UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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SCHEDULE 14A

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Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )

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CAPSTONE TURBINE CORPORATION

16640 Stagg Street

Van Nuys, California 91406

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July 17, 2020

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Dear Capstone Turbine Stockholder:

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You are cordially invited to attend the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Capstone Turbine Corporation (the “Company”) to be held virtually on August 27, 2020, at 11:00 a.m., pacific daylight savings time. You can attend the Annual Meeting via the Internet, vote your shares electronically and submit your questions during the Annual Meeting, by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CPST2020. (there is no physical location for the Annual Meeting). You will need to have your 16-Digit Control Number included on your Notice or your proxy card (if you received a printed copy of the proxy materials) to join the Annual Meeting.

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Details of the business to be conducted at the Annual Meeting are provided in the attached Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement.

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In accordance with rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, we are mailing to our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability instead of a paper copy of the Proxy Statement and our 2020 Annual Report to Stockholders. The Notice of Internet Availability contains instructions on how stockholders can access the documents over the Internet as well as how stockholders can receive a paper copy of our proxy materials, including the Proxy Statement, the 2020 Annual Report to Stockholders and a proxy card.

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Whether or not you attend the Annual Meeting, it is important that your shares be represented and voted. Therefore, I urge you to vote by proxy as soon as possible over the Internet as instructed in the Notice of Internet Availability or, if you receive paper copies of the proxy materials by mail, you can vote over the Internet, by phone or by mail by following the instructions on the proxy card. Any stockholder attending the Annual Meeting, may vote by Internet during the meeting, even if you have already returned a proxy card or voting instruction card.

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On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to express our appreciation for your continued interest in the Company.

Van Nuys, California

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YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT

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PLEASE VOTE OVER THE INTERNET OR BY TELEPHONE AS INSTRUCTED IN THESE

MATERIALS OR COMPLETE, DATE, SIGN AND RETURN A PROXY CARD AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE.

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CAPSTONE TURBINE CORPORATION

16640 Stagg Street

Van Nuys, California 91406

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NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held August 27, 2020

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The Capstone Turbine Corporation (the “Company” or “Capstone”) 2020 annual meeting of stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) will be held virtually on August 27, 2020, at 11:00 a.m., pacific daylight savings time, for the following purposes:

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The foregoing items of business are more fully described in the accompanying Proxy Statement. The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on June 30, 2020 as the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof. Only holders of record of the Company’s common stock at the close of business on that date will be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof. In the event there are not sufficient shares to be voted in favor of any of the foregoing proposals at the time of the Annual Meeting, the Annual Meeting may be adjourned in order to permit further solicitation of proxies.

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Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, please vote over the Internet or by telephone as instructed in these materials or complete, sign, date and return the proxy card promptly. The proxy is being solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors of Capstone for use at the Annual Meeting.

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This year’s Annual Meeting will be held entirely via the Internet. To assure your representation at the annual meeting, we urge you, regardless of whether you plan to attend the annual meeting online, to sign, date and return the proxy card (if you received printed materials) or to vote over the telephone or on the Internet as instructed in these proxy materials so that your shares will be represented at the annual meeting. If your shares are held in “street name,” that is, held for your account by a broker or other nominee, you will receive instructions from the holder of record that you must follow for your shares to be voted.

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To be admitted to the Annual Meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CPST2020, you must enter the 16-digit control number included on your Notice of Internet Availability or your proxy card (if you received a printed copy of the proxy materials) to attend the Annual Meeting. We encourage you to access the annual meeting before it begins. Online check-in to access the meeting will start shortly before the meeting on August 27, 2020. If you attend the Annual Meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CPST2020, you may vote electronically during the meeting even if you have previously returned a proxy. Stockholders will also have the opportunity to submit questions during the Annual Meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CPST2020 by logging on with your control number. A technical support telephone number will be posted on the log-in page of www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CPST2020 that you can call if you encounter any difficulties accessing the virtual meeting during the check-in or during the meeting.

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Van Nuys, California

July 17, 2020

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CAPSTONE TURBINE CORPORATION

16640 Stagg Street

Van Nuys, California 91406

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PROXY STATEMENT

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For Annual Meeting Of Stockholders

To Be Held August 27, 2020

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING AND PROXY MATERIALS

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Who is soliciting my vote?

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The Board of Directors of the Company is soliciting your vote for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

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When is the 2020 Annual Meeting and how do I attend?

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This proxy statement (the “Proxy Statement”) is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of Capstone Turbine Corporation (the “Company” or “Capstone”) from holders of issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $.001 per share (“Common Stock”), to be voted at the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”), to be held virtually on August 27, 2020, at 11:00 a.m., pacific daylight savings time, for the purposes set forth in the accompanying notice and herein, and any adjournments or postponements thereof. The Annual Meeting will be held virtually via a live interactive audio webcast on the Internet. You will be able to vote and submit your questions during the meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CPST2020.

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How can I obtain the proxy materials?

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A copy of Capstone’s 2020 Annual Report to Stockholders (the “2020 Annual Report”) and the Proxy Statement and accompanying proxy card were first mailed or made available to stockholders on or about July 17, 2020. The 2020 Annual Report includes Capstone’s audited consolidated financial statements.

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Why did I receive a one-page notice in the mail regarding the internet availability of proxy materials instead of a full set of proxy materials?

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Pursuant to rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Company has elected to provide access to its proxy materials via the Internet. Accordingly, the Company is sending a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (“Notice”) to its stockholders. All stockholders will be able to access the proxy materials on the website referred to in the Notice or request to receive a printed set of the proxy materials. Instructions on how to access the proxy materials over the Internet or to request a printed copy may be found in the Notice. In addition,

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stockholders may request to receive proxy materials in printed form by mail or electronically by email on an ongoing basis. The Company encourages stockholders to take advantage of the availability of the proxy materials on the Internet to help reduce the cost of printing and mailing documents to you and reduce the environmental impact of its annual meetings.

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How can I obtain electronic access to the proxy materials?

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The Notice will provide you with instructions regarding how to view on the Internet the Company’s proxy materials for the Annual Meeting. Additionally, when you vote online you can also sign up to receive future proxy materials by email.

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The Company’s proxy materials also are available on its investor relations website at http://ir.capstoneturbine.com/investor-kit under “Investor Kit.”

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Choosing to receive future proxy materials by email will save the Company the cost of printing and mailing documents to you and will reduce the impact of the Company’s annual meetings on the environment. If you choose to receive future proxy materials by email, you will receive an email message next year with instructions containing a link to those materials and a link to the proxy voting website. Your election to receive proxy materials by email will remain in effect until you terminate it.

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How many votes can be cast by all stockholders?

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If you were a stockholder of record of Common Stock at the close of business on June 30, 2020, you are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting. As of the record date, 11,023,921 shares of Common Stock were outstanding. Each stockholder of record on June 30, 2020, is entitled to one vote for each share of Common Stock held by such stockholder on that date.

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How is the quorum reached?

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The required quorum for the transaction of business at the Annual Meeting is holders of a majority of the shares entitled to vote at any meeting of stockholders, present in person or represented by proxy, as of the record date. Abstentions and broker non votes will be counted for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum for the transaction of business at the Annual Meeting. A broker non-vote occurs when a broker holding shares for a beneficial holder does not have discretionary voting power with respect to that proposal and has not received instructions from the beneficial owner. Without your instructions, your broker or nominee is permitted to use its own discretion and vote your shares on certain matters (such as Proposal 4), but it is not permitted to use discretion and vote your shares on other matters (such as Proposals 1, 2, and 3). We urge you to give voting instructions to your broker on all proposals. Concerning the election of directors, you may: (a) vote for all director nominees as a group; (b) withhold authority to vote for all director nominees as a group; or (c) vote for all director nominees as a group except those nominees you identify on the appropriate line. For Proposals 2, 3, and 4, abstentions will have the same effect as a vote against these proposals. For Proposals 1, 2, and 3, broker non-votes will have no effect on these proposals, while for Proposal 4, your broker will be able to vote on these proposals even if it does not receive instructions from you, so there will not be any broker non-votes in connection with these proposals. For Proposal 1, withheld votes will have no effect on the outcome of the proposal.

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What if I return, but do not provide instructions, for my proxy?

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Proxies properly executed, duly returned to us and not revoked will be voted in accordance with the instructions given. Where no instructions are given, subject to the requirements described below, such proxies will be voted: FOR the election of the seven members to Capstone’s Board of Directors listed in this Proxy Statement to serve until the next annual meeting or until their successors have been elected and qualified; FOR the approval of the amendment to the Capstone Turbine Corporation 2017 Equity Incentive Plan; FOR the approval of the non-binding, advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers (“NEOs”); and FOR the ratification of the appointment of Marcum LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021. If any matter

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not described in this Proxy Statement is properly presented for action at the Annual Meeting, the persons named on the proxy card will have discretionary authority to vote on the action according to their best judgment. Each stockholder of record on June 30, 2020 is entitled to one vote for each share of Common Stock held by such stockholder on that date.

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Can I change my vote?

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You may revoke your proxy at any time before it is actually voted at the Annual Meeting by: (i) delivering written notice of revocation to the Secretary of Capstone at our address above; (ii) submitting a later dated proxy; or (iii) attending the Annual Meeting and voting by the Internet. Attendance at the Annual Meeting will not, by itself, constitute revocation of the proxy.

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How do I vote my shares?

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Whether you hold shares directly as the stockholder of record or through a broker, trustee or other nominee, as the beneficial owner you may direct how your shares are voted without attending the Annual Meeting. Stockholders are encouraged to vote their proxies by the Internet, by telephone or by completing, signing, dating and returning a proxy card, but not by more than one method. If you vote by Internet or telephone, you do not need to return a proxy card. If you vote by more than one method, only the last vote that is submitted will be counted and each previous vote will be disregarded. Please refer to the instructions provided in the Notice of Internet Availability or proxy card provided to you for information on the available voting methods.

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What do I need to be able to attend the Annual Meeting online?

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We will be hosting our Annual Meeting via live webcast only. Any stockholder can attend the Annual Meeting live online at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CPST2020. The webcast will start at 11:00 a.m. pacific daylight savings time on August 27, 2020. Stockholders may vote and ask questions while attending the Annual Meeting online. In order to be able to attend the annual meeting, you will need the 16-digit control number, which is on your proxy card or in the instructions accompanying your proxy materials. Instructions on how to participate in the annual meeting of stockholders are also posted online at www.proxyvote.com.

