The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 29, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation The 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.
Reclassifications	Reclassifications Certain prior period balances, including prior period segment information, have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation in the Company's consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. Such reclassifications had no effect on previously reported results of operations or accumulated deficit.
Fiscal Years	Fiscal Years The Company has a 52-to-53-week fiscal year that ends on the Sunday closest to December 31. Accordingly, every fifth or sixth year will be a 53-week fiscal year. The current fiscal year, fiscal 2015, consists of 53 weeks, including a 14-week fourth fiscal quarter, while fiscal year 2014 consists of 52 weeks. The first quarter of fiscal 2015 ended on March 29, 2015, while the first quarter of fiscal 2014 ended on March 30, 2014. The first quarter of fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2014 were both 13-week quarters.
Management Estimates	Management Estimates The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant estimates in these consolidated financial statements include percentage-of-completion for construction projects; allowances for doubtful accounts receivable and sales returns; inventory and project asset 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; the fair value and residual value of leased solar power systems; fair value of financial instruments; valuation of contingencies and certain accrued liabilities such as accrued warranty; and income taxes and tax valuation allowances. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued an update to the standards to provide a practical expedient for the measurement date of defined benefit obligation and plan assets for reporting entities with fiscal year-ends that do not coincide with a month-end. The updated standard allows such entities to measure defined benefit plan assets and obligations using the month-end that is closest to the entity's fiscal year-end and apply that practical expedient consistently from year to year and to all plans, if an entity has more than one plan. The new practical expedient guidance is effective for the Company no later than the first quarter of fiscal 2016 and requires a prospective approach to adoption. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the potential impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures. In April 2015, the FASB issued an update to the standards for the presentation of debt issuance costs to reduce complexity in accounting standards and to align with IFRS. The updated standard requires debt issuance costs to be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying value of the associated debt liability. U.S. generally accepted accounting principles previously required debt issuance costs to be reflected as an asset on the Company's balance sheet. The new debt issuance cost guidance is effective for the Company no later than the first quarter of fiscal 2016 and requires a retrospective approach to adoption. The Company has elected early adoption of the updated accounting standard, effective in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, resulting in the reclassification of $11.6M of debt issuance costs from "Other long-term assets" to "Long-term debt" and "Convertible debt, net of current portion" in the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 28, 2014. In February 2015, the FASB issued a new standard that modifies existing consolidation guidance for reporting organizations that are required to evaluate whether they should consolidate certain legal entities. The new consolidation guidance is effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 and requires either a retrospective or a modified retrospective approach to adoption. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the available methods and the potential impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures. In May 2014, the FASB issued a new revenue recognition standard based on the principle that revenue is recognized to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods and services. The new revenue recognition standard becomes effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2017 and is to be applied retrospectively using one of two prescribed methods. The Company is evaluating the application method and impact on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures. Other than as described above, there has been no issued accounting guidance not yet adopted by the Company that it believes is material or potentially material to its consolidated financial statements.

Disclosure of accounting policy regarding (1) the principles it follows in consolidating or combining the separate financial statements, including the principles followed in determining the inclusion or exclusion of subsidiaries or other entities in the consolidated or combined financial statements and (2) its treatment of interests (for example, common stock, a partnership interest or other means of exerting influence) in other entities, for example consolidation or use of the equity or cost methods of accounting. The accounting policy may also address the accounting treatment for intercompany accounts and transactions, noncontrolling interest, and the income statement treatment in consolidation for issuances of stock by a subsidiary.

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- Definition

Disclosure of accounting policy for determining an entity's fiscal year or other fiscal period. This disclosure may include identification of the fiscal period end-date, the length of the fiscal period, any reporting period lag between the entity and its subsidiaries, or equity investees. If a reporting lag exists, the closing date of the entity having a different period end is generally noted, along with an explanation of the necessity for using different closing dates. Any intervening events that materially affect the entity's financial position or results of operations are generally also disclosed.

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