UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

 

_______________________

 

FORM 6-K
_______________________

 

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the month of June 2017

 

Commission File Number: 001-33911

 


_______________________

 

RENESOLA LTD
_______________________

 

No. 8 Baoqun Road, YaoZhuang
Jiashan, Zhejiang 314117
People’s Republic of China
(Address of principal executive offices)

 

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

 

Form 20-F ☒ Form 40-F ☐

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ☐

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ☐

 

   

 

 

SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

  

RENESOLA LTD
    
    
 By: /s/ Xianshou Li               
 Name: Xianshou Li
Title: Chief Executive Officer

  

Date: June 15, 2017

  

 2 

 

 

Exhibit Index

 

Exhibit No.   Description
     
Exhibit 99.1   Press Release

 

 3 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

 

ReneSola Announces First Quarter 2017 Results

 

Shanghai, China, June 15, 2017 – ReneSola Ltd (“ReneSola” or the “Company”) (www.renesola.com) (NYSE: SOL), a leading fully-integrated solar project developer and provider of energy efficient technology products, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017.

 

First Quarter 2017 Highlights

 

  Q1 2017 Q/Q Change Y/Y Change
Revenue $156.6 -32.5% -39.9%
Gross Profit $1.7 -65.4% -96.1%
Operating Loss ($17.8) N/A N/A
Net Loss ($23.2) N/A N/A

 

·Revenue of $156.6 million exceeded the high end of the guidance range of $130 million to $150 million;
·Gross margin was 1.1%, compared to 2.1% in Q4 2016 and 17.1% in Q1 2016;
·Net loss was $23.2 million, compared to net loss of $25.5 million in Q4 2016 and net income of $5.7 million in Q1 2016;
·Total external module shipments were 266.8 MW while module shipments to the Company’s downstream projects were approximately 44.3 MW;
·Total external wafer shipments were 259.2 MW, compared to 305.9 MW in Q4 2016 and 351.0 MW in Q1 2016;
·Recognized revenue of $2.2 million from sale of rooftop projects in China with aggregate capacity of 2.3 MW;
·Signed agreements to sell a 6.75 MW of utility project in North Carolina and 1.3 MW of utility projects in Holyoke, Massachusetts with revenue expected to be recognized in Q2 2017;
·Connected two ground-mounted projects in the UK with a combined capacity of approximately 10 MW; revenue is expected to be recognized in Q2;
·As of June 2, 2017, the Company had a solar power project pipeline of over 1.4GW, of which 613.1 MW are “shovel-ready”;
·LED sales of $9.6 million increased by approximately 3% compared to Q4 2016 with gross margin of approximately 30.9%; and
·Total borrowings increased by $54.3 million to $678.6 million compared to Q4 2016.

 

Mr. Xianshou Li, ReneSola's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "First quarter results were generally in-line with our expectation, as we continued to gain traction from our downstream project efforts and LED distribution business, while affected by challenging market conditions of our solar power product business. We continue to execute our strategy to shift our business focus from manufacturing to downstream project development, and I am excited about the progress we are making. For the second quarter of 2017, we expect downstream project sales to increase when compared to the first quarter of 2017 due to continued growth in our project pipeline and our solid execution in project monetization."

 

Li continued, "We remained focused on managing our working capital, controlling costs and improving our balance sheet. We believe these measures have prepared us well to develop sustainably as we progress through the current industry down-cycle."

 

 

 

 

First Quarter 2017 Financial Results

 

Revenue of $156.6 million was down 32.5% q/q and down 39.9% y/y, but exceeded the guidance of $130 million to $150 million. The decline in the year-over-year revenue was primarily due to lower module ASP’s and reduced product shipments to external customers.

 

Gross profit of $1.7 million was down 65.4% q/q and 96.1% y/y. Gross margin declined to 1.1% from 2.1% in Q4 2016 and from 17.1% in Q1 2016. The sequential margin decline was primarily due to lower module ASP’s as well as annual maintenance of our polysilicon plant.