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Why is this Annual Meeting being held virtually?

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We are excited to provide ease of access, real-time communication, and cost savings for our stockholders. We believe that hosting a virtual meeting provides easy access for our stockholders and facilitates participation since stockholders can participate from any location around the world. You will be able to participate in the annual meeting online and submit your questions during the meeting by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CPST2020. You also will be able to vote your shares by Internet before or during the Annual Meeting.

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How can I submit a question at the Annual Meeting?

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If you would like to submit a question during the annual meeting, log into www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CPST2020 by using the 16-digit control number, which is on your proxy card or in the instructions accompanying your proxy materials, type your question into the “Ask a Question” field, and click “Submit.” Questions pertinent to meeting matters will be read and answered during the meeting, subject to time constraints. The questions and answers will be available as soon as practicable after the annual meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CPST2020 and will remain available for one week after posting.

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What if I have technical difficulties or trouble accessing the Annual Meeting?

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If you encounter any technical difficulties with accessing the audio webcast on the meeting day, a phone number will be posted 15 minutes before the meeting start time, on August 27, 2020. Technical support will be available starting at 10:30 am pacific daylight savings time, 30 minutes before the meeting start time and will remain available until the annual meeting has ended.

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Who pays for the cost of soliciting proxies?

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We will pay the expense of soliciting proxies and the cost of preparing, assembling and mailing material in connection with the solicitation of proxies. In addition, we have engaged The Proxy Advisory Group, LLC, to assist in the solicitation of proxies and provide related advice and informational support, for a services fee, plus customary disbursements, which are not expected to exceed $12,000 in total. Our directors, officers or employees may solicit proxies by mail, e-mail, telephone, facsimile or other means. These individuals will not receive any additional compensation for these efforts.

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What is the deadline to propose actions for consideration or to nominate individuals to serve as directors at the 2021 Annual Meeting?

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Stockholder proposals or nominations for directors intended to be presented at the 2021 annual meeting of stockholders (the “2021 Annual Meeting”) must be in writing and received at Capstone’s principal executive offices no later than the close of business on March 19, 2021, and must comply with Capstone’s bylaws, the policy of the Company’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (as more fully described in the “Director Recommendation and Nomination Process” section elsewhere in this Proxy Statement), and the proxy rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). If appropriate notice of a stockholder proposal is received at Capstone’s principal executive offices after the close of business 5:00 pm, pacific standard time on March 19, 2021, the proposal will be deemed untimely. Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the Company’s bylaws, an untimely proposal will not be included in the Company’s proxy statement or proxy card for the 2021 Annual Meeting and cannot be brought before the 2021 Annual Meeting by the proponent. If the date of our annual meeting is moved by more than 30 days from the from the date of the previous year’s annual meeting, then notice must be received within a reasonable time before we begin to print and send proxy materials. If that happens, we will publicly announce the deadline for submitting a proposal in a press release or in a document filed with the SEC. Nothing in this paragraph shall be deemed to require us to include in our proxy statement and proxy card for such meeting any stockholder proposal which does not meet the requirements of the SEC in effect at the time. Any such proposal will be subject to Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act.

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In addition to stockholder nominations made in accordance with the procedures described above, Capstone’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider stockholder recommendations of candidates for election to the Board of Directors if such recommendations are submitted by the date and in accordance with the policies described in the “Director Recommendation and Nomination Process” section elsewhere in this Proxy Statement.

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The date of this Proxy Statement is July 17, 2020.

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PROPOSAL 1

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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Introduction

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At the Annual Meeting, seven Directors will be elected, each to serve until the 2021 Annual Meeting and until such Director’s successor is duly elected and qualified or until such Director’s earlier resignation or removal. Upon the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the Board of Directors has nominated Holly A. Van Deursen, Paul D. DeWeese, Robert C. Flexon, Darren R. Jamison, Yon Y. Jorden, Robert F. Powelson, and Denise Wilson for re-election as Directors. Shares represented by each properly executed proxy will be voted for the re-election of Holly A. Van Deursen, Paul D. DeWeese, Robert C. Flexon, Darren R. Jamison, Yon Y. Jorden, Robert F. Powelson, and Denise Wilson as Directors, unless contrary instructions are set forth on such proxy. Proxies cannot be voted for a greater number of individuals than the number of nominees. Each nominee has agreed to stand for re-election and to serve, if elected, as a Director. However, if any nominee fails to stand for re-election or is unable to accept election, the proxies will be voted for the election of such other person as the Board of Directors may recommend.

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Information About Our Directors

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The number of Directors of the Company is presently fixed at eight (8) and the Board of Directors currently consists of eight (8) members. Gary J. Mayo has informed the Board of Directors that he will not stand for re-election and will retire from the Board of Directors upon the expiration of his current term at the Annual Meeting at which time the number of Directors will be fixed at seven (7). You cannot vote for more directors than the seven (7) nominees named herein.

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The Board of Directors has nominated Holly A. Van Deursen, Paul D. DeWeese, Robert C. Flexon, Darren R. Jamison, Yon Y. Jorden, Robert F. Powelson, and Denise Wilson for re-election as Directors. The Board of Directors has determined that Ms. Van Deursen, Mr. DeWeese, Mr. Flexon, Ms. Jorden, Mr. Powelson, and Ms. Wilson are independent Directors as defined in Rule 5605(a)(2) under the Marketplace Rules of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the “NASDAQ Rules”).

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The positions of Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board are currently each filled by a different individual, Mr. Jamison and Ms. Van Deursen, respectively. If the position of Chair of the Board is vacant, or if he or she is absent, the Chief Executive Officer presides, when present, at meetings of stockholders.

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Additionally, the structure of our Board of Directors also consists of the Compensation, Audit and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees. Ms. Wilson, Ms. Jorden, and Mr. DeWeese will each serve as Committee Chairs, respectively.

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The Chair of the Board, Chairs of the committees, as well the remaining members of the Board of Directors, each have relevant experience and background to provide leadership and guidance to the Company and the Company’s management. Specifically, the members of the Board of Directors have relevant leadership, technology, finance, industry and market experience necessary for the Company and provide for a leadership structure that is appropriate for the Company.

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Set forth below is certain information regarding the Directors of the Company, including the Directors who have been nominated for re-election at the Annual Meeting. The ages of and biographical information regarding the nominees for re-election and each Director who is not standing for election is based on information furnished to the Company by each nominee and Director and is as of June 30, 2020.

(1) Chair of the Board. 

(2) Gary J. Mayo will not stand for re-election.

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The principal occupation and business experience for at least the last five years for each Director of the Company is set forth below. The biographies of each of the Directors below contains information regarding the person’s service as a director, business experience, director positions held currently or at any time during the last five years, information regarding the experiences, qualifications, attributes or skills that caused the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Board of Directors to determine that the person should serve as a Director.

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Holly A. Van Deursen.  Ms. Van Deursen has been a director since October 2007 and has served as Chair of the Board since August 2016, and a member of the Audit Committee since 2019. Ms. Van Deursen has served as a director for Enerpac Tool Group (NYSE:EPAC) (formerly Actuant Corporation) since 2008, Albermarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) since 2019, Kimball Electronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:KE) since 2019, and Synthomer, plc (LON:SYNT) since 2018. Prior to her current roles, Ms. Van Deursen was employed by BP plc/Amoco Corporation through 2005 and served on the Top Forty Executive Team as Group Vice President, Petrochemicals and Group Vice President, Strategy. Ms. Van Deursen received her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kansas and her Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan.

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Among her other skills and expertise, Ms. Van Deursen brings to the Board of Directors decades of experience in the energy and chemical industries, a unique perspective on the Asian and European markets and substantial experience in strategic and annual planning, corporate governance and risk management. In addition, her diverse experience on other boards of both public and private companies is of significant benefit to the Company.

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Paul D. DeWeese. Mr. DeWeese has been a director since August 2016. From January to November 2019, Mr. DeWeese was the Chief Executive Officer of Boomerang Tube, LLC, an oil country tubular goods (OCTG) producer. Prior to this, Mr. DeWeese was the Chief Executive Officer of Epic International, LLC, a company that provides parts and services for industrial engines and compressors in the oil and gas and industrial markets. He held this position from May 2015 to June 2018. Prior to Epic International, Mr. DeWeese served as Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Oilfield Products, Inc., an aftermarket supplier for drilling rigs in the upstream oil and gas industry, from May 2012 through April 2015. Before joining Southwest Oilfield Products, Mr. DeWeese worked for Socotherm S.p.a., a publicly traded pipe coating company based in Italy as its Chief Executive Officer. Socotherm S.p.a was subsequently acquired by ShawCor after Mr. DeWeese’s employment. Prior to Socotherm, Mr. DeWeese served as President of CRC-Evans Automatic Welding, a world leader in welding systems for onshore and offshore pipeline construction projects, providing an extensive range of equipment for a variety of project applications. Mr. DeWeese spent 13 years with Cameron International Corporation in various leadership roles handling their centrifugal compressor and reciprocating compressor aftermarket business. Mr. DeWeese received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Regis University, and his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan.

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Among his other skills and expertise, Mr. DeWeese brings to the Board of Directors over 20 years in the oil and gas field services industry as a senior executive with vast experience running both public and private equity backed companies which were domestic and internationally headquartered.

Robert C. Flexon. Mr. Flexon has been a director since April 2018. Mr. Flexon serves as a director of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG) since June 2020 as well as a director for Charah Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: CHRA) since June 2018 and TransAlta Corporation (TSX: TA) (NYSE:TAC) since April 2019. Mr. Flexon was President and Chief Executive Officer and Director of Dynegy Inc. (NYSE: DYN), a power generating company that owns and operates a number of natural gas-fueled or coal-fueled power stations in the U.S, from July 2011 to April 2018. Certain subsidiaries of Dynegy filed for bankruptcy in November 2011 under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Prior to joining Dynegy, Mr. Flexon served as the Chief Financial Officer of UGI Corporation (NYSE: UGI), a distributor and marketer of energy products and related services from February 2011 to July 2011. Mr. Flexon was the Chief Executive Officer of Foster Wheeler AG (NASDAQ: FWLT) from June to October 2010 and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Foster Wheeler USA from November 2009 to May 2010. Prior to joining Foster Wheeler, Mr. Flexon was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG) from February to November 2009. Mr. Flexon previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of NRG Energy from March 2008 to February 2009 and as its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2004 to 2008. Prior to joining NRG Energy, Mr. Flexon held executive positions with Hercules, Inc. and various key positions, including General Auditor, with Atlantic Richfield Company. In addition, Mr. Flexon was a CPA with the former Cooper & Lybrand from 1980 to 1987. Mr. Flexon served on the public board of directors of Foster Wheeler from 2006 until 2009 and from May to October 2010 and Westmoreland Coal Company from 2016 to 2019. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Genesys Works-Houston, an organization that transforms the lives of disadvantaged high school students through meaningful work experience. He also served on the board of directors of Baker Ripley, a Texas non-profit organization that connects low income people to opportunities, from 2014 to 2016. Mr. Flexon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Villanova University. He became a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in the State of Pennsylvania.

