Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	May. 10, 2016
Document and Entity Information:
Entity Registrant Name	PLUG POWER INC
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2016
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Central Index Key	0001093691
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		180,265,759
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1