Document and Entity Information (USD $)	6 Months Ended
	Jul. 01, 2012	Aug. 03, 2012	Jul. 03, 2011
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jul. 01, 2012
Entity Registrant Name	SUNPOWER CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000867773
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-30
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Public Float			$ 710,281,715
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		118,881,154