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Among his other skills and expertise, Mr. Flexon brings to the Board of Directors over a decade of experience in accounting and financial matters and has a breadth of executive management experience. In his years as an energy industry executive, he has developed a deep comprehension of wholesale power generation markets and customers.

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Darren R. Jamison. Mr. Jamison joined Capstone in December 2006 as President and Chief Executive Officer and has been a director since December 2006. He also served as a director for Endurance Wind Power, a privately held Canadian-headquartered wind turbine manufacturer, from December 2015 to October 2016. Mr. Jamison joined Capstone from Northern Power Systems, Inc., a company that designs, manufactures and sells wind turbines into the global marketplace, where he served as President and Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Operations. Prior to joining Northern Power Systems, Inc., Mr. Jamison was Vice President and General Manager of Distributed Energy Solutions for Stewart & Stevenson Services, Inc., a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of specialized engine-driven power generation equipment to the oil and gas, renewable and energy efficiency markets. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Finance from Seattle University.

Among his other skills and expertise, Mr. Jamison brings to the Board of Directors his unique perspective as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and substantial executive and industry experience within the Company’s major market verticals.

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Yon Y. Jorden. Ms. Jorden has been a director since April 2017. Ms. Jorden also currently serves as a director and finance committee member of Methodist Health System, a not for profit Texas-based hospital system since 2008. Prior to her current roles, Ms. Jorden also served as director, chairperson of the compensation committee and a member of the audit committee and the governance and nominating committee the latter of which she has previously served on as chairperson for Maxwell Technologies (NASDAQ: MXWL), a leader in development and manufacturing of energy storage and power delivery solutions from 2008 to 2017. In addition, she also served as director and chairperson of the audit committee of Magnatek, Inc., (NASDAQ: MAG) a manufacturer of digital power control systems, U.S. Oncology, a privately-held oncology services company, and BioScrip, (NASDAQ: BIOS) national provider of infusion and home care management solutions. During a business career spanning more than 25 years, she has served as chief financial officer of four publicly traded companies, most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial

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Officer of AdvancePCS (NASDAQ: ADVP), a pharmacy benefits management company from 2002 to 2004. Previously she was chief financial officer of Informix, a NASDAQ-listed technology company, Oxford Health Plans, a NASDAQ-listed provider of managed health care services, and WellPoint, Inc., a NYSE-listed managed care company. Ms. Jorden received her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the California State University, Los Angeles. Earlier in her career, she was a senior auditor with Arthur Andersen & Co., where she became a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in the State of California.

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Among her other skills and expertise, Ms. Jorden brings to the Board of Directors decades of extensive experience as both a chief financial officer as well as a board member in all areas of corporate governance and finance including mergers and acquisitions, structuring IPOs, restructurings, and managing public debt and equity offerings. Ms. Jorden is a board leadership fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors, demonstrating her commitment and leadership as a board member.

Robert F. Powelson. Mr. Powelson has been a director since June 2019. Mr. Powelson has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Water Companies (“NAWC”) since June 2018. Prior to joining NAWC, Mr. Powelson was nominated to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner (“FERC”) by President Donald J. Trump in May 2017, confirmed by the U.S. Senate in August 2017, and served as a member of FERC until August 2018. Prior to his appointment to FERC, Mr. Powelson served on the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (“PUC”) from June 2008 to August 2017, and served as the PUC’s chairman from February 2011 to May 2015. Mr. Powelson also served on Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission from March 2011 to July 2011. Prior to joining the PUC, Mr. Powelson served as president of the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry from February 1994 to July 2008. Mr. Powelson was also a past president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (“NARUC”), where he also was a member of the board of directors from March 2011 to July 2017. Mr. Powelson served as chairman of the NARUC Committee on Water and Power and represented the Water Committee on NARUC’s Task Force on Climate Policy. Mr. Powelson holds a Masters of Governmental Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts from St. Joseph’s University.

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Among his other skills and expertise, Mr. Powelson brings to the board of directors extensive expertise in public utlitlies, the regulatory environment and public policy.

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Denise Wilson. Ms. Wilson has been a director since November 2019. Ms. Wilson served as Executive Vice President and President, New Business for NRG Energy, Inc., (“NRG”), an independent power company with generation, energy retail business and cleantech ventures, from July 2011 through January 2016. Ms. Wilson served as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of NRG, from September 2008 through July 2011. Prior to September 2008, Ms. Wilson served as Executive Vice President, Human Resources for Nash-Finch Company, a national food distributor, and in various roles at NRG from 2000 through 2007. Prior to joining NRG, Ms. Wilson held various key positions as Vice President Human Resources with Metris Companies Inc. and Director, Human Resources with General Electric ITS. Ms. Wilson holds a Masters in Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota.

Ms. Wilson brings to the Board of Directors extensive experience as President of a Fortune 500 company that generates electricity and provides energy solutions and natural gas to more than 3.7 million residential, small business, and commercial and industrial customers.

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No director or officer has been involved in any legal proceedings required to be disclosed under Item 401(f) of Regulation SK.

Vote Required

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A quorum being present, Directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast (meaning that the seven Director nominees who receive the highest number of shares voted “FOR” their election are elected). Votes that are withheld will be excluded entirely from the vote and will have no effect on the vote. Broker non-votes will also have no effect on the outcome of the election of directors.

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Recommendation

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THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT STOCKHOLDERS VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE NOMINEES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AS A DIRECTOR OF THE COMPANY.

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GOVERNANCE OF THE COMPANY AND PRACTICES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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Board of Directors; Leadership Structure

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The Board of Directors met seven (7) times during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 (the “2020 Fiscal Year” or “Fiscal 2020”). The Board of Directors has established an Audit Committee (the “Audit Committee”), a Compensation Committee (the “Compensation Committee”), and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the “Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee”). During Fiscal 2020, each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate of (1) the total number of meetings of the Board of Directors of the Company (held during the period for which he or she was a director) and (2) the total number of meetings of all committees of the Board of Directors of the Company on which the director served (during the periods that he or she served). The Company strongly encourages each member of the Board of Directors to attend each annual meeting of stockholders. All of the directors serving on the Board of Directors at the time attended the 2019 Annual Meeting. The Company’s independent directors met in executive session, without members of the Company’s management present, at all of the in-person meetings of the Board of Directors in Fiscal 2020.

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The Board of Directors is committed to having a sound governance structure that promotes the best interests of all of the Company’s stockholders. To that end, the Board of Directors has evaluated and actively continues to examine emerging corporate governance trends and best practices. Stockholder perspectives play an important role in that process. The level of importance afforded to stockholder perspectives by the Board of Directors is evident upon a closer review of the Board of Directors’ governance structure. Some key points regarding that structure are as follows:

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We believe our Board of Directors structure serves the interests of stockholders by balancing board continuity and the promotion of long-term thinking with the need for director accountability.

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Risk Oversight

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The Board of Directors oversees an enterprise-wide approach to risk management designed to support the achievement of organizational objectives, including strategic objectives, to improve long-term organizational performance and to enhance stockholder value. A fundamental part of risk management is not only understanding the risks the Company faces and what steps management is taking to manage those risks, but also understanding what level of risk is appropriate for the Company. The involvement of the full Board of Directors in setting the Company’s business strategy is a key part of its assessment of management’s appetite for risk and also a determination of what constitutes an appropriate level of risk for the Company. The full Board of Directors participates in an annual enterprise risk management assessment.

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While the Board of Directors has the ultimate oversight responsibility for the risk management process, various committees of the Board of Directors also have responsibility for risk management. In particular, the Audit Committee focuses on financial risk, including internal controls, and receives an annual risk assessment report from the Company’s internal auditors. In setting compensation, the Compensation Committee strives to create incentives that encourage a level of risk-taking behavior consistent with the Company’s business strategy and is responsible for oversight with respect to compensation and succession planning risks.

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Audit Committee

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The Audit Committee currently consists of Ms. Jorden (Chair), Ms. Van Deursen, and Mr. Flexon. The Audit Committee is constituted to comply with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act and is responsible, among other items, for: (i) monitoring the Company’s financial reporting and overseeing accounting practices; (ii) annually retaining the independent public accountants as auditors of the financial statements and accounts of the Company; (iii) monitoring the scope of audits made by the independent public accountants and the audit reports submitted by the independent public accountants; (iv) overseeing the systems of internal control which management and the Board of Directors have established; and (v) discussing with management and the independent and internal auditors the Company’s major financial risk exposure and the steps taken to monitor and control such exposure. In addition, the Audit Committee has the duties of a “qualified legal compliance committee,” including monitoring and reviewing stockholder complaints, and also reviews and approves all related party transactions. The Audit Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board of Directors, a copy of which is available on the Company’s website at www.capstoneturbine.com. Pursuant to its written charter, the Audit Committee reviews its charter on an annual basis for compliance, best practices and any other needed updates or changes. During Fiscal 2020, the Audit Committee held seven meetings. The Board of Directors has determined that Ms. Jorden is an “audit committee financial expert,” as that term is defined by applicable rules adopted by the SEC. The Board of Directors has further determined that each member of the Audit Committee is independent and financially literate as defined by NASDAQ rules.

