COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Facility and Equipment Lease Commitments

The Company leases certain facilities under non-cancellable operating leases from unaffiliated third parties. As of April 3, 2016, future minimum lease payments for facilities under operating leases were $47.5 million, to be paid over the remaining contractual terms of up to 8 years. The Company also leases certain buildings, machinery and equipment under non-cancellable capital leases. As of April 3, 2016, future minimum lease payments for assets under capital leases were $5.9 million, to be paid over the remaining contractual terms of up to 7 years.

Purchase Commitments

The Company purchases raw materials for inventory and manufacturing equipment from a variety of vendors. During the normal course of business, in order to manage manufacturing lead times and help assure adequate supply, the Company enters into agreements with contract manufacturers and suppliers that either allow them to procure goods and services based on specifications defined by the Company, or that establish parameters defining the Company's requirements. In certain instances, these agreements allow the Company the option to cancel, reschedule or adjust the Company's requirements based on its business needs before firm orders are placed. Consequently, not all of the Company's disclosed purchase commitments arising from these agreements are firm, non-cancellable, and unconditional commitments.

The Company also has agreements with several suppliers, including some of its non-consolidated investees, for the procurement of polysilicon, ingots, wafers, and Solar Renewable Energy Credits, among others, which specify future quantities and pricing of products to be supplied by the vendors for periods up to 10 years and provide for certain consequences, such as forfeiture of advanced deposits and liquidated damages relating to previous purchases, in the event that the Company terminates the arrangements.

Future purchase obligations under non-cancellable purchase orders and long-term supply agreements as of April 3, 2016 are as follows:



(In thousands)	Fiscal 2016 (remaining nine months)		Fiscal 2017	Fiscal 2018	Fiscal 2019	Fiscal 2020	Thereafter	Total^1,2,3
Future purchase obligations	$	839,386	350,325	200,475	175,696	161,832	3,000	$	1,730,714


¹	Total future purchase obligations as of April 3, 2016 include $181.2 million to related parties.


²	Total future purchase obligations were composed of $249.3 million related to non-cancellable purchase orders and $1.5 billion related to long-term supply agreements.

³During fiscal 2015, we did not fulfill all of the purchase commitments we were otherwise obligated to take by December 31, 2015, as specified in related contracts with a supplier. As of April 3, 2016, the Company has recorded an offsetting asset, recorded within "Prepaid expenses and other current assets," and liability, recorded within "Accrued liabilities," totaling $50.6 million. This amount represents the unfulfilled amount as of that date as the Company expects to satisfy the obligation via purchases of inventory in fiscal 2016, within the applicable contractual cure period.

The Company expects that all obligations related to non-cancellable purchase orders for manufacturing equipment will be recovered through future cash flows of the solar cell manufacturing lines and solar panel assembly lines when such long-lived assets are placed in service. Factors considered important that could result in an impairment review include significant under-performance relative to expected historical or projected future operating results, significant changes in the manner of use of acquired assets, and significant negative industry or economic trends. Obligations related to non-cancellable purchase orders for inventories match current and forecasted sales orders that will consume these ordered materials and actual consumption of these ordered materials are compared to expected demand regularly. The Company anticipates total obligations related to long-term supply agreements for inventories will be recovered because quantities are less than management's expected demand for its solar power products. The terms of the long-term supply agreements are reviewed by management and the Company assesses the need for any accruals for estimated losses on adverse purchase commitments, such as lower of cost or market value adjustments that will not be recovered by future sales prices, forfeiture of advanced deposits and liquidated damages, as necessary.

Advances to Suppliers

As noted above, the Company has entered into agreements with various vendors, some of which are structured as "take or pay" contracts, that specify future quantities and pricing of products to be supplied. Certain agreements also provide for penalties or forfeiture of advanced deposits in the event the Company terminates the arrangements. Under certain agreements, the Company was required to make prepayments to the vendors over the terms of the arrangements. As of April 3, 2016 and January 3, 2016, advances to suppliers totaled $347.2 million and $359.1 million, respectively, of which $95.4 million and $85.0 million, respectively, is classified as short-term in the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets. Two suppliers accounted for 84% and 15% of total advances to suppliers, respectively, as of April 3, 2016, and 82% and 16%, respectively, as of January 3, 2016.

