Restatement of Previously Issues Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements - Consolidates Balance Sheet (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2020		Dec. 31, 2019		Sep. 30, 2019
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 325,241	[1]	$ 202,823	[1]	$ 226,499
Restricted cash, current	47,212	[1]	30,804	[1]	14,486
Accounts receivable	50,481	[1]	37,828	[1]	26,353
Inventories	131,911		109,606		132,607
Deferred cost of revenue	59,627		58,470		41,042
Customer financing receivable	5,341	[1]	5,108	[1]	5,919
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	30,240	[1]	28,068	[1]	28,642
Current assets	650,053		472,707		475,548
Property, plant and equipment, net	601,929	[1]	607,059	[1]	627,385
Customer financing receivable, non-current	46,725	[1]	50,747	[1]	62,615
Restricted cash, non-current	131,916	[1]	143,761	[1]	116,890
Deferred cost of revenue, non-current	3,104		6,665		3,724
Other long-term assets	40,632	[1]	41,652	[1]	70,951
Total assets	1,474,359		1,322,591		1,357,113
Accounts payable	64,282	[1]	55,579	[1]	81,060
Accrued warranty	9,807		10,333		12,862
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	77,882	[1]	70,284	[1]	79,616
Financing obligations	12,342		10,993		10,420
Deferred revenue and customer deposits	95,546	[1]	89,192	[1]	77,551
Current portion of recourse debt	115,657		304,627		15,678
Current portion of non-recourse debt	14,000	[1]	8,273	[1]	7,983
Current portion of non-recourse debt from related parties	0	[1]	3,882	[1]	3,500
Total current liabilities	389,516		573,964		288,670
Derivative liabilities	19,542	[1]	17,551	[1]	20,284
Deferred revenue and customer deposits, net of current portion	103,517	[1]	125,529	[1]	122,276
Financing obligations, non-current	451,796		446,165		397,272
Long-term portion of recourse debt	227,481		75,962		359,959
Long-term portion of non-recourse debt	213,209	[1]	192,180	[1]	217,334
Long-term portion of recourse debt from related parties					27,734
Long-term portion of non-recourse debt from related parties	0	[1]	31,087	[1]	31,781
Other long-term liabilities	26,618	[1]	28,013	[1]	28,852
Total liabilities	1,431,679		1,490,451		1,494,162
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	189		443		557
Preferred stock					0
Common stock	15		12		12
Additional paid-in capital	3,054,376		2,686,759		2,647,874
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(9)		19		(147)
Accumulated deficit	(3,076,800)		(2,946,384)		(2,880,551)
Total stockholders’ deficit	(22,418)		(259,594)		(232,812)
Noncontrolling interest	64,909		91,291		95,206
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interest, stockholders' deficit and noncontrolling interest	$ 1,474,359		$ 1,322,591		$ 1,357,113
6% Notes | Convertible promissory notes | Affiliated entity
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Interest rate percentage					6.00%
Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents					$ 0
Restricted cash, current					0
Accounts receivable					(4,600)
Inventories					0
Deferred cost of revenue					0
Customer financing receivable					0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets					173
Current assets					(4,427)
Property, plant and equipment, net					0
Customer financing receivable, non-current					0
Restricted cash, non-current					0
Deferred cost of revenue, non-current					0
Other long-term assets					3,232
Total assets					(1,195)
Accounts payable					0
Accrued warranty					(1,274)
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities					0
Financing obligations					0
Deferred revenue and customer deposits					3,347
Current portion of recourse debt					0
Current portion of non-recourse debt					0
Current portion of non-recourse debt from related parties					0
Total current liabilities					2,073
Derivative liabilities					0
Deferred revenue and customer deposits, net of current portion					34,954
Financing obligations, non-current					0
Long-term portion of recourse debt					0
Long-term portion of non-recourse debt					0
Long-term portion of recourse debt from related parties					0
Long-term portion of non-recourse debt from related parties					0
Other long-term liabilities					(1)
Total liabilities					37,026
Redeemable noncontrolling interest					0
Preferred stock					0
Common stock					0
Additional paid-in capital					0
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)					0
Accumulated deficit					(38,221)
Total stockholders’ deficit					(38,221)
Noncontrolling interest					0
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interest, stockholders' deficit and noncontrolling interest					(1,195)
As Previously Reported
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents					226,499
Restricted cash, current					14,486
Accounts receivable					26,737
Inventories					140,372
Deferred cost of revenue					50,707