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Audit Committee Report

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In performing its functions, the Audit Committee acts primarily in an oversight capacity. Management is responsible for the integrity of the Company’s financial statements, as well as its accounting and financial reporting process, principles and internal controls to assure compliance with accounting standards and applicable laws and regulations. The Company’s independent registered public accountants have the primary responsibility for performing an independent audit of the Company’s financial statements and expressing an opinion as to the conformity of such financial statements with generally accepted auditing principles. Members of the Audit Committee are not professionally engaged in the practice of auditing or accounting, and all members are not experts in the fields of accounting or auditing, including auditor independence. The Audit Committee relies on the work and assurances of the Company’s management, which has the primary responsibility for preparing financial statements and reports and implementing internal controls over financial reporting. The Audit Committee also relies on the work and assurances of the Company’s internal auditors, which have the primary responsibility to test and evaluate the internal controls over financial reporting. In addition, the Audit Committee selects the Company’s independent registered public accountants and has the authority to engage independent counsel and other advisors as it deems necessary.

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In this context, the Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K as of and for the year ended March 31, 2020 with management and Marcum LLP, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended March 31, 2020. The Audit Committee has discussed with Marcum LLP the matters required to be discussed by the Statement on Auditing Standard No. 1301, as currently in effect, “Communications with Audit Committees” as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, both with and without management present. In addition, the Audit Committee has received and reviewed the written disclosures and the letter from Marcum LLP required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding Marcum LLP’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence and has discussed with Marcum LLP their independence from the Company.

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In the performance of their oversight function, the members of the Audit Committee necessarily relied upon the information, opinions, reports and statements presented to them by the management of the Company and by the

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independent auditors. Based on the review and discussions described above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the audited consolidated financial statements be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K as of and for the year ended March 31, 2020 for filing with the SEC.

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The information contained in this report shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or “filed” with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A other than as provided in SEC Regulation S-K, Item 407 or subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except to the extent that the Company specifically requests that the information be treated as soliciting material or specifically incorporates it by reference into a document filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

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Compensation Committee

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The Compensation Committee during Fiscal 2020 consisted of Mr. Mayo (Chair), Mr. Flexon, Ms. Jorden and Ms. Wilson. The Compensation Committee is comprised solely of directors who qualify as independent for purposes of NASDAQ rules in conformance with the Compensation Committee’s charter, and are “non-employee directors,” as defined in Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act and “outside directors,” as defined under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, amended (the “Code”). The functions of the Compensation Committee include: (i) annually reviewing and recommending to the Board of Directors the corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, (ii) evaluating the performance of our Chief Executive Officer in light of such corporate goals and objectives and, based on such evaluation, recommending to the Board of Directors the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, (iii) determining the compensation of all executive officers other than the Chief Executive Officer, (iv) retaining, terminating and approving the compensation of any compensation advisers, (v) reviewing and approving our policies and procedures for the grant of equity based awards, (vi) reviewing and approving grants of awards under our incentive based compensation plans and equity based plans, (vii) reviewing and making recommendations to the Board of Directors with respect to director compensation, and (viii) reviewing and evaluating, at least annually, the performance of our Compensation Committee and its members, and reporting to the Board of Directors on the results of such evaluation. The Compensation Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board of Directors, a copy of which is available on the Company’s website at www.capstoneturbine.com. Pursuant to its written charter, the Compensation Committee reviews its charter on an annual basis for compliance, best practices and any other needed updates or changes. During Fiscal 2020, the Compensation Committee held seven meetings. Processes and procedures for determining executive and director compensation, including authority and delegation, and the role of executive officers, if any, are discussed in the section titled “COMPENSATION OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS.”

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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

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The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee currently consists of Messrs. DeWeese (Chair), Mayo, Powelson, and Ms. Wilson. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is comprised solely of “independent directors” as defined by NASDAQ rules in conformance with the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s charter. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for, among other things, (i) monitoring corporate governance matters; (ii) recommending to the full Board of Directors candidates for election to the Board of Directors and committees of the Board of Directors; and (iii) coordinating the Board of Directors evaluation process. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board of Directors, a copy of which is available on the Company’s website at www.capstoneturbine.com. Pursuant to its written charter, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee reviews its charter on an annual basis for compliance, best practices and any other needed updates or changes. During Fiscal 2020, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee held five meetings. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met subsequent to the end of Fiscal 2020 to recommend to the full Board of Directors each of the nominees for election to the Board of Directors as presented herein.

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Board of Directors and Committee Performance Evaluations

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The charter of each of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee requires an annual performance evaluation, and the Company’s Corporate Governance Principles also mandate an annual evaluation of the Board of Directors. Such performance evaluations are designed to assess whether the Board of Directors and its committees function effectively and make valuable contributions to the Company. In June 2020, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee conducted an assessment of the performance of the Board of Directors as well as an assessment of each member’s skill sets and experience and how such skill sets and experience align with the needs of the Company in reaching the Company’s strategic objectives. In June 2020 the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Board of Directors discussed the results of the assessments and put a follow-up process in place to conduct the annual performance evaluation of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee as well as the Board of Directors.

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Director Recommendation and Nomination Process

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Nominations of persons for election to our Board of Directors by the stockholders may be made at an annual meeting of stockholders by any stockholder who (i) was a stockholder of record at the time of giving of notice provided for below and at the time of the annual meeting, (ii) is entitled to vote and present in person at the meeting at the meeting and (iii) complies with the notice procedures set forth below and as further described in our bylaws as to such business or nomination.

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Without qualification, for nominations, the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the secretary of the corporation at:

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Capstone Turbine Corporation

16640 Stagg Street

Van Nuys, CA 91406

Attention: Colby Petersen, Secretary

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To be timely, a stockholder’s notice shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the corporation at the address above not earlier than the close of business on the 150th calendar day and not later than the close of business on the 120th calendar day prior to the first anniversary of the date our proxy statement was released to security holders in connection with the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that if no annual meeting was held in the previous year or the date of the annual meeting has been changed by more than thirty (30) calendar days from the date contemplated at the time of the previous year’s proxy statement, a proposal shall be received by the corporation no later than the close of business on the tenth day following the day on which notice of the date of the meeting was mailed or public announcement of the date of the meeting was made, whichever comes first. In no event shall the public announcement of an adjournment of an annual meeting commence a new time period for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above.

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To be in proper form, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary must: (a) disclose, as to the stockholder giving the notice and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination or proposal is made or any person acting in concert therewith (each a “party”) (i) the name and address of each such party, (ii) (A) the class or series and number of shares of the corporation which are, directly or indirectly, owned beneficially and of record by each such party, (B) any option, warrant, convertible security, stock appreciation right, or similar right with an exercise or conversion privilege or a settlement payment or mechanism at a price related to any class or series of shares of the corporation or with a value derived in whole or in part from the value of any class or series of shares of the corporation, whether or not such instrument or right shall be subject to settlement in the underlying class or series of capital stock of the corporation or otherwise (a “Derivative Instrument”) directly or indirectly owned beneficially by each such party and any other direct or indirect opportunity to profit or share in any profit derived from any increase or decrease in the value of shares of the corporation, (C) any proxy, contract, arrangement, understanding, or relationship pursuant to which each such party has a right to vote or transfer any shares of any security of the corporation, or pursuant to which any shares held directly or indirectly by each such party may be voted or transferred by another party, (D) any short interest in any security of the

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corporation (for purposes of this requirement a person shall be deemed to have a short interest in a security if such person directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has the opportunity to profit or share in any profit derived from any decrease in the value of the subject security), (E) any rights to dividends on the shares of the corporation owned beneficially by each such party that are separated or separable from the underlying shares of the corporation, (F) any proportionate interest in shares of the corporation or Derivative Instruments held, directly or indirectly, by a general or limited partnership in which such party is a general partner or, directly or indirectly, beneficially owns an interest in a general partner, (G) any performance-related fees (other than an asset-based fee) that such stockholder is or may be entitled to based on any increase or decrease in the value of shares of the corporation or Derivative Instruments, if any, as of the date of such notice, including without limitation any such interests held by members of such party’s immediate family sharing the same household (which information shall be supplemented by such stockholder and beneficial owner, if any, not later than ten (10) days after the record date for the meeting to disclose such ownership as of the record date) and (H) any direct or indirect equity interest, short interest, or Derivative Instrument, or any material contract or agreement of such party in or with any principal competitor of the corporation, (iii) any other information relating to such party that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for, as applicable, the proposal and/or for the election of directors in a contested election pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (whether or not such party intends to deliver a proxy statement or conduct its own proxy solicitation), (iv) a statement as to whether or not each such party will deliver a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of, in the case of a proposal, at least the percentage of voting power of all of the shares of the capital stock of the corporation required under applicable law to carry the proposal, or, in the case of a nomination or nominations for election of directors, at least the percentage of voting power of all of the shares of capital stock of the corporation reasonably believed by the such stockholder of record or beneficial owner or owners, as the case may be, to be sufficient to elect the persons proposed to be nominated by the stockholder of record; (v) the written consent of each such party to the public disclosure of information provided pursuant to this requirement; (vi) the investment strategy or objective, if any, of the stockholder and each such party; and (vii) an undertaking that each such stockholder agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the corporation against any liability, loss or damages incurred as a result of false or misleading information submitted by the stockholder pursuant to Section 14 of our bylaws. Additionally, the stockholder’s notice must set forth, as to each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection to the Board of Directors (i) all information relating to such person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for election of directors in a contested election pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (including such person’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a director if elected) and (ii) a description of all direct and indirect compensation and other material monetary agreements, arrangements and understandings during the past three years, and any other material relationships, between or among such stockholder and beneficial owner, if any, and their respective affiliates and associates, or others acting in concert therewith, on the one hand, and each proposed nominee, and his or her respective affiliates and associates, or others acting in concert therewith, on the other hand, including, without limitation all information that would be required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K if the stockholder making the nomination and any beneficial owner on whose behalf the nomination is made, if any, or any affiliate or associate thereof or person acting in concert therewith, were the “registrant” for purposes of such rule and the nominee were a director or executive officer of such registrant; and include a completed and signed questionnaire, representation and agreement as more fully described in our bylaws. The corporation may require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as may reasonably be required by the corporation to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as an independent director of the corporation or that could be material to a reasonable stockholder’s understanding of the independence, or lack thereof, of such nominee.

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The above does not purport to provide in detail the requirements for a stockholder’s nomination of the director. A stockholder interested in nominating a director to our Board of Directors is encouraged to review our bylaws and the SEC’s proxy rules, as any stockholder nomination must comply with the applicable provisions of our bylaws and the SEC’s proxy rules and will be handled in accordance with our bylaws and applicable laws.

