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Employee Benefit Plans (Details 4) (USD $)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Non-Employee Director Compensation      
Compensation cost $ 4,200,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense $ 2,200,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense $ 2,000,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense
Non Employee Director Member      
Non-Employee Director Compensation      
Granted (in shares) 71,311us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsGrantsInPeriod
/ us-gaap_TitleOfIndividualAxis
= plug_NonEmployeeDirectorMember
   
Compensation cost 331,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense
/ us-gaap_TitleOfIndividualAxis
= plug_NonEmployeeDirectorMember
   
401(k) Savings & Retirement Plan      
401(K) Savings & Retirement Plan      
Percent of salary employee is permitted to contribute 100.00%us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanMaximumAnnualContributionsPerEmployeePercent
/ us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanNameAxis
= plug_SavingsAndRetirementPlan401KMember
   
Vesting period 3 years    
Common stock, shares issued 74,863us-gaap_StockIssuedDuringPeriodSharesEmployeeBenefitPlan
/ us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanNameAxis
= plug_SavingsAndRetirementPlan401KMember
1,319,914us-gaap_StockIssuedDuringPeriodSharesEmployeeBenefitPlan
/ us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanNameAxis
= plug_SavingsAndRetirementPlan401KMember
403,579us-gaap_StockIssuedDuringPeriodSharesEmployeeBenefitPlan
/ us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanNameAxis
= plug_SavingsAndRetirementPlan401KMember
Total expense (including issuance of shares) $ 367,000us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanCostRecognized
/ us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanNameAxis
= plug_SavingsAndRetirementPlan401KMember
$ 371,000us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanCostRecognized
/ us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanNameAxis
= plug_SavingsAndRetirementPlan401KMember
$ 436,000us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanCostRecognized
/ us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanNameAxis
= plug_SavingsAndRetirementPlan401KMember