Advances from Customers

The Company has entered into other agreements with customers who have made advance payments for solar power products and systems. These advances will be applied as shipments of product occur or upon completion of certain project milestones. The estimated utilization of advances from customers as of April 3, 2016 is as follows:



(In thousands)	Fiscal 2016 (remaining nine months)		Fiscal 2017	Fiscal 2018	Fiscal 2019	Fiscal 2020	Thereafter	Total
Estimated utilization of advances from customers	$	19,267	36,319	27,039	28,842	43,263	—	$	154,730

In fiscal 2010, the Company and its joint venture, AUO SunPower Sdn. Bhd. ("AUOSP"), entered into an agreement under which the Company resells to AUOSP polysilicon purchased from a third-party supplier. Advance payments provided by AUOSP related to such polysilicon are then made by the Company to the third-party supplier. These advance payments are applied as a credit against AUOSP’s polysilicon purchases from the Company. Such polysilicon is used by AUOSP to manufacture solar cells that are sold to the Company on a "cost-plus" basis. As of April 3, 2016 and January 3, 2016, outstanding advance payments received from AUOSP totaled $143.2 million and $148.9 million, respectively, of which $23.8 million and $22.7 million, respectively, was classified as short-term in the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets, based on projected product shipment dates.

Product Warranties

The following table summarizes accrued warranty activity for the three months ended April 3, 2016 and March 29, 2015, respectively:



	Three Months Ended
(In thousands)	April 3, 2016			March 29, 2015
Balance at the beginning of the period	$	164,127		$	154,648
Accruals for warranties issued during the period	5,879			8,161
Settlements and adjustments during the period	(3,566		)	(8,711		)
Balance at the end of the period	$	166,440		$	154,098

Contingent Obligations

Project agreements entered into with the Company's Commercial and Power Plant customers often require the Company to undertake obligations including: (i) system output performance warranties; (ii) system maintenance; (iii) penalty payments or customer termination rights if the system the Company is constructing is not commissioned within specified timeframes or other milestones are not achieved; and (iv) system put-rights whereby the Company could be required to buy back a customer's system at fair value on specified future dates if certain minimum performance thresholds are not met for specified periods. Historically, the Company's systems have performed significantly above the performance warranty thresholds, and there have been no cases in which the Company has had to buy back a system.

Future Financing Commitments

The Company is required to provide certain funding under the joint venture agreement with AU Optronics Singapore Pte. Ltd. ("AUO") and other unconsolidated investees, subject to certain conditions (see Note 9). As of April 3, 2016, the Company's financing obligations related to these agreements are as follows:



(In thousands)	Amount
Year
2016 (remaining 9 months)	179,632
2017	3,169
	$	182,801

Liabilities Associated with Uncertain Tax Positions

Total liabilities associated with uncertain tax positions were $42.8 million and $43.3 million as of April 3, 2016 and January 3, 2016, respectively. These amounts are included in "Other long-term liabilities" in the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets in their respective periods as they are not expected to be paid within the next 12 months. Due to the complexity and uncertainty associated with its tax positions, the Company cannot make a reasonably reliable estimate of the period in which cash settlement, if any, would be made for its liabilities associated with uncertain tax positions in other long-term liabilities.