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The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee reviews the composition and size of the Board of Directors and determines the criteria for Board of Directors membership. In addition, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee reviews the qualifications, qualities, skills and other expertise of prospective candidates to

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determine whether they will make good candidates for membership on the Company’s Board of Directors. This consideration includes, at a minimum, a review of each prospective candidate’s character, judgment, experience, expertise, age, diversity, independence under applicable law and freedom from other conflicts, as well as other factors that the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee deems relevant in light of the needs of the Board of Directors and the Company and/or that are in the best interests of the Company, including relevant experience, the ability to dedicate sufficient time, energy and attention to performance of Board of Directors duties, financial expertise, experience with a company that has introduced a new, technologically advanced product or service to the marketplace and existing relationships within target industries or public policy institutions that may benefit the Company and whether the prospective candidate is a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee selected prospective candidate or a stockholder recommended prospective candidate. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee selects qualified candidates and recommends those candidates to the Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors then decides if it will invite the candidates to be nominees for election to the Board of Directors.

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The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee also considers issues of diversity, such as diversity of education, professional experience and differences in viewpoints and skills. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee does not have a formal diversity policy in terms of considering nominees for directors, but it actively considers all relevant factors, including the factors outlined above, when evaluating potential nominees to the Board of Directors. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee developed a matrix of all relevant qualifications, skills and experience possessed by the incumbent members of the Board of Directors and identified certain areas where the Board of Directors needed additional attributes including, but not limited to, diversity. These additional attributes and diversity are considered when identifying new candidates for the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee believe that it is essential that members of the Board of Directors represent diverse viewpoints.

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The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee uses the following process to identify prospective candidates for the Board of Directors and to evaluate all candidates, including candidates recommended by stockholders in accordance with the Company’s policy regarding stockholder recommendations and the director nominations process. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee: (i) reviews the composition and size of the Board of Directors and determines the criteria for Board of Directors membership; (ii) evaluates the Board of Directors for effectiveness and makes a verbal presentation of its findings to the Board of Directors; (iii) determines whether the current members of the Board of Directors who satisfy the criteria for Board of Directors membership are willing to continue in service; if the current members of the Board of Directors are willing to continue in service, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee evaluates the performance of such board members and considers those current members for re-nomination, and if the current members of the Board of Directors are not willing to continue in service or if there will be an increase in the number of directors on the Board of Directors, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers candidates who meet the criteria for Board of Directors membership; (iv) if necessary, engages a search firm to assist with the identification of potential candidates; (v) compiles a list of potential candidates; (vi) evaluates the prospective candidates, including candidates recommended by stockholders, to determine which of the prospective candidates, if any, will best represent the interests of all stockholders and determines whether any conflicts of interest exist; (vii) holds meetings to narrow the list of prospective candidates; (viii) along with the Chair of the Board of Directors and management, interviews a select group of prospective candidates; (ix) approves the candidate or candidates who are most likely to advance the best interests of the stockholders; and (x) recommends the selected candidate or candidates to the Board of Directors and the stockholders for approval. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, which may request the assistance of members of the Board of Directors who are not on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee in the execution of its duties, carefully document the selection and evaluation process.

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Stockholder Communications

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The Company has a policy whereby stockholders may communicate directly with the Company’s Board of Directors, or individual members of the Board, by writing to the Company at:

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Capstone Turbine Corporation

16640 Stagg Street

Van Nuys, CA 91406

Attention: Colby Petersen, Secretary

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and indicating prominently on the outside of any envelope that the communication is intended for: (i) the Board of Directors; (ii) the Chair of the Board of Directors; (iii) a specific committee of the Board of Directors; (iv) the non-management directors; or (v) any director or subset of directors of the Board of Directors. The Secretary of the Board of Directors reviews all correspondence and regularly forwards to the appropriate director, directors or the Board of Directors, copies of all communications that, in the opinion of the Secretary, deal with the functions of or otherwise require the attention of individual directors, the Board of Directors or committees or subsets thereof. Unless, in the opinion of the Secretary, a communication is improper or irrelevant, a communication will not be withheld from its intended recipient(s) without the approval of the Chair of the Board, the Chair of the appropriate committee or the director who presides during non-management executive sessions. Directors may, at any time, review a log of all correspondence received by the Company in accordance with the policy and request copies of any such correspondence.

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PROPOSAL 2

APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE CAPSTONE TURBINE CORPORATION 2017 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

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The Capstone Turbine Corporation 2017 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2017 Plan”) was originally adopted by our Board of Directors on June 30, 2017 and approved by the stockholders on August 31, 2017. On May 30, 2018, our Board of Directors approved Amendment No. 1 to the 2017 Plan, which was approved by the stockholders on August 30, 2018. On June 4, 2019, our Board of Directors approved Amendment No. 2 to the 2017 Plan, which was approved by the stockholders on August 29, 2019. On July 8, 2020, our Board of Directors approved, Amendment No. 3 (the “Plan Amendment”) to the 2017 Plan, subject to stockholder approval, to increase the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock authorized for issuance under the 2017 Plan by 500,000 and is submitting the Plan Amendment to the stockholders for approval at the Annual Meeting.

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The Board of Directors believes that stock-based incentive awards can play an important role in the success of the Company by encouraging and enabling the employees, officers, non-employee directors and consultants of the Company and its subsidiaries upon whose judgment, initiative and efforts the Company largely depends for the successful conduct of its business to acquire a proprietary interest in the Company. The Board of Directors believes that providing such persons with a direct stake in the Company assures a closer identification of the interests of such individuals with those of the Company and its stockholders, thereby stimulating their efforts on the Company’s behalf and strengthening their desire to remain with the Company. The Plan Amendment is designed to enhance the flexibility to grant equity awards to our officers, employees, non-employee directors and consultants at levels determined to be appropriate by the Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee to motivate, attract and retain the services of such individuals and align their financial interests with those of our stockholders. A copy of the 2017 Plan, as amended through August 29, 2019, and the Plan Amendment are attached as Appendix A to this Proxy Statement and are incorporated herein by reference.

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As of June 30, 2020, there were stock options to acquire 9,074 shares of Common Stock outstanding under our equity compensation plans, with a weighted average exercise price of $216.90 and a weighted average remaining term of 2.29 years. In addition, as of June 30, 2020, there were 258,062 unvested full value awards with time-based vesting and 52,642 unvested full value awards with performance vesting outstanding under our equity compensation plans. Other than the foregoing, no awards under our equity compensation plans were outstanding as of June 30, 2020. As of June 30, 2020, there were 402,993 shares of Common Stock available for awards under our equity compensation plans.

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Summary of the Material Features of the 2017 Plan, as amended by the Plan Amendment

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The material features of the 2017 Plan, as amended by the Plan Amendment (the “Amended 2017 Plan”), are:

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Based solely on the closing price of Common Stock as reported by NASDAQ on June 30, 2020 and the maximum number of shares that would have been available for awards as of such date assuming the Amended 2017 Plan had been in effect, the maximum aggregate market value of the Common Stock that could potentially be issued under the Plan was $2.7 million.

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Rationale for Share Increase

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The Plan Amendment is critical to our ongoing effort to build stockholder value. Equity awards are an important component of our executive and non-executive employee compensation programs. Our Board of Directors and Compensation Committee believe that we must continue to offer a competitive equity compensation program in order to attract, retain and motivate the talented and qualified employees necessary for our continued growth and success. Our Compensation Committee determined the size of the proposed increase under the Plan Amendment based on projected equity awards to anticipated new hires, projected annual equity awards to existing employees and an assessment of the magnitude of increase that our institutional investors would likely find acceptable.

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We manage our long-term stockholder dilution by limiting the number of equity incentive awards granted annually. This includes an equity-based compensation design that emphasizes a mix of time-based RSUs and performance-based restricted stock units (“PRSUs”), versus more dilutive stock options. The Compensation Committee carefully monitors our annual net burn rate, total dilution and equity expense in order to maximize stockholder value by granting only the number of equity incentive awards that it believes are necessary and appropriate to attract, reward and retain our employees. Our compensation philosophy reflects broad-based eligibility for equity incentive awards for high performing employees. By doing so, we link the interests of those employees with those of our stockholders and motivate our employees to act as owners of the business.

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Burn rate Burn rate, which is the rate at which companies use shares available for grant under their equity compensation plans, is an important factor for investors concerned about stockholder dilution. In setting and recommending to stockholders the number of additional shares to be authorized under the Plan Amendment, the Compensation Committee and the Board of Directors considered the Company’s burn rates for all grants of equity awarded by the Board of Directors for the past three fiscal years ended March 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018. The following table sets forth information regarding historical awards granted for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, and the corresponding net burn rate. The net burn rate is calculated by adding options and full value awards granted, less any options and full-value awards forfeited, cancelled, or expired, divided by the weighted average shares outstanding. Our three-year average net burn rate is 2.5%.

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As of June 30, 2020, 402,993 shares were available for future awards under the 2017 Plan, as amended through August 29, 2019. The Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee does believe that the number of shares available for issuance under the 2017 Plan is currently sufficient in light of our compensation strategy and objectives.

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However, due to historical stock price volatility, the Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee want to ensure that the number of shares available for issuance under the 2017 Plan will continue to be sufficient. Accordingly, the Board of Directors is proposing to increase the number of shares available under the 2017 Plan by 500,000, from 900,000 to 1.4 million.

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Summary of the Amended 2017 Plan

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The following description of certain features of the Amended 2017 Plan is intended to be a summary only. The summary is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the 2017 Plan, as amended through August 29, 2019, and the Plan Amendment, which are attached as Appendix A to this Proxy Statement and incorporated herein by reference.

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Administration The Amended 2017 Plan will be administered by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee has full power to select, from among the individuals eligible for awards, the individuals to whom awards will be granted, to make any combination of awards to participants, and to determine the specific terms and conditions of each award, subject to the provisions of the Amended 2017 Plan. The Compensation Committee may delegate to our Chief Executive Officer the authority to grant awards to employees who are not subject to the reporting and other provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and not subject to Section 162(m) of the Code, subject to certain limitations and guidelines.

