Fair Value (Nonrecurring Measurements) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended				3 Months Ended				3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended						3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013 Itabo (San Lorenzo) [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 East Bend DPL [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Ebute [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Ebute [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Ebute [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 UK Wind (Newfield) [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 DPLER [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Buffalo Gap [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Poland Wind Projects [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Itabo (San Lorenzo) [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] East Bend DPL [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Ebute [Member]		Jun. 30, 2014 Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Ebute [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] UK Wind (Newfield) [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Beaver Valley [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Long Lived Assets Held For Sale [Member] Wind turbines [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Discontinued operations and held for sale businesses [Member] Cameroon [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Discontinued operations and held for sale businesses [Member] Cameroon [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Discontinued operations and held for sale businesses [Member] Saurashtra [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Discontinued operations and held for sale businesses [Member] Ukraine utilities [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Equity Method Investee [Member] Silver Ridge Power [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Equity Method Investee [Member] Elsta [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Equity Method Investee [Member] Entek [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Goodwill [Member] Ebute [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Goodwill [Member] DPLER [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Goodwill [Member] Buffalo Gap [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Fair Value [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Poland Wind Projects [Member] Level 3 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Fair Value [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Itabo (San Lorenzo) [Member] Level 3 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Fair Value [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] East Bend DPL [Member] Level 2 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Fair Value [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Ebute [Member] Level 2 [Member]		Jun. 30, 2014 Fair Value [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Ebute [Member] Level 2 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Fair Value [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Ebute [Member] Level 3 [Member]		Jun. 30, 2014 Fair Value [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Ebute [Member] Level 3 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Fair Value [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Beaver Valley [Member] Level 1 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Fair Value [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Beaver Valley [Member] Level 2 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Fair Value [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Beaver Valley [Member] Level 3 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Fair Value [Member] Long Lived Assets Held For Sale [Member] Wind turbines [Member] Level 3 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Fair Value [Member] Long Lived Assets Held For Sale [Member] Ukraine utilities [Member] Level 3 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Fair Value [Member] Discontinued operations and held for sale businesses [Member] Cameroon [Member] Level 2 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Fair Value [Member] Discontinued operations and held for sale businesses [Member] Cameroon [Member] Level 2 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Fair Value [Member] Discontinued operations and held for sale businesses [Member] Saurashtra [Member] Level 2 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Fair Value [Member] Discontinued operations and held for sale businesses [Member] Ukraine utilities [Member] Level 2 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Fair Value [Member] Equity Method Investee [Member] Silver Ridge Power [Member] Level 3 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Fair Value [Member] Equity Method Investee [Member] Elsta [Member] Level 3 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Fair Value [Member] Equity Method Investee [Member] Entek [Member] Level 2 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Fair Value [Member] Goodwill [Member] Buffalo Gap [Member] Level 3 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Carrying Amount [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Poland Wind Projects [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Carrying Amount [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Itabo (San Lorenzo) [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Carrying Amount [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] East Bend DPL [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Carrying Amount [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Ebute [Member]		Jun. 30, 2014 Carrying Amount [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Ebute [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Carrying Amount [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] UK Wind (Newfield) [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Carrying