 

Operating expenses were $19.5 million, representing 12.4% of revenue, down from $26.8 million in Q4 2016 and $32.3 million in Q1 2016. Sales and marketing expenses were $3.8 million, down from $7.3 million in Q4 2016 as we reversed certain warranty expenses to reflect the declining module ASP.

 

Operating loss was $17.8 million, compared to operating loss of $21.8 million in Q4 2016 and operating income of $12.2 million in Q1 2016.

 

Non-operating expenses of $9.1 million included net interest expense of $8.9 million and loss on derivative of $0.3 million, partially offset by foreign exchange gains of $0.2 million.

 

Net loss was $23.2 million, compared to net loss of $25.5 million in Q4 2016 and net income of $5.7 million in Q1 2016. Loss per ADS was $1.16[1].

 

Balance Sheet, Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

The Company had cash and cash equivalents (including restricted cash) of $144.4 million as of March 31, 2017, compared to $133.2 million as of December 31, 2016. Total borrowings were $678.6 million, increasing by $54.3 million from $624.3 million as of December 31, 2016.

 

First Quarter Operating Highlights

 

The Company remains focused on developing, operating and selling high-quality solar power projects. Our business activities are centered on building a pipeline of distributed generation and utility-scale projects in attractive locations worldwide. In the first quarter, the Company continued to monetize its existing solar power project pipelines as part of its development cycle.

 

Project Sales

 

The Company recognized revenue of $2.2 million from the sale of rooftop projects of 2.3 MW in China’s domestic distributed generation market in Q1 2017. The Company also signed agreements to sell a utility-scale project located in North Carolina with a capacity of approximately 6.75 MW and two utility-scale projects in Holyoke, Massachusetts with a combined capacity of approximately 1.3 MW in Q1 2017. The Company expects to recognize revenue from the sales of these projects in Q2 2017. The Company connected two ground-mounted projects in the UK with a combined capacity of approximately 10 MW with revenue expected to be recognized in Q2.

 

Project Pipeline

 

As of June 2, 2017, the Company had a pipeline of over 1.4 GW of projects in various stages, of which 613.1MW are projects that are “shovel-ready”. The shovel-ready projects include (i) projects that are overseas and that ReneSola has the legal right to develop based on definitive agreements, and (ii) projects in China that are owned by ReneSola and have been filed with National Development and Reform Commission or third-party projects that the Company has signed definitive agreements to provide EPC services to. The Company identified a number of opportunities in China’s domestic distributed generation market, and had 306.8 MW of such projects in shovel-ready stage in its pipeline as of June 2, 2017. The Company continues to focus on developed markets which are expected to have stable returns and healthy cash flow.

 

 

 

1 The Company executed a ratio change for its American Depositary Receipt ("ADR") program effective on February 10, 2017. As a result, the number of the Company's shares represented by each ADS was changed from two (2) shares to ten (10) shares.

 

 

 

 

The following table sets forth our shovel-ready projects pipeline by location:

 

Project Location Shovel-ready (MW)
USA 99.5
UK 14.3
Japan 17.5
Canada 8.9
Turkey 116.02
France 37.1
Poland 13.0
China DG 306.8
Total 613.1

 

The Company currently has over 270 MW project pipelines under construction and plans to construct over an aggregate of 550 MW of projects in the year of 2017. During the construction phase, the projects will be financed by construction loans, as well as installment payments from buyers.

 

Modules and Wafers

 

During the first quarter, total external module shipments were 266.8 MW, down 19.3% from Q4 2016 and down 23.9% from Q1 2016. Total wafer shipments were 259.2 MW, down 15.3% from Q4 2016 and down 26.2% from Q1 2016.

 

LED

 

LED revenue of $9.6 million was up by approximately 3% from $9.3 million in Q4 2016. Gross margin was approximately 30.9%. The sequential slowdown in LED revenue growth was largely due to short-term adjustment to product offerings, coupled with inventory management in the quarter.