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Eligibility; Plan Limits All full-time and part-time officers, employees, non-employee directors and consultants are eligible to participate in the Amended 2017 Plan, subject to the discretion of the administrator. As of June 30, 2020, approximately 114 individuals would have been eligible to participate in the Amended 2017 Plan, which includes three executive officers, 102 employees who are not executive officers, seven non-employee directors and two consultants. There are certain limits on the number of awards that may be granted under the Amended 2017 Plan. For example, no more than 200,000 shares of Common Stock may be granted to any one individual during any one calendar year period. The maximum performance-based award payable to any grantee in a performance cycle is 200,000 shares of Common Stock or $3.0 million for cash-based awards. In addition, no more than 1.4 million shares of Common Stock may be granted in the form of incentive stock options.

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Director Compensation Limit The Amended 2017 Plan provides that the value of all awards awarded under the Amended 2017 Plan and all other cash compensation paid by the Company to any non-employee director in any calendar year shall not exceed $300,000.

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Stock Options The Amended 2017 Plan permits the granting of (1) options to purchase Common Stock intended to qualify as incentive stock options under Section 422 of the Code and (2) options that do not so qualify. Options granted under the Amended 2017 Plan will be non-qualified options if they fail to qualify as incentive options or exceed the annual limit on incentive stock options. Incentive stock options may only be granted to employees of the Company and its subsidiaries. Non-qualified options may be granted to any persons eligible to receive incentive options and to non-employee directors and consultants. The option exercise price of each option will be determined by the Compensation Committee but may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the Common Stock on the date of grant. Fair market value for this purpose will be the last reported sale price of the shares of Common Stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market on the grant date. The exercise price of an option may not be reduced after the date of the option grant, other than to appropriately reflect changes in our capital structure.

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The term of each option will be fixed by the Compensation Committee and may not exceed ten years from the date of grant. The Compensation Committee will determine at what time or times each option may be exercised; provided, that the vesting period applicable to any option may not be less than one year except in the case of a “sale event,” as defined in the Amended 2017 Plan. Options may be made exercisable in installments and the exercisability of options may be accelerated by the Compensation Committee in circumstances involving the optionee’s death, disability, retirement or termination of employment, or a change in control (including a “sale event,” as defined in the Amended 2017 Plan). In general, unless otherwise permitted by the Compensation Committee, no option granted under the Amended 2017 Plan is transferable by the optionee other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or pursuant to a domestic relations order, and options may be exercised during the optionee’s lifetime only by the optionee, or by the optionee’s legal representative or guardian in the case of the optionee’s incapacity.

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Upon exercise of options, the option exercise price must be paid in full either in cash, by certified or bank check or other instrument acceptable to the Compensation Committee or by delivery (or attestation to the ownership) of shares of Common Stock that are beneficially owned by the optionee and that are not subject to restrictions under any Company plan. Subject to applicable law, the exercise price may also be delivered to the Company by a broker pursuant to irrevocable instructions to the broker from the optionee. In addition, non-qualified options may be exercised using a net exercise feature which reduces the number of shares issued to the optionee by the number of shares with a fair market value equal to the exercise price.

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To qualify as incentive options, options must meet additional federal tax requirements, including a $100,000 limit on the value of shares subject to incentive options that first become exercisable by a participant in any one calendar year.

Stock Appreciation Rights The Compensation Committee may award stock appreciation rights subject to such conditions and restrictions as the Compensation Committee may determine provided, that the vesting period applicable to any stock appreciation rights may not be less than one year except in the case of a “sale event,” as defined in the Amended 2017 Plan. Stock appreciation rights entitle the recipient to shares of Common Stock equal to the value of the appreciation in the stock price over the exercise price. The exercise price is the fair market value of the Common Stock on the date of grant. The term of a stock appreciation right may not exceed ten years.

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Restricted Stock The Compensation Committee may award shares of Common Stock to participants subject to such conditions and restrictions as the Compensation Committee may determine. These conditions and restrictions may include the achievement of certain performance goals and/or continued employment with us through a specified restricted period; provided, that the vesting period applicable to any restricted stock may not be less than one year except in the case of a “sale event,” as defined in the Amended 2017 Plan. During the vesting period, restricted stock awards may be credited with dividend equivalent rights (but dividend equivalents payable with respect to restricted stock awards with vesting tied to the attainment of performance criteria shall not be paid unless and until such performance conditions are attained).

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Restricted Stock Units The Compensation Committee may award RSUs to participants. RSUs are ultimately payable in the form of shares of Common Stock subject to such conditions and restrictions as the Compensation Committee may determine. These conditions and restrictions may include the achievement of certain performance goals and/or continued employment with the Company through a specified vesting period; provided, that the vesting period applicable to any RSUs may not be less than one year except in the case of a “sale event,” as defined in the Amended 2017 Plan. In the Compensation Committee’s sole discretion, it may permit a participant to make an advance election to receive a portion of his or her future cash compensation otherwise due in the form of a RSU award, subject to the participant’s compliance with the procedures established by the Compensation Committee and requirements of Section 409A of the Code. During the deferral period, the RSUs may be credited with dividend equivalent rights.

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Unrestricted Stock Awards The Compensation Committee may also grant shares of Common Stock which are free from any restrictions under the Amended 2017 Plan. Unrestricted stock may be granted to any participant in recognition of past services or other valid consideration and may be issued in lieu of cash compensation due to such participant.

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Dividend Equivalent Rights The Compensation Committee may grant dividend equivalent rights to participants, which entitle the recipient to receive credits for dividends that would be paid if the recipient had held specified shares of Common Stock. Dividend equivalent rights may be granted as a component of a RSU award or as a freestanding award. Dividend equivalent rights granted as a component of a RSU award will be settled only upon settlement or payment of, or lapse of restrictions on, such award. Dividend equivalent rights may be settled in cash, shares of Common Stock or a combination thereof, in a single installment or installments, as specified in the award.

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Cash-Based Awards The Compensation Committee may grant cash bonuses under the Amended 2017 Plan to participants. The cash bonuses may be subject to the achievement of certain performance goals.

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Change of Control Provisions In the event of a change of control, the parties to the “sale event,” as defined in the Amended 2017 Plan, may agree that such awards will be assumed or continued by the successor entity. If such

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awards are not assumed or continued by the successor entity, the Amended 2017 Plan provides that upon the effectiveness of a sale event, except as otherwise provided in the award agreement, all options and stock appreciation rights and all other awards with time-based conditions will become vested and exercisable upon the sale event. Awards with conditions and restrictions relating to the attainment of performance goals may become vested and non-forfeitable in connection with a sale event in the Compensation Committee’s discretion or to the extent specified in the relevant award agreement. In addition, the Company may make or provide for payment, in cash or in kind, to participants holding options and stock appreciation rights equal to the difference between the per share cash consideration and the exercise price of the options or stock appreciation rights. The Compensation Committee shall also have the option to make or provide for a payment, in cash or in kind, to grantees holding other awards in an amount equal to the value of the per share consideration multiplied by the number of vested shares under such awards. All awards will terminate in connection with a sale event unless they are assumed by the successor entity.

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Adjustments for Stock Dividends, Stock Splits, Etc. The Amended 2017 Plan requires the Compensation Committee to make appropriate adjustments to the number of shares of Common Stock that are subject to the Amended 2017 Plan, to certain limits in the Amended 2017 Plan, and to any outstanding awards to reflect stock dividends, stock splits, extraordinary cash dividends and similar events, including any reverse stock split that may be implemented if stockholders approve Proposal 3.

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Tax Withholding Participants in the Amended 2017 Plan are responsible for the payment of any federal, state or local taxes that the Company is required by law to withhold upon the exercise of options or stock appreciation rights or vesting of other awards. Subject to approval by the Compensation Committee, participants may elect to have the tax withholding obligations satisfied by authorizing the Company to withhold shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to exercise or vesting; provided that, to the extent necessary to avoid adverse accounting treatment, such share withholding may be limited to the minimum required tax withholding obligation. The Compensation Committee may also require awards to be subject to mandatory share withholding up to the required withholding amount.

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Amendments and Termination The Board of Directors may at any time amend or discontinue the Amended 2017 Plan and the Compensation Committee may at any time amend or cancel any outstanding award for the purpose of satisfying changes in the law or for any other lawful purpose. However, no such action may adversely affect any rights under any outstanding award without the holder’s consent. To the extent required under the rules of the NASDAQ Capital Market (“NASDAQ”), any amendments that materially change the terms of the Amended 2017 Plan will be subject to approval by our stockholders. Amendments shall also be subject to approval by our stockholders if and to the extent determined by the Compensation Committee to be required by the Code to preserve the qualified status of incentive options.

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Effective Date of Amended Plan The Plan Amendment was approved by our Board of Directors on June 4, 2019. Awards of incentive options may be granted under the Amended 2017 Plan until June 30, 2027. No other awards may be granted under the Amended 2017 Plan after August 31, 2017.

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Amended 2017 Plan Benefits

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Because the grant of awards under the Amended 2017 Plan is within the discretion of the Compensation Committee, the Company cannot determine the dollar value or number of shares of Common Stock that will in the future be received by or allocated to any participant in the Amended 2017 Plan. Accordingly, in lieu of providing information regarding benefits that will be received under the Plan, please see “Compensation of Officers and Directors” Section for information concerning the benefits that were received by each NEO and all current directors during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020.

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Tax Aspects Under the Code

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The following is a summary of the principal federal income tax consequences of certain transactions under the Amended 2017 Plan. It does not describe all federal tax consequences under the Amended 2017 Plan, nor does it describe state or local tax consequences.

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Incentive Options No taxable income is generally realized by the optionee upon the grant or exercise of an incentive option. If shares of Common Stock issued to an optionee pursuant to the exercise of an incentive option are sold or transferred after two years from the date of grant and after one year from the date of exercise, then (i) upon sale of such shares, any amount realized in excess of the option price (the amount paid for the shares) will be taxed to the optionee as a long-term capital gain, and any loss sustained will be a long-term capital loss, and (ii) the Company will not be entitled to any deduction for federal income tax purposes. The exercise of an incentive option will give rise to an item of tax preference that may result in alternative minimum tax liability for the optionee.