Customer financing receivable					5,919
Prepaid expenses and other current assets					25,639
Current assets					490,359
Property, plant and equipment, net					384,377
Customer financing receivable, non-current					62,615
Restricted cash, non-current					116,890
Deferred cost of revenue, non-current					57,286
Other long-term assets					58,400
Total assets					1,169,927
Accounts payable					81,060
Accrued warranty					15,295
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities					82,150
Financing obligations					0
Deferred revenue and customer deposits					88,060
Current portion of recourse debt					15,678
Current portion of non-recourse debt					7,983
Current portion of non-recourse debt from related parties					3,500
Total current liabilities					293,726
Derivative liabilities					14,648
Deferred revenue and customer deposits, net of current portion					179,712
Financing obligations, non-current					0
Long-term portion of recourse debt					359,959
Long-term portion of non-recourse debt					217,334
Long-term portion of recourse debt from related parties					27,734
Long-term portion of non-recourse debt from related parties					31,781
Other long-term liabilities					56,117
Total liabilities					1,181,011
Redeemable noncontrolling interest					557
Preferred stock					0
Common stock					12
Additional paid-in capital					2,647,118
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)					(147)
Accumulated deficit					(2,753,830)
Total stockholders’ deficit					(106,847)
Noncontrolling interest					95,206
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interest, stockholders' deficit and noncontrolling interest					1,169,927
Restatement Impacts
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents					0
Restricted cash, current					0
Accounts receivable					4,216
Inventories					(7,765)
Deferred cost of revenue					(9,665)
Customer financing receivable					0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets					2,830
Current assets					(10,384)
Property, plant and equipment, net					243,008
Customer financing receivable, non-current					0
Restricted cash, non-current					0
Deferred cost of revenue, non-current					(53,562)
Other long-term assets					9,319
Total assets					188,381
Accounts payable					0
Accrued warranty					(1,159)
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities					(2,534)
Financing obligations					10,420
Deferred revenue and customer deposits					(13,856)
Current portion of recourse debt					0
Current portion of non-recourse debt					0
Current portion of non-recourse debt from related parties					0
Total current liabilities					(7,129)
Derivative liabilities					5,636
Deferred revenue and customer deposits, net of current portion					(92,390)
Financing obligations, non-current					397,272
Long-term portion of recourse debt					0
Long-term portion of non-recourse debt					0
Long-term portion of recourse debt from related parties					0
Long-term portion of non-recourse debt from related parties					0
Other long-term liabilities					(27,264)
Total liabilities					276,125
Redeemable noncontrolling interest					0
Preferred stock					0
Common stock					0
Additional paid-in capital					756
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)					0
Accumulated deficit					(88,500)
Total stockholders’ deficit					(87,744)
Noncontrolling interest					0
Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interest, stockholders' deficit and noncontrolling interest					188,381
Restatement Impacts | Reclassification Of Lease Arrangements
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Deferred cost of revenue					(7,400)
Deferred cost of revenue, non-current					(53,600)
Restatement Impacts | Capitalized Stock-Based Compensation
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Inventories					3,700
Deferred cost of revenue					800
Property, plant and equipment, net					3,700
Restatement Impacts | Immaterial Misstatements
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Deferred cost of revenue					(3,100)
Restatement Impacts | Transfer Of Ownership
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Property, plant and equipment, net					239,300
Restatement Impacts | Change In Policy
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Accrued warranty					100
Restatement Impacts | Grid Pricing Escalation
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Accrued warranty					1,100
Restatement Impacts | Valuation Adjustment
Error Corrections and Prior Period Adjustments Restatement [Line Items]
Additional paid-in capital					$ (800)

[1] We have variable interest entities, which represent a portion of the consolidated balances recorded within these financial statement line items in the condensed consolidated balance sheets (see Note 13, Power Purchase Agreement Programs).