The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Apr. 01, 2012

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Principles of Consolidation [Policy Text Block]

Principles of Consolidation

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("United States" or "U.S.") and include the accounts of the Company, all of its subsidiaries and special purpose entities, as appropriate under consolidation accounting guidelines. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. The assets of the special purpose entities that the Company sets up related to project financing for customers are not designed to be available to service the general liabilities and obligations of the Company in certain circumstances.

Comparability of Prior Year Financial Data, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Reclassifications

Certain prior period balances have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. Such reclassifications had no effect on previously reported results of operations or accumulated deficit.

Fiscal Years [Policy Text Block]

Fiscal Years

The Company reports on a fiscal-year basis and ends its quarters on the Sunday closest to the end of the applicable calendar quarter, except in a 53-week fiscal year, in which case the additional week falls into the fourth quarter of that fiscal year. Both fiscal 2012 and 2011 consist of 52 weeks. The first quarter of fiscal 2012 ended on April 1, 2012, while the first quarter in fiscal 2011 ended on April 3, 2011.

Management Estimates [Policy Text Block]

Management Estimates

The preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("U.S. GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant estimates in these condensed consolidated financial statements include percentage-of-completion for construction projects, allowances for doubtful accounts receivable and sales returns, inventory and project assets write-downs, stock-based compensation, estimates for future cash flows and economic useful lives of property, plant and equipment, goodwill, valuations for business combinations, other intangible assets and other long-term assets, asset impairments, fair value of financial instruments, certain accrued liabilities including accrued warranty, restructuring and termination of supply contracts reserves, valuation of debt without the conversion feature, valuation of share lending arrangements, income taxes, and tax valuation allowances. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]

The Company's investments in money market funds, classified as available-for-sale, are carried at fair value. Debt securities that are classified as held-to-maturity are carried at amortized costs. Fair values are determined based on a hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques by assigning the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities ("Level 1") and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs ("Level 3"). Level 2 measurements are inputs that are observable for assets or liabilities, either directly or indirectly, other than quoted prices included within Level 1.

Combination of Entities under Common Control, Policy [Policy Text Block]

As Tenesol and the Company were under the common control of Total as of the January 30, 2012 acquisition date, the acquisition is treated as a transfer of an entity under common control and represents a change in the reporting entity. As a result, the Company has retrospectively adjusted its historical financial statements to reflect the transfer beginning on October 10, 2011, the first date in which Total had common control of both the Company and Tenesol, and to include the results of operations in the Company's Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations since October 10, 2011. The Company recorded the transfer of Tenesol's assets and liabilities at their historical carrying value in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and the net assets transferred were recorded as an equity contribution from Total to the Company as of October 10, 2011. The subsequent cash payment on January 31, 2012 as described above was treated as a cash distribution to Total. In addition, a transaction between Total and Tenesol on January 23, 2012 resulted in an additional equity contribution from Total to the Company in the fiscal quarter ending January 1, 2012, and an additional cash distribution to Total totaling $12.9 million in the fiscal quarter ending April 1, 2012.