Indemnifications

The Company is a party to a variety of agreements under which it may be obligated to indemnify the counterparty with respect to certain matters. Typically, these obligations arise in connection with contracts and license agreements or the sale of assets, under which the Company customarily agrees to hold the other party harmless against losses arising from a breach of warranties, representations and covenants related to such matters as title to assets sold, negligent acts, damage to property, validity of certain intellectual property rights, non-infringement of third-party rights, and certain tax related matters including indemnification to customers under §48(c) solar commercial investment tax credit ("ITC") and U.S. Treasury Department ("Treasury Department") grant payments under Section 1603 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (each a "Cash Grant"). In each of these circumstances, payment by the Company is typically subject to the other party making a claim to the Company that is contemplated by and valid under the indemnification provisions of the particular contract, which provisions are typically contract-specific, as well as bringing the claim under the procedures specified in the particular contract. These procedures usually allow the Company to challenge the other party's claims or, in case of breach of intellectual property representations or covenants, to control the defense or settlement of any third party claims brought against the other party. Further, the Company's obligations under these agreements may be limited in terms of activity (typically to replace or correct the products or terminate the agreement with a refund to the other party), duration and/or amounts. In some instances, the Company may have recourse against third parties and/or insurance covering certain payments made by the Company.

In certain circumstances the Company has provided indemnification to customers and investors under which the Company is contractually obligated to compensate these parties for losses they may suffer as a result of reductions in benefits received under ITC and Treasury Cash Grant programs. The Company applies for ITC and Cash Grant incentives based on guidance provided by the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") and the Treasury Department, which include assumptions regarding the fair value of the qualified solar power systems, among others. Certain of the Company’s development agreements, sale-leaseback arrangements, and financing arrangements with tax equity investors, incorporate assumptions regarding the future level of incentives to be received, which in some instances may be claimed directly by its customers and investors. Generally, such obligations would arise as a result of reductions to the value of the underlying solar power systems as assessed by the IRS. At each balance sheet date, the Company assesses and recognizes, when applicable, the potential exposure from these obligations based on all the information available at that time, including any audits undertaken by the IRS. The maximum potential future payments that the Company could have to make under this obligation would depend on the difference between the eligible basis claimed on the tax filing for the solar energy systems sold or transferred to indemnified parties and the values that the IRS may redetermine as the eligible basis for the systems for purposes of claiming ITCs or U.S. Treasury grants. The Company uses eligible basis for tax filing purposes determined with the assistance of independent third-party appraisals to determine the ITCs that are passed-through to and claimed by the indemnified parties. Since the Company cannot determine future revisions to Treasury Department guidelines governing system values, how the IRS will evaluate system values used in claiming ITCs, or U.S. Treasury grants, or how its customers and investors have utilized these benefits in their own filings, the Company is unable to reliably estimate the maximum potential future payments that it could have to make under the Company’s contractual investor obligation as of each reporting date.

Defined Benefit Pension Plans

The Company maintains defined benefit pension plans for the majority of its non-U.S. employees. Benefits under these plans are generally based on an employee’s years of service and compensation. Funding requirements are determined on an individual country and plan basis and are subject to local country practices and market circumstances. The funded status of the pension plans, which represents the difference between the benefit obligation and fair value of plan assets, is calculated on a plan-by-plan basis. The benefit obligation and related funded status are determined using assumptions as of the end of each fiscal year. The Company recognizes the overfunded or underfunded status of its pension plans as an asset or liability on its Consolidated Balance Sheets. As of April 3, 2016 and January 3, 2016, the underfunded status of the Company’s pension plans, presented in "Other long-term liabilities" on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets, was $13.1 million and $12.0 million, respectively. The impact of transition assets and obligations and actuarial gains and losses are recorded in "Accumulated other comprehensive loss", and are generally amortized as a component of net periodic cost over the average remaining service period of participating employees. Total other comprehensive gain related to the Company’s benefit plans was zero for the three months ended April 3, 2016.

Legal Matters

Tax Benefit Indemnification Litigation

On March 19, 2014, a lawsuit was filed by NRG Solar LLC, now known as NRG Renew LLC (“NRG”), against SunPower Corporation, Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“SunPower Systems”), in the Superior Court of Contra Costa County, California. The complaint asserts that, according to the indemnification provisions in the contract pertaining to SunPower Systems’ sale of a large California solar project to NRG, SunPower Systems owes NRG $75.0 million in connection with certain tax benefits associated with the project that were approved by the Treasury Department for an amount that was less than expected. The Company does not believe that the facts support NRG’s claim under the operative indemnification provisions and is vigorously contesting the claim. Additionally, SunPower Systems filed a cross-complaint against NRG seeking damages in excess of $7.5 million for breach of contract and related claims arising from NRG’s failure to fulfill its obligations under the contract, including its obligation to take “reasonable, available steps” to engage the Treasury Department. The Company is currently unable to determine if the resolution of this matter will have a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

