.2 million in capital expenditures on software, and $3.0 million in purchases of property and equipment.

Net cash flows used in financing activities were $8.7 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, which were primarily related to (i) $8.5 million in payments related to debt issuance costs for the ABL Facility and 2024 Revolver, (ii) $3.9 million in payments for a previously acquired company (Nispera), and (iii) $1.7 million related to Class A common stock withheld related to settlement of employee taxes for stock-based compensation awards, partially offset by $5.3 million of proceeds from the exercise of stock options during the period. Net cash flows provided by financing activities in fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 of $52.6 million were primarily driven by $48.2 million in proceeds from the borrowing against note receivable - pledged as collateral and $7.2 million in proceeds from the exercise of stock options, partially offset by $2.8 million in cash outflows related to Class A common stock withheld related to settlement of employee taxes for stock-based compensation awards.

Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates

Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. In the preparation of these financial statements, we consider an accounting judgment, estimate or assumption to be critical when (1) the estimate or assumption is complex in nature or requires a high degree of judgment and (2) the use of different judgments, estimates, and assumptions could have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. We believe that the accounting policies discussed below are critical to understanding our historical and future performance, as these policies relate to the more significant areas involving management’s judgments and estimates.

Revenue Recognition - Sale of Energy Storage Products and Solutions

The Company enters into contracts with utility companies, developers, and commercial and industrial customers to design and build battery-based energy storage products. Our projects have a lead time from date of contract execution to substantial completion, typically ranging from approximately twelve up to eighteen months. Generally, we must design the project, as each storage solution is customized depending on the customer’s energy needs, procure the major equipment, obtain manufacturing slots from our contract manufacturers, coordinate the logistics, and assemble the solution prior to delivery and installation at our customer project sites. These actions must be completed timely to adhere to customer schedules and milestones. Depending on the scope of the project we may be responsible for the installation of the equipment. After the equipment is installed, we are responsible for commissioning. The Company recognizes revenue over time as we transfer control of our product to the customer. This transfer of control to the customer occurs as the project is being built in accordance with the contract or is supported by clauses in the contracts that provide enforceable rights to payment of the transaction price associated with work performed to date for products that do not have an alternative use to the Company. Revenue is recognized using the percentage of completion (“POC”) method based on actual cost incurred as a percentage of total estimated contract costs. Standard inventory materials (including batteries, enclosures, chillers, and others, which are assembled into “cubes”) that could be used interchangeably on other projects are included in our measure of progress when they are integrated into, or restricted to a specific customer’s project such that we no longer have the ability to direct their use for other purposes. Contract costs include all direct material and labor costs related to contract performance. As the cost of the assembled cubes comprise a substantial portion of the total estimated contract costs, our pattern of revenue recognition may vary materially from period to period. Our judgement on when costs should be included in the measure of progress has a material impact on revenue recognition.

Since the revenue recognition of these contracts depends on estimates, which are assessed continually during the term of the contract, recognized revenues and profit are subject to revisions as the contract progresses to completion. The cumulative effects of revisions of estimated total contract costs and revenues, together with any contract reserves which may be deemed appropriate, are recorded in the period in which they occur. Due to the uncertainties inherent in the estimation process, it is reasonably possible that these estimates will be revised in a different period.

The Company determines the transaction price based on the consideration expected to be received which includes estimates of variable consideration that are included in the transaction price in accordance with ASC 606. The transaction price identified is allocated to each distinct performance obligation to deliver a good or service based on the relative standalone selling prices. For our energy storage products and solutions, services, and digital applications contracts where there are multiple performance obligations in a single contract or we sign separate contracts at or near the same time with the same customer that meet the criteria for combination, the Company allocates the transaction price to the various obligations in the contract based on the relative standalone selling price. Standalone selling prices are estimated based on estimated costs plus margin taking into consideration pricing history and market factors. Generally, our revenues recognized are not sensitive to the Company’s determination of standalone selling prices.

We assess any variable consideration using an expected value method which computes a weighted average amount based on a range of potential outcomes. Variable consideration is included in the transaction price only to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty is resolved. Estimating variable consideration requires certain estimates and assumptions, including whether and by how much a project will be delayed or if we will not meet certain performance specifications per the contract.

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Our contracts generally provide our customers the right to liquidated damages (“LDs”) against Fluence in the event specified milestones are not met on time or equipment is not delivered according to contract specifications. Liquidated damages are accounted for as variable consideration and the contract price is reduced by the expected LD amount when recognizing revenue. The existence and measurement of LDs may also be impacted by our judgments about the probability of favorable outcomes of customer disputes involving whether certain events qualify as force majeure or the reason for the events that caused project delays. Variable consideration for liquidated damages is estimated using the expected value method.

Fluence may incur additional costs to execute on the performance of a contract. When this happens, we typically attempt to recover these costs via a change order with the customer. When this fact pattern occurs, it can create a timing difference between when we have incurred the cost versus when we record the proportionate revenue, since costs are recognized immediately when incurred and the revenue is recognized based upon the transaction price, which is usually increased upon signing a respective change order with the customer.

When shipping and handling activities are performed after the customer obtains control of the product, we elect to account for shipping and handling as activities to fulfill the promise to transfer the product.

Revenue is recorded net of any taxes assessed on and collected from customers, which are remitted to the governmental authorities.

Customer payments are due upon meeting certain milestones as defined in the contract, which are generally consistent with contract-specific phases of a project.

Pre-contract costs with no future benefit are expensed in the period in which they are incurred.

Refer to “Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Estimates” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report for further discussion of other accounting policies and estimates including income taxes, goodwill, and loss contracts.