 

ReneSola remains optimistic about the growth prospects in LED business. The market for energy efficient products is large and growing rapidly. LED lighting is one of the most effective products for reducing electricity consumption. The Company believes it can leverage its brand name and global distribution footprint to build an attractive, high margin business. The Company expects LED business to grow into a meaningful financial contributor in the years ahead.

 

Outlook

 

For Q2 2017, the Company expects revenue in the range of $180 to $200 million, external wafer shipments in the range of 220MW to 240MW and external module shipments in the range of 230MW to 250MW.

 

For full year 2017, the Company expects revenue in the range of $900 million to $1,000 million.

 

Conference Call Information

 

ReneSola's management will host an earnings conference call on June 15, 2017 at 8:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (8:30 p.m. China Time).

 

 

 

2 With the start of operation, ReneSola holds 50% of the economics in the projects, which are held for sale and expected to be sold in the normal course upon connection or shortly thereafter.

 

 

 

 

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

 

  Phone Number Toll-Free Number
United States +1 8456750437 +1 8665194004
Hong Kong +852 30186771 +852 800906601
Mainland China

+86 8008190121

+86 4006208038

 
Other International +65 67135090  

 

Please dial in 10 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin and provide the passcode to join the call. The passcode is 35984787.

 

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following numbers until June 23, 2017. To access the replay, please again reference the conference passcode 35984787.

 

  Phone Number Toll-Free Number
United States +1 6462543697 +1 8554525696
Hong Kong +852 30512780 +852 800963117
Mainland China

+86 8008700206

+86 4006022065

 
Other International +61 281990299  

 

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of ReneSola's website at http://www.renesola.com.

 

About ReneSola

 

Founded in 2005, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2008, ReneSola (NYSE: SOL) is an international leading brand and technology provider of energy efficient products. Leveraging its global presence and expansive distribution and sales network, ReneSola is well positioned to provide its highest quality green energy products and on-time services for EPC, installers, and green energy projects around the world. For more information, please visit www.renesola.com.

 

Safe Harbor Statement

 

This press release contains statements that constitute ''forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Whenever you read a statement that is not simply a statement of historical fact (such as when the Company describes what it "believes," "plans," "expects" or "anticipates" will occur, what "will" or "could" happen, and other similar statements), you must remember that the Company's expectations may not be correct, even though it believes that they are reasonable. The Company does not guarantee that the forward-looking statements will happen as described or that they will happen at all. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's annual report on Form 20-F. The Company undertakes no obligation, beyond that required by law, to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made, even though the Company's situation may change in the future.

 

 

 

 

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

 

In China:

 

ReneSola Ltd

Ms. Rebecca Shen

+86 (21) 6280-9180 x106

ir@renesola.com

 

The Blueshirt Group Asia

Mr. Gary Dvorchak, CFA

+86 (138) 1079-1480

gary@blueshirtgroup.com

 

In the United States:

 

The Blueshirt Group

Mr. Ralph Fong

+1 (415) 489-2195

ralph@blueshirtgroup.com

 

 

 

 

RENESOLA LTD
Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets
(US dollars in thousands)
   Mar 31,  Dec 31,  Mar 31,
   2017  2016  2016
 ASSETS         
 Current assets:               
 Cash and cash equivalents   26,634    37,336    38,687 
 Restricted cash   117,783    95,866    151,339 
 Accounts receivable, net of allowances for doubtful accounts   108,230    116,677    176,391 
 Inventories   153,220    143,976    181,659 
 Advances to suppliers-current   15,727    14,943    28,316 
 Amounts due from related parties   9,385    13,066    95 
 Value added tax recoverable   10,956    3,260    20,573 
 Prepaid income tax   1,115    1,081    1,900 
 Prepaid expenses and other current assets   16,002    22,838    15,901 
 Project assets   75,574    48,177    34,949 
 Deferred convertible notes issue costs-current             - 
 Derivative assets        2,716    - 
 Assets held-for-sale   8,540    7,558    - 
 Deferred tax assets-current, net             2,242 
 Total current assets   543,166    507,494    652,052 
                