First Philec Arbitration

On January 28, 2015, an arbitral tribunal of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce issued a first partial award in the matter of an arbitration between First Philippine Electric Corporation ("FPEC") and First Philippine Solar Corporation ("FPSC") against SunPower Philippines Manufacturing, Ltd. ("SPML"), our wholly-owned subsidiary. FPSC is a joint venture of FPEC and SPML for the purpose of slicing silicon wafers from ingots. The tribunal found SPML in breach of its obligations under its supply agreement with FPSC, and in breach of its joint venture agreement with FPEC. In its first partial award, the tribunal ordered that (i) SPML must purchase FPEC’s interests in FPSC for an aggregate of $30.3 million, and (ii) after completing the purchase of FPEC’s controlling interest in FPSC, SPML must pay FPSC damages in the amount of $25.2 million. The arbitral tribunal issued its second partial award dated July 14, 2015, which ordered that (i) the price payable by SPML to FPEC for its interests in FPSC be reduced from $30.3 million to $23.2 million, (ii) FPEC’s request for interest is refused, and (iii) the payment and transfer of shares between FPEC and SPML is to take place in accordance with the procedure agreed between the parties. The tribunal issued its final award dated September 30, 2015, which ordered that (i) each side should bear its own costs and attorneys' fees, and (ii) the arbitration costs should be split between the parties evenly.

SPML has filed a challenge to both the first and second partial awards with the High Court in Hong Kong. The hearing on the challenge is scheduled for June 14 and 15, 2016 in Hong Kong. SPML has also filed applications to the Court in the Philippines to: (i) prevent FPSC or FPEC from enforcing the awards pending the outcome of the challenge in Hong Kong; and (ii) gain access to FPSC's books and records. The application to prevent enforcement of the award has not been ruled on. The application for access was granted, and the inspection of FPSC's books is ongoing.

As of April 3, 2016, the Company recorded an accrual of $48.4 million related to this matter based on the Company's best estimate of probable loss.

AUO Arbitration

On April 17, 2015, SunPower Technology Ltd. ("SPTL"), a wholly-owned subsidiary, commenced an arbitration before the ICC International Court of Arbitration against AUO and AU Optronics Corporation, the ultimate parent company of AUO ("AUO Corp.," and together with AUO, the “AUO Group”), for breaches of the AUOSP Joint Venture Agreement and associated agreements (the "JVA"). SPTL’s claim alleges that, among other things, the AUO Group has sold solar modules containing cells manufactured by AUOSP in violation of provisions in the JVA that set geographical restrictions on sales activities as well as provisions that restrict each party’s use of the other’s confidential information. SPTL seeks approximately $23.0 million in damages, as well as the right to purchase AUO's shares in SPTL at 70% of “fair market value” determined as provided under the JVA.

On June 23, 2015, the AUO Group filed and served its formal Memorial of Claim and Counterclaims against SPTL and the Company (collectively, the "SunPower Group"). In its counterclaim, the AUO Group alleges breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, several tort causes of action, and improper use of the AUO Group’s proprietary manufacturing expertise. The AUO Group seeks $20.0 million in lost profits and $48.0 million in disgorgement from the SunPower Group, and an order requiring SPTL to purchase AUO’s shares in SPTL at 150% of “fair market value” determined as provided under the JVA. The hearing for the arbitration has not been set. Depending upon the outcome of this matter and other related factors, it is possible that SPTL's investment in AUOSP may not be fully recoverable. Based on the significant uncertainties that currently exist, the Company is currently unable to determine whether the resolution of this matter will have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Other Litigation

The Company is also a party to various other litigation matters and claims that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of its business. While the Company believes that the ultimate outcome of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company, their outcomes are not determinable and negative outcomes may adversely affect the Company's financial position, liquidity or results of operations.