As a society and industry, we are facing an unprecedented set of challenges.
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended how we conduct our daily lives. With grave health consequences and vast economic uncertainty ahead of us, there’s growing consensus that nearly every sector of the economy will continue to be impacted for at least the next few months.
At SunPower, we’re focused on unifying as a team to meet the needs of our customers, reinforce the fundamentals of our global business and being there for one another. The health and safety of our employees, and the communities we serve, is our primary priority at this time.
This pandemic is a human disaster that’s impacting all of us personally and in ways that many of us couldn’t have imagined just a few weeks ago.
Since joining SunPower 17 years ago, I’ve experienced multiple periods of uncertainty, including the economic downturn in 2008 and the imposition of tariffs in 2018. While the COVID-19 crisis is an unprecedented event, we have overcome turbulent periods in the past. We will emerge from this stronger and more resilient. Never has it been more important to remain close to our dealers and our customers, ensuring that we’re meeting their needs and helping them navigate these unprecedented times. Corporations and government agencies large and small partner with SunPower because we provide the world’s highest quality and most efficient solar and storage solutions available.
We’ve met every challenge with great determination, and we have emerged stronger as a result. While this set of circumstances is unique, we believe that the outcome for SunPower and solar will be no different. While we’re seeing our own leading indicators showing challenges with demand, I’m confident this will level out in the coming months and start rebounding. As this month marks our 35th anniversary as a company, we expect to lead our industry in responding to this unprecedented set of challenges.
Beyond solar’s economic and environmental advantages, its dependability plays a key role in navigating otherwise uncertain market conditions. We’re seeing renewed volatility in oil markets. Public and private sector budgets will undoubtedly tighten and/or be eliminated, particularly in the near term. Against a backdrop of uncertainty as to where we stand six months or a year from now, the inherent flexibility that solar provides is a unique differentiator – in terms of jobs, investment and resiliency.
SunPower employees around the globe are doing what they can in their local communities by helping to provide supplies and equipment to those in need, as we’re providing guidance to our dealers – most of whom are their own small businesses. We’re hearing the stories from the field and it’s heartening to see members of our team going out of their way to give back.
We’re also working to provide opportunities for families and educators, who are at home for the foreseeable future. Through the SunPower Horizons educational platform, we’re making available lesson plans and worksheets that help students of all ages learn about solar. In recent years, more than 30,500 students and nearly 60 school districts have participated in the program.
While it’s critical that we focus on the crisis at hand, I have no doubt that solar will play a key role in the rebuilding process. It brings about the best of ingenuity, R&D, manufacturing and collaboration. We’re working every day to help those who depend on us to navigate this crisis. We’ll be ready, and on the frontlines, well into the future.
Stay safe and healthy, and let’s get through this together.