 Property, plant and equipment, net   486,278    491,255    603,248 
 Prepaid land use right, net   31,923    31,850    37,179 
 Deferred tax assets-non-current, net   19,168    15,539    14,121 
                
 Advances for purchases of property, plant and equipment   1,824    846    1,288 
 Deferred project costs   19,153    16,375    20,874 
 Project assets-noncurrent   6,103    6,710    - 
 Other long-lived assets   18,706    18,337    10,144 
 Total assets   1,126,321    1,088,406    1,338,906 
                
 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY               
                
 Current liabilities:               
 Convertible bond payable-current               
 Short-term borrowings   647,587    595,434    735,610 
 Accounts payable   221,580    223,303    301,976 
 Advances from customers-current   36,701    21,998    24,985 
 Amounts due to related parties   4,575    1,257    3,189 
 Other current liabilities   59,655    62,126    62,727 
 Income tax payable   302    315    124 
 Derivative liabilities   371         343 
 Warrant liability             158 
 Total current liabilities   970,771    904,433    1,129,112 
                
 Convertible notes payable-non-current               
 Long-term borrowings   31,057    28,836    1,551 
 Deferred revenue   32,566    32,243    32,376 
 Warranty   28,114    35,059    38,070 
 Deferred subsidies and other   20,943    20,824    23,116 
 Other long-term liabilities   939    866    15 
 Total liabilities   1,084,390    1,022,261    1,224,240 
                
 Shareholders' equity               
   Common shares   476,658    476,658    477,419 
   Additional paid-in capital   8,420    8,229    7,707 
   Accumulated loss   (493,215)   (469,975)   (429,544)
   Accumulated other comprehensive income   50,068    51,233    59,084 
 Total equity attribute to ReneSola Ltd   41,931    66,145    114,666 
 Total  shareholders' equity   41,931    66,145    114,666 
                
 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity   1,126,321    1,088,406    1,338,906 

 

 

 

 

RENESOLA LTD
Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Income
(US dollar in thousands, except ADS and share data)
          
  

Three Months

Ended

 
     Mar 31, 2017      Dec 31, 2016      Mar 31, 2016  
                
 Net revenues from third parties   148,267    207,502    260,696 
 Net revenues from related parties   8,343    24,572      
  Total net revenues   156,610    232,074    260,696 
 Cost of revenues   (154,889)   (227,103)   (216,191)
 Gross profit   1,721    4,971    44,505 
 GP%   1.10%   2.1%   17.1%
                
 Operating (expenses) income:               
 Sales and marketing   (3,776)   (7,268)   (13,500)
 General and administrative   (12,450)   (12,277)   (13,269)
 Research and development   (5,707)   (5,362)   (8,190)
 Other operating income   2,458    2,737    2,694 
 Impairment of long-lived assets and advances for purchases of property, plant and equipment        (4,625)     
 Total operating expenses   (19,475)   (26,795)   (32,265)
              
 Income (loss) from operations   (17,754)   (21,824)   12,240 
                
 Non-operating (expenses) income:               
 Interest income   312    293    777 
 Interest expense   (9,248)   (7,368)   (9,860)
 Foreign exchange gains (losses)   161    4,916    2,945 
                
 Gains (losses) on derivatives, net   (332)   2,002    (602)
 Investment(loss) gain on disposal of subsidiaries        (75)   7 
                
 Gains on repurchase of convertible bonds             213 
                
 Fair value change of warrant liability        -    420 
 Income (loss) before income tax, noncontrolling interests   (26,861)   (22,056)   6,140 
                
 Income tax (expense) benefit   3,621    (3,407)   (407)
 Net income (loss)   (23,240)   (25,463)   5,733 
                
 Less: Net income (loss) attributed to noncontrolling interests               
 Net income (loss) attributed to holders of ordinary shares   (23,240)   (25,463)   5,733 
                
 Earnings per share               
   Basic   (0.12)   (0.13)   0.03 
   Diluted   (0.12)   (0.13)   0.03 
                