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If shares of Common Stock acquired upon the exercise of an incentive option are disposed of prior to the expiration of the two-year and one-year holding periods described above (a “disqualifying disposition”), generally (i) the optionee will realize ordinary income in the year of disposition in an amount equal to the excess (if any) of the fair market value of the shares of Common Stock at exercise (or, if less, the amount realized on a sale of such shares of Common Stock) over the option price thereof, and (ii) we will be entitled to deduct such amount. Special rules will apply where all or a portion of the exercise price of the incentive option is paid by tendering shares of Common Stock.

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If an incentive option is exercised at a time when it no longer qualifies for the tax treatment described above, the option is treated as a non-qualified option. Generally, an incentive option will not be eligible for the tax treatment described above if it is exercised more than three months following termination of employment (or one year in the case of termination of employment by reason of disability). In the case of termination of employment by reason of death, the three-month rule does not apply.

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Non-Qualified Options No income is realized by the optionee at the time the option is granted. Generally (i) at exercise, ordinary income is realized by the optionee in an amount equal to the difference between the option price and the fair market value of the shares of Common Stock on the date of exercise, and we receive a tax deduction for the same amount, and (ii) at disposition, appreciation or depreciation after the date of exercise is treated as either short-term or long-term capital gain or loss depending on how long the shares of Common Stock have been held. Special rules will apply where all or a portion of the exercise price of the non-qualified option is paid by tendering shares of Common Stock. Upon exercise, the optionee will also be subject to Social Security taxes on the excess of the fair market value over the exercise price of the option.

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Other Awards The Company generally will be entitled to a tax deduction in connection with an award under the Amended 2017 Plan in an amount equal to the ordinary income realized by the participant at the time the participant recognizes such income. Participants typically are subject to income tax and recognize such tax at the time that an award is exercised, vests or becomes non-forfeitable, unless the award provides for a further deferral.

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Parachute Payments The vesting of any portion of an option or other award that is accelerated due to the occurrence of a change in control (such as a sale event) may cause a portion of the payments with respect to such accelerated awards to be treated as “parachute payments” as defined in the Code. Any such parachute payments may be non-deductible to the Company, in whole or in part, and may subject the recipient to a non-deductible 20% federal excise tax on all or a portion of such payment (in addition to other taxes ordinarily payable).

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Limitation on Deductions Under Section 162(m) of the Code, the Company’s deduction for certain awards under the Amended 2017 Plan may be limited to the extent that a “covered employee” (as defined in Section 162(m) of the Code) receives compensation in excess of $1 million a year.

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SECURITIES AUTHORIZED FOR ISSUANCE UNDER EQUITY COMPENSATION PLANS

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The following table sets forth information regarding securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans as of March 31, 2020:

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Vote Required

A quorum being present, the affirmative vote of a majority of shares represented at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote is required for the approval of the Plan Amendment. For purposes of determining whether this proposal has passed, abstentions will have the effect of a vote AGAINST the proposal. Broker non-votes will have no effect on this proposal.

RECOMMENDATION

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT STOCKHOLDERS VOTE “FOR” THE APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT NO. 3 TO CAPSTONE TURBINE CORPORATION’S 2017 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN. 

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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE COMPANY

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The names and ages of all executive officers of the Company and the principal occupation and business experience for at least the last five years for each are set forth below. The age of and biographical information regarding each executive officer is based on information furnished to the Company by each executive officer and as of June 30, 2020.

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The following list identifies the name, age and position(s) of the executive officers of the Company:

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The term of each executive officer runs until his or her successor is elected and qualified, or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal. The following is a biographical summary of the experience of the executive officers of the Company who are not members of the Company’s Board of Directors:

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Darren R. Jamison. See “Proposal 1—Election of Directors to the Board of Directors—Information About Our Directors for information” pertaining to Mr. Jamison.

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Frederick S. Hencken III. Mr. Hencken was appointed to Chief Financial Officer of Capstone Turbine Corporation in January 2020, and had served as Interim Chief Financial Officer since October 2019. Mr. Hencken has served as the Company’s Chief Accounting Officer since April 2019 and served as the Company’s Controller from October 2017 through April 2019. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Hencken held various roles in Finance and Accounting with InnoVista Sensors, previously Custom Sensors and Technologies, Inc., a global company specializing in designing and manufacturing sensors, controls, and actuators from 2012 to 2017. While employed at InnoVista Sensors, Mr. Hencken’s various roles included the Director of Financial Planning and Analysis, International Controller, and Director of Finance and Administration, North America. Prior to InnoVista Sensors, Mr. Hencken served as the Manager of Financial Reporting from 2008 to 2011 and Director of Financial Reporting in 2012, for THQ Inc., an independent developer, and publisher of games and interactive entertainment software. Prior to THQ Inc., Mr. Hencken was employed by McGladrey, LLP, a provider of assurance, tax, and consulting services, from 2001 to 2008, providing attest services. Mr. Hencken holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from California State University, Long Beach and is a Certified Public Accountant (active) licensed in California.

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James D. Crouse. Mr. Crouse was appointed as the Company’s Chief Revenue Officer in December 2019. He provides strategic direction of overall business development with a heavy focus on top-line revenue growth by managing direct sales in developing National Accounts sales and Key Account relationships. Mr. Crouse served as the Company's Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing from February 2007 through November 2019, where he led the company’s sales, marketing, and distributor efforts globally. During his tenure, he has led a global distributor development effort that added 65+ distributors in 73 countries and was responsible for bringing several new clean energy and renewable energy microturbine products to the market. Mr. Crouse is a member of the board of the World Alliance for Decentralized Energy (“WADE”), a business accelerator associated with the worldwide development of high-efficiency cogeneration, onsite power and decentralized renewable energy systems that deliver substantial economic and environmental benefits. He served as the Chair of the Board of WADE. WADE’s membership includes more than 200 corporate leaders in the decentralized-energy industry and national cogeneration and decentralized energy associations worldwide. In December 2010, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke named Mr. Crouse to the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee, a national advisory committee of leading U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency companies. Mr. Crouse was reappointed in 2012 and is one of 37 members on this committee which will advise the Secretary of Commerce on the development and implementation of programs and policies to help expand the global competitiveness of the U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency industries. Mr. Crouse has testified before Congress on a number of issues. He testified on Capstone’s innovative technology and opportunities for combined heat and power in the energy efficiency sector. Prior to joining Capstone, Mr. Crouse was President of Navitas Consulting, where he specialized in assisting client companies with growing their businesses. Prior to his employment

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with Navitas Consulting, Mr. Crouse was General Manager of the Gas Engine Group for Valley Power Systems, the GE Jenbacher distributor. Additionally, Mr. Crouse served as President of JST Energy and Vice President of Crown Engineering & Construction. Mr. Crouse is a member of the California Association of Building Energy Consultants, and he is a licensed General Engineering Contractor “A” in California.

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PROPOSAL 3

NON-BINDING, ADVISORY VOTE ON THE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

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Background

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Section 14A of the Exchange Act, put in place by Section 951 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), requires the Company to seek a non-binding, advisory vote from its stockholders to approve the compensation of its NEOs (“Say-on-Pay” vote) as disclosed pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, including the compensation tables and the related narrative disclosure in this Proxy Statement. Because the required vote is advisory, the result of the vote is not binding upon the Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee. However, the Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee value the perspectives and concerns of our stockholders regarding executive compensation. The Compensation Committee has in the past and intends to continue to maintain in the future an open dialogue with stockholders to foster greater communication and transparency on our executive compensation programs.

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  We believe that executive compensation should be linked to the Company’s performance and aligned with the interests of the Company’s stockholders. In addition, executive compensation is designed to allow the Company to recruit, retain and motivate employees who play a significant role in the organization’s current and future success.

Proposal

The Company is presenting this proposal, which gives you, as a stockholder, the opportunity to express your view on the compensation of our NEOs by voting FOR or AGAINST the following resolution:

“RESOLVED, that the compensation paid to the Company’s NEOs, as disclosed pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, including the compensation tables and other narrative executive compensation disclosures contained in the Company’s 2020 Proxy Statement, is hereby APPROVED.”

Position of Board of Directors

As discussed in this proxy statement under the “Compensation of Officers and Directors” Section, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors believe that the executive compensation for the year ended March 31, 2020, is reasonable and appropriate, is justified by the performance of the Company and is the result of a carefully considered approach after taking into account feedback from our stockholders. Our executive compensation program is designed to attract, motivate and retain a highly qualified group of executives and maintain a close correlation between the rewards to the Company’s executives and the strategic success of the Company and the performance of its stock.

Effect of Vote

Because your vote is advisory, it will not be binding upon the Company, the Compensation Committee or the Board of Directors; however, we value stockholders’ opinions, and we will consider the outcome of the Say-on-Pay vote when determining future executive compensation arrangements. 

Vote Required

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A quorum being present, the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares represented at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote is required to approve this resolution. Even though this vote will neither be binding on the Company or the Board of Directors nor will it create or imply any change in the fiduciary duties of, or impose any additional fiduciary duty on, the Company or the Board of Directors, the Compensation Committee will take into account the outcome of the vote when considering future executive compensation decisions. For purposes of determining whether this proposal has passed, abstentions will have the effect of a vote AGAINST this proposal. Broker non-votes will have no effect on this proposal.  

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RECOMMENDATION

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT STOCKHOLDERS VOTE “FOR” THE RESOLUTION TO APPROVE THE COMPENSATION OF THE COMPANY’S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS.

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COMPENSATION OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

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The Company is a “smaller reporting company” under Item 10 of Regulation S-K promulgated under the Exchange Act and has elected to comply with certain of the requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies in connection with this Proxy Statement. Although the rules allow the Company to provide less detail about its executive compensation program, the Compensation Committee is committed to providing the information necessary to help stockholders understand its executive compensation-related decisions. The information below summarizes the executive compensation program and results for our NEOs for Fiscal 2020.

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Executive Summary

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Business Overview Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, during Fiscal 2020 the Company was focused primarily on executing its plan of increasing its aftermarket service business in support of becoming adjusted EBITDA positive in the quarter ending June 30, 2020. In the third quarter ending December 31, 2019, accessories, parts, aftermarket service, long-term rental, and Distributor Support System revenue was $9.5 million, up 20% from $7.9 million in the quarter ended December 31, 2018, and represented the second highest aftermarket revenue in Company history.

