Nature of Business, Liquidity, Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation We have prepared the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included herein pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), and as permitted by those rules, the condensed consolidated financial statements do not include all disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”). However, we believe that the disclosures herein are adequate to ensure the information presented is not misleading. The consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (the latter has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements included in the our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019), and the condensed consolidated statements of operations, of comprehensive loss, of redeemable noncontrolling interest, stockholders' deficit and noncontrolling interest, and of cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, and related notes, should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, as filed with the SEC on March 31, 2020. We believe that all necessary adjustments, which consisted only of normal recurring items, have been included in the accompanying financial statements to fairly state the results of the interim periods. The results of operations for the interim periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the operating results to be expected for any subsequent interim period or for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2020.
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation These condensed consolidated financial statements reflect our accounts and operations and those of our subsidiaries in which we have a controlling financial interest. We use a qualitative approach in assessing the consolidation requirement for each of our variable interest entities ("VIE"), which we refer to as our power purchase agreement entities ("PPA Entities"). This approach focuses on determining whether we haves the power to direct those activities of the PPA Entities that most significantly affect their economic performance and whether we have the obligation to absorb losses, or the right to receive benefits, that could potentially be significant to the PPA Entities. For all periods presented, we have determined that we are the primary beneficiary in all of our operational PPA Entities, other than with respect to the PPA II and PPA IIIb Entities, as discussed in Note 13, Power Purchase Agreement Programs. We evaluate our relationships with the PPA Entities on an ongoing basis to ensure that we continue to be the primary beneficiary. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. The most significant estimates include the determination of the stand-alone selling price, including material rights estimates, inventory valuation, specifically excess and obsolescence provisions for obsolete or unsellable inventory and, in relation to property, plant and equipment (specifically Energy Servers), assumptions relating to economic useful lives and impairment assessments. Other accounting estimates include variable consideration relating to product performance guaranties, assumptions to compute the fair value of lease and non-lease components and related financing obligations such as incremental borrowing rates, estimated output, efficiency and residual value of the Energy Servers, warranty, product performance guaranties and extended maintenance, derivative valuations, estimates for recapture of U.S. Treasury grants and similar grants, estimates relating to contractual indemnities provisions, estimates for income taxes and deferred tax asset valuation allowances, and stock-based compensation costs. The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will directly or indirectly impact our business, results of operations and financial condition, including sales, expenses, our allowance for doubtful accounts, stock-based compensation, the carrying value of our long-lived assets, inventory, financial assets, and valuation allowances for tax assets, will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain, including as a result of new information that may emerge concerning COVID-19 and the actions taken to contain it or treat it, as well as the economic impact on local, regional, national and international customers, suppliers and markets. We have made estimates of the impact of COVID-19 within our financial statements and there may be changes to those estimates in future periods as new information becomes available. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements Other than the adoption of the accounting guidance mentioned below, there have been no other significant changes in our reported financial position or results of operations and cash flows resulting from the adoption of new accounting pronouncements. Accounting Guidance Implemented in 2020 Fair Value Measurement - In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement ("ASU 2018-13"). ASU 2018-13 has eliminated, amended and added disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. Entities will no longer be required to disclose the amount of, and reasons for, transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, the policy of timing of transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy and the valuation processes for Level 3 fair value measurements. Companies will be required to disclose the range and weighted average used to develop significant unobservable inputs for Level 3 fair value measurements. ASU 2018-13 is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. We adopted ASU 2018-13 as of January 1, 2020 and the adoption did not have a material effect on our financial statements and related disclosures. See Note 5, Fair Value. Stock Compensation - In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Compensation - Stock Compensation: Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting ("ASU 2018-07") which aligns the accounting for share-based payment awards issued to employees and nonemployees. Measurement of equity-classified nonemployee awards will now be valued on the grant date and will no longer be remeasured through the performance completion date. ASU 2018-07 also changes the accounting for nonemployee awards with performance conditions to recognize compensation cost when achievement of the performance condition is probable, rather than upon achievement of the performance condition, as well as eliminating the requirement to reassess the equity or liability classification for nonemployee awards upon vesting, except for certain award types. ASU 2018-07 is effective for us for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. We adopted ASU 2018-07 using a modified retrospective approach in January 2020 and the adoption of ASU 2018-07 did not have a material effect on our financial statements and related disclosures. Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted Leases - In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), as amended (“ASC 842”), which provides new authoritative guidance on lease accounting. Among its provisions, the standard changes the definition of a lease, requires lessees to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet for operating leases and also requires additional qualitative and quantitative disclosures about lease arrangements. All leases in scope will be classified as either operating or financing. Operating and financing leases will require the recognition of an asset and liability to be measured at the present value of the lease payments. ASC 842 also makes a distinction between operating and financing leases for purposes of reporting expenses on the income statement. We are the lessee under various agreements for facilities and equipment that are currently accounted for as operating leases and expect to continue to enter into new such leases. Additionally, we expect to continue to enter into Managed Services related financing leases in the future and are the lessor of Energy Servers that are subject to power purchase arrangements with customers under our PPA and Managed Services programs that are currently accounted for as leases. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this update on our financial statements. We expect that the most significant impacts will be assessing whether new power purchase arrangements with customers meet the new definition of a lease and recognizing right of use assets and lease liabilities for arrangements currently accounted for as operating leases where we are the lessee. We expect to adopt this guidance on a prospective basis on January 1, 2021. Financial Instruments - In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments- Credit Losses (Topic 326). The pronouncement was issued to provide more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments and changes the loss impairment methodology. This pronouncement will be effective for us commencing January 1, 2021. A prospective transition approach is required for debt securities for which an 'other than temporary' impairment had been recognized before the effective date. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this update on our financial statements. Income taxes - In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes (Topic 740) ("ASU 2019-12"), wherein the accounting for income taxes is simplified by eliminating certain exceptions and implementing additional requirements which result in a more consistent application of ASC 740 Income Taxes. ASU 2019-12 is effective as for public business entities, for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. We are evaluating the effect on our financial statements and related disclosures. We expect to adopt this guidance on a prospective basis on January 1, 2022. Cessation of LIBOR - In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848) Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting ("ASU 2020-04") which provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying GAAP to contract modifications and hedging relationships, subject to meeting certain criteria, that reference London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or another reference rate expected to be discontinued. The amendments in ASU 2020-04 are effective for all entities as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. An entity may elect to apply the amendments for contract modifications as of any date from the beginning of an interim period that includes or is subsequent to March 12, 2020, or prospectively from a date within an interim period that includes or is subsequent to March 12, 2020, up to the date that the financial statements are available to be issued. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this update on our financial statements. We do not expect any other new accounting standards to have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows when they become effective.