Amount [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Beaver Valley [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Carrying Amount [Member] Long Lived Assets Held For Sale [Member] Wind turbines [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Carrying Amount [Member] Long Lived Assets Held For Sale [Member] Wind turbines [Member] Level 2 [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Carrying Amount [Member] Discontinued operations and held for sale businesses [Member] Cameroon [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Carrying Amount [Member] Discontinued operations and held for sale businesses [Member] Cameroon [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Carrying Amount [Member] Discontinued operations and held for sale businesses [Member] Saurashtra [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Carrying Amount [Member] Discontinued operations and held for sale businesses [Member] Ukraine utilities [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Carrying Amount [Member] Equity Method Investee [Member] Silver Ridge Power [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Carrying Amount [Member] Equity Method Investee [Member] Elsta [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Carrying Amount [Member] Equity Method Investee [Member] Entek [Member]		Sep. 30, 2013 Carrying Amount [Member] Goodwill [Member] Ebute [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Carrying Amount [Member] Goodwill [Member] DPLER [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Carrying Amount [Member] Goodwill [Member] Buffalo Gap [Member]		Jun. 30, 2014 Discounted Cash Flow [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Ebute [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Discounted Cash Flow [Member] Minimum [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Ebute [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Discounted Cash Flow [Member] Minimum [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Ebute [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Discounted Cash Flow [Member] Minimum [Member] Equity Method Investee [Member] Silver Ridge Power [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Discounted Cash Flow [Member] Maximum [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Ebute [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Discounted Cash Flow [Member] Maximum [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Ebute [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Discounted Cash Flow [Member] Maximum [Member] Equity Method Investee [Member] Silver Ridge Power [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Discounted Cash Flow [Member] Weighted Average [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Ebute [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Discounted Cash Flow [Member] Weighted Average [Member] Long Lived Assets Held And Used [Member] Ebute [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Discounted Cash Flow [Member] Weighted Average [Member] Equity Method Investee [Member] Silver Ridge Power [Member]
Fair Value Assets And Liabilities Measured On Nonrecurring Basis [Abstract]
Fair Value, Nonrecurring					$ 7,000,000	$ 2,000,000		$ 36,000,000	$ 47,000,000	$ 0																																							$ 14,000,000	[1]	$ 7,000,000	[1]	$ 2,000,000	[1]	$ 0	[1]	$ 0	[1]	$ 36,000,000	[1]	$ 47,000,000	[1]	$ 0	[1]	$ 0	[1]	$ 15,000,000	[1]	$ 0	[1]	$ 0	[2]	$ 340,000,000	[2]	$ 199,000,000	[2]	$ 7,000,000	[2]	$ 113,000,000	[2]	$ 273,000,000	[3],[4]	$ 118,000,000	[3]	$ 125,000,000	[3]	$ 10,000,000	[5]	$ 79,000,000	[1]	$ 22,000,000	[1]	$ 14,000,000	[1]	$ 51,000,000	[1]	$ 99,000,000	[1]	$ 11,000,000	[1]	$ 61,000,000	[1]	$ 25,000,000	[1]	$ 25,000,000	[1]	$ 378,000,000	[2]	$ 264,000,000	[2]	$ 19,000,000	[2]	$ 147,000,000	[2]	$ 315,000,000	[3]	$ 240,000,000	[3]	$ 143,000,000	[3]	$ 58,000,000	[5]	$ 136,000,000	[5]	$ 28,000,000	[5]
Total other non-operating expense	16,000,000	122,000,000	60,000,000	122,000,000																																	42,000,000	[3]	122,000,000	[3]	18,000,000	[3]
Impairment expenses			304,000,000	309,000,000									65,000,000	[1]	15,000,000	[1]	12,000,000	[1]	15,000,000	[1]	52,000,000	[1]	11,000,000	[1]	46,000,000	[1]	0	[1]	38,000,000	[2]	65,000,000	[2]
Goodwill impairment expense	$ 0	$ 58,000,000	$ 154,000,000	$ 58,000,000			$ 58,000,000				$ 136,000,000	$ 18,000,000																					$ 12,000,000	[2]	$ 34,000,000	[2]							$ 58,000,000	[5]	$ 136,000,000	[5]	$ 18,000,000	[5]
Annual Revenue Growth Input																																																																																																																																0.00%	0.00%	(57.00%)	1.00%	1.00%	1.00%	1.00%	1.00%	(4.00%)
Pretax Operating Margin Input																																																																																																																																0.00%	0.00%	(115.00%)	56.00%	47.00%	50.00%	25.00%	24.00%	6.00%
Fair Value Inputs, Cost of Equity																																																																																																																																		13.00%			16.00%			14.00%
Weighted Average Cost Of Capital Input																																																																																																																															10.30%

[1] See Note 15 — Asset Impairment Expense for further information.

[2] See Note 18 — Discontinued Operations and Held-For-Sale Businesses for further information.

[3] See Note 16 — Other Non-Operating Expense and Note 7 — Investments in and Advances to Affiliates for further information.

[4] The fair value for Silver Ridge Power was determined using a combination of the bid price (a level 2 input) obtained for the sale of AES’ interest in solar photovoltaic projects in operation and under development in Bulgaria, France, Greece, India and the United States, and a discounted cash flow model for the solar photovoltaic projects that were retained in Italy, Puerto Rico and Spain.

[5] See Note 14 — Goodwill Impairment for further information.