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However, the unprecedented and rapid decline in global economic conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic had an immediate and adverse impact on our overall revenue and adjusted EBITDA for Fiscal 2020. We experienced new product order delays, backlog pushouts in the oil and gas markets, test cancellations due to travel restrictions, supply chain shortages caused by vendor manufacturing plant shutdowns, increased logistics costs caused by flight cancellations, border shutdowns and lack of personnel to move freight, and order cancellations, among other challenges.

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Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global economic conditions and our Company, the Compensation Committee took the following actions related to Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2021 compensation:

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Stockholder Engagement The Compensation Committee values the perspectives and concerns of our stockholders regarding executive compensation and is committed to an ongoing, open dialogue with its investors to foster greater communication and transparency. During the last 12 months, the Company regularly held one-on-one meetings with stockholders and participated in 29 larger group meetings attended by both existing and potential stockholders as well as 6 professional investor conferences to hear stockholder views on a variety of topics, including the Company’s executive compensation program. Based on stockholder feedback, the Compensation Committee believes the executive compensation program implemented in Fiscal 2020 continues to align with the Company’s business strategy and future growth objectives, as well as to continue to place emphasis on compensation vehicles that increase stock ownership among our executives. Ongoing discussions with stockholders provide an opportunity for us to receive input of our stockholders regarding program design and details and to discuss the philosophy and structure of our executive compensation program, all of which help to guide us in refining the design of our compensation program and in the preparation of our executive compensation disclosure in our annual proxy statement. Based on stockholder feedback, which centered primarily on stockholders’ desire that the Company’s executive team continue to increase its ownership stake in the Company, Mr. Jamison directly purchased open market shares of the Company stock in all four of the approved trading windows between February 14, 2019 and February 12, 2020.

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Pay Mix The pay mix of our executive compensation program continues to emphasize the performance-based portions of compensation and aligns the interests of our NEOs with our stockholders. The charts below show the relative composition of target total direct compensation for our NEOs. All figures below are shown as a percentage and rounded to the nearest whole number.

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Reverse Stock Split At the annual meeting of stockholders of the Company held on August 29, 2019, the Company’s stockholders approved an amendment to our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Amendment”) to effect a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio in the range of one-for-five (1:5) to one-for-ten (1:10). Pursuant to such authority granted by the stockholders, the Board of Directors approved a one-for-ten (1:10) reverse stock split (the “Reverse Stock Split”) of the common stock and the filing of the Amendment. The certificate was filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware, effective on October 21, 2019 and the Reverse Stock Split became effective as of that date as filed with the SEC under the Securities and Exchange Act.

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Oversight of Executive Compensation and Role of the Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee is comprised entirely of independent, non-employee members of the Board of Directors. The Compensation Committee oversees the executive compensation program for our NEOs and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the compensation of our CEO. The Compensation Committee works very closely with its independent consultant and management to examine the effectiveness of the Company’s executive compensation program throughout the year. Details of the Compensation Committee’s authority and responsibilities are specified in the Compensation Committee’s charter, which may be accessed at our website, www.capstoneturbine.com, by clicking “Investors” and then “Corporate Governance.” The Compensation Committee Charter was approved by the Committee on April 20, 2018. In November 2019 the Compensation Committee reviewed its Charter and determined no changes were needed for Fiscal 2020.

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The Role of the Peer Group The Compensation Committee uses data from a peer group to inform its compensation recommendations for our CEO and the other NEOs. The Compensation Committee annually assesses the composition of this peer group. In recommending and setting compensation for Fiscal 2020, the Compensation Committee reviewed information provided by its independent compensation consultant, Pearl Meyer, regarding comparative market data, including a comprehensive analysis of total compensation and compensation components based on the peer group and published survey data appropriate to the Company’s industry and annual revenue. The Compensation Committee, with Pearl Meyer, reviewed the peer group for appropriateness based on a variety of factors including: similarities in revenue levels and size of market capitalization, similarities to the industries in which we operate and the overlapping labor market for top management talent. As a result of this review, the Compensation Committee approved the following peer group of companies, which was determined based on the similarity of the peer group companies to us in size, scope and complexity of business:

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The compensation reports provided by Pearl Meyer include detailed information regarding base salary, target cash incentive compensation, target total cash compensation, estimated value of long-term incentive compensation and target total direct compensation for individuals deemed to be comparable to our executive officers in the peer group. The Compensation Committee used this information to assess the levels of compensation that are appropriate for our executive officers, including our NEOs. The Compensation Committee performs an annual assessment of the compensation consultants' independence and determined the compensation consultant’s work for the 2020 Fiscal Year did not raise any conflicts of interest.

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Annual Risk Assessment To determine the level of risk arising from our compensation policies and practices, the Company conducted an executive compensation risk assessment during the 2020 Fiscal Year under the oversight of the Compensation Committee. Several areas of potential compensation risk were reviewed, including competitiveness of pay, the balance between fixed and variable, performance-based elements, the balanced nature of the incentive plan performance measures, the target-setting process for the measures, capped incentive payouts, program alignment with stockholder returns, stock ownership guidelines, and anti-hedging and anti-pledging policies. The Compensation Committee noted that the Company’s compensation programs overall mitigate risk and protect stockholder interests.

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2020 Summary Compensation Table

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The following table sets forth information regarding the compensation paid to or earned by the Company’s CEO and the other NEOs for services rendered to the Company and its subsidiaries for the fiscal years indicated.

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Components and Results of the Fiscal 2020 Executive Compensation Program

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The primary components of the compensation program for our NEOs are base salary, annual incentive compensation and long-term incentives. Our NEOs are also eligible for employee benefits consistent with those offered to other employees of the Company and for severance and change of control benefits.

Base Salary Base salary is intended to provide a level of assured cash compensation that is competitive in the marketplace to our executive officers. It is based on the individual’s qualifications and experience with the Company, past performance, taking into account all relevant criteria, value to the Company, the Company’s ability to pay and relevant competitive market data. For Fiscal 2020, the Compensation Committee approved the following base salary increases:

On April 1, 2019, the Compensation Committee approved a base salary increase of $25,760 for Fiscal 2020 for Mr. Jamison, and a base salary increase of $10,000 for Mr. Crouse to better align their base salaries with the market.

The Fiscal 2020 base salary adjustments for Mr. Hencken were a result of his promotions and increased responsibilities between April 2019 and January 1, 2020. On April 1, 2019, Mr. Hencken’s salary increased to $195,000 in recognition of his promotion to Chief Accounting Officer. Upon his appointment to interim Chief Financial Officer on October 1, 2019, his salary was adjusted to $225,000 to reflect his expanded role. Upon his promotion to Chief Financial Officer on January 1, 2020, his base salary was set at $270,000.

Annual Incentive Compensation, Targets and Results The AIP for Fiscal 2020 was designed to focus our NEOs on driving future growth and profitability. Specifically, this program was designed to reward our NEOs and other senior executives if the Company were to achieve pre-determined revenue and Adjusted EBITDA performance goals, subject to the Company’s standard clawback provisions. Target annual incentive opportunities are expressed as a percentage of base salary, and were established based on the NEO’s level of responsibility and his or her ability to impact overall results. The Compensation Committee also considers market data in setting target award amounts. Target award bonus percentages for Fiscal 2020 for Messrs. Jamison, Hencken and Crouse and Ms. Brooks were 100%, 15%, 45% and 45%, respectively. Mr. Hencken’s target award bonus percentage was increased from 15% to 45% on January 1, 2020, in recognition of his promotion to Chief Financial Officer. The weightings for the performance measures for Fiscal 2020 are set forth in the table below. Mr. Crouse’s AIP is weighted more towards revenue due to his responsibility for revenue growth.

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The Fiscal 2020 performance goals were structured to encourage growth:

At the end of Fiscal 2020, the Compensation Committee determined that Company did not meet the Revenue or Adjusted EBITDA goals. Given these results, no annual AIP awards were paid for Fiscal 2020.

Long-Term Incentive Targets and Awards In discharging its responsibility for administering the Company’s stock-based compensation programs, the Compensation Committee regularly monitors and evaluates the total cost of such programs, based on information provided annually by, and in consultation with Pearl Meyer, the Company’s independent compensation consultant. This information includes share utilization and annual grant levels. The Compensation Committee determines the appropriate award to each NEO by assessing equity incentive awards made to officers of comparable companies.

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Long-term incentive awards are designed to keep senior executives focused on the execution of longer-term financial and strategic growth goals that drive stockholder value creation, as well as support the Company’s leadership retention strategy. In furtherance of these goals, the Compensation Committee determined that equity-based compensation for Fiscal 2020 should be comprised of a mix of PRSUs and RSUs. At the beginning of Fiscal 2020, Messrs. Jamison, Hencken, and Crouse’s and Ms. Brooks’ target long-term incentive amounts were set at 55%, 15%, 45% and 50% of base salary, respectively. PRSUs comprise 50% of our CEO’s annual long-term incentive awards and 25% of the annual long-term incentive awards for the other NEOs. The remainder of the annual long-term incentives are in the form of RSUs, which vest in annual increments of 33.33% over three years on each anniversary of the date of grant. On January 1, 2020, in recognition of his promotion to Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Hencken received an additional grant of 20,000 RSUs, which vest in equal annual increments over three years.

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With the exception of the promotion award granted to Mr. Hencken in January 2020, the PRSUs and RSUs for Fiscal 2020 were granted on April 3, 2019. The PRSUs are earned based on the achievement of pre-determined Free Cash Flow and Aftermarket Sales Absorption goals, with achievement measured based on performance over the third year of a three-year performance period (2020-2022).

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Payouts for achieving threshold performance will be made at 50% of target. Payouts for achieving maximum performance will be made at 150% of target.

Grants of Plan-Based Awards

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Information about each grant of a plan-based award made to a NEO during the 2020 Fiscal Year is set forth in the table below.

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Outstanding Equity Awards at 2020 Fiscal Year-End

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Information about outstanding equity awards held by our NEOs as of the end of Fiscal 2020 is set forth in the table below. All shares reflected in units have been adjusted for the October 21, 2019 one-for-ten reverse stock split, if applicable. Ms. Brooks has been omitted from this table as she did not hold any outstanding equity awards as of March 31, 2020.

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Option Exercises and Stock Vested Table

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Information about the vesting of RSUs during the 2020 Fiscal Year for each of our NEOs is set forth in the table below. None of our NEOs exercised stock options in Fiscal 2020. All shares reflected in units have been adjusted for the October 21, 2019 one-for-ten reverse stock split, if applicable.