 Earnings per ADS               
   Basic   (1.16)   (1.26)   0.28 
   Diluted   (1.16)   (1.26)   0.28 
                
 Weighted average number of shares used in computing loss per share               
   Basic   200,538,902    201,774,449    203,163,310 
   Diluted   200,538,902    201,774,449    203,163,310 
                

 

   Mar 31, 2017  Dec 31, 2016  Mar 31, 2016
 Net income (loss)   (23,240)   (25,463)   5,733 
 Other comprehensive income (loss)               
 Foreign exchange translation adjustment   (1,165)   233    (2,493)
 Other comprehensive income (loss)   (1,165)   233    (2,493)
                
 Comprehensive income (loss)   (24,405)   (25,230)   3,240 
 Less: comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interest             - 
 Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to ReneSola   (24,405)   (25,230)   3,240 

 

 

 

 

RENESOLA LTD
Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow
(US dollar in thousands)
   Three Months Ended
   Mar 31, 2017  Mar 31, 2016
       
 Operating activities:          
 Net profit/(loss)   (23,240)   5,733 
 Adjustment to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activity:          
   Inventory write-down   1,615    0 
   Depreciation and amortization   20,920    21,218 
   Amortization of deferred convertible bond issuances costs and premium        33 
   Allowance of doubtful receivables, advance to  suppliers and prepayment for purchases of property, plant and equipment   (28)   (1,108)
   Gain (loss) on derivatives   332    (56)
   Fair value change of warrant liability        (420)
   Gain from settlement of certain payables          
   Gain from advances from customers        0 
   Share-based compensation   191    225 
   Gain (loss) on disposal of long-lived assets   676    1,208 
   Gain on disposal of solar project        (2,527)
   Impairment of goodwill          
   Impairment of Intangible assets          
   Impairment of  long-lived assets          
   Reversal of firm purchase commitment          
   Gain on disposal of  subsidiaries          
 Gain on CB repurchase        (212)
 Changes in assets and liabilities:          
   Accounts receivable   6,295    (15,263)
   Inventories   (11,209)   2,489 
   Project assets and deferred project cost   (26,691)   (3,227)
   Advances to suppliers   (522)   (9,728)
   Amounts due from related parties   3,793    509 
   Value added tax recoverable   (7,593)   4,413 
   Prepaid expenses and other assets   7,051    10,415 
   Prepaid land use rights, net   204    230 
   Accounts payable   (4,044)   (1,196)
   Advances from customers   12,441    (3,465)
   Income tax payable   (41)   1,548 
   Other  current liabilities   (3,360)   (15,696)
   Deferred revenue          
   Other non-current assets          
   Other long-term assets          
   Warranty   (7,241)   1,854 
   Deferred taxes assets   (3,366)   (1,044)
   Other long-term liabilities   65    (319)
 Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities   (33,752)   (4,386)
           
 Investing activities:          
   Purchases of property, plant and equipment   (11,441)   (2,240)
   Advances for purchases of property, plant and equipment   (865)   - 
   Cash received from government subsidy        - 
   Proceeds from disposal of property, plant and equipment   63    - 
   Advance from disposal of property, plant and equipment   2,905      
   Changes in restricted cash   (21,076)   (10,211)
   Net cash received (paid) on settlement of  derivatives   284    420 
   Proceeds from disposal of subsidiaries        5,140 
 Net  cash provided by (used in) investing activities   (30,130)   (6,891)
           
 Financing activities:          
   Proceeds from bank borrowings   269,850    264,262 
   Proceeds from related parties   3,340    - 
   Repayment of bank borrowings   (222,513)   (227,058)
   Proceeds from exercise of stock options          
 Paid for CB repurchase        (25,931)
 Cash paid for ADS/s repurchase        (733)
 Net cash provided  by (used in) financing activities   50,677    10,540 
           
 Effect of exchange rate changes   2,503    1,379 
           
 Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents   (10,702)   642 
 Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period/year   37,336    38,045 
 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period/year   26,634    38,687