Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions		Total	Common Stock [Member]		Treasury Stock		Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]		Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit)		AOCI Attributable to Parent [Member]		Noncontrolling Interest [Member]
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2014			$ 8.0		$ (1,371.0)		$ 8,409.0		$ 512.0		$ (3,286.0)		$ 3,053.0
Beginning Balance (Shares) at Dec. 31, 2014			814.5		110.7
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income (loss)		$ 762.0	$ 0.0		$ 0.0		0.0		306.0		0.0		456.0
Total foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income tax		(1,019.0)	0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		(674.0)		(345.0)
Total change in derivative fair value, net of income tax		9.0	0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		43.0		(34.0)
Total pension adjustments, net of income tax		77.0	0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		21.0		56.0
OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)		(933.0)									(610.0)		(323.0)
Disposition of businesses			0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		(41.0)
Distributions to noncontrolling interests			0.0		0.0		(27.0)		0.0		0.0		383.0
Contributions from noncontrolling interests			0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		126.0
Dividends declared on common stock			$ 0.0		$ 0.0		0.0		(280.0)		0.0		0.0
Purchase of treasury stock (shares)			0.0		39.7
Purchase of treasury stock			$ 0.0		$ (482.0)		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0
Issuance and exercise of stock-based compensation benefit plans (Shares)			1.3		(1.4)
Issuance and exercise of stock-based compensation benefit plans, net of income tax			$ 0.0		$ 16.0		13.0		0.0		0.0		0.0
Sale of subsidiary shares to noncontrolling interests			0.0		0.0		323.0		(377.0)		0.0		119.0
Acquisition of subsidiary shares from noncontrolling interests							0.0
Acquisition of a business	[1]		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		15.0
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2015			$ 8.0		$ (1,837.0)		8,718.0		143.0		(3,883.0)		3,022.0
Ending Balance (Shares) at Dec. 31, 2015			815.8		149.0
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Cumulative Effect of New Accounting Principle in Period of Adoption			$ 0.0		$ 0.0		0.0		(18.0)		13.0		0.0
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		364.0
Net income (loss)		(777.0)	0.0		0.0		0.0		(1,130.0)		0.0		353.0
Total foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income tax		1,181.0	0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		1,109.0		72.0
Total change in derivative fair value, net of income tax		42.0	0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		30.0		12.0
Total pension adjustments, net of income tax		(187.0)	0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		(12.0)		(175.0)
OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)		1,036.0									1,127.0		(91.0)
Disposition of businesses			0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		(2.0)
Distributions to noncontrolling interests			0.0		0.0		10.0		0.0		0.0		430.0
Contributions from noncontrolling interests			0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		60.0
Dividends declared on common stock			0.0		$ 0.0		(226.0)		(71.0)		0.0		0.0
Purchase of treasury stock (shares)					8.7
Purchase of treasury stock			$ 0.0		$ (79.0)		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0
Issuance and exercise of stock-based compensation benefit plans (Shares)			0.3		(0.8)
Issuance and exercise of stock-based compensation benefit plans, net of income tax			$ 0.0		$ 12.0		11.0		0.0		0.0		0.0
Sale of subsidiary shares to noncontrolling interests			0.0		0.0		84.0		(84.0)		0.0		17.0
Acquisition of subsidiary shares from noncontrolling interests		(2.0)	0.0		0.0		(2.0)		0.0		0.0		(17.0)
Fair value adjustment (2)	[2]		0.0		0.0		17.0		(4.0)		0.0		(17.0)
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2016		5,700.0	$ 8.0		$ (1,904.0)		8,592.0		(1,146.0)		(2,756.0)		2,906.0
Ending Balance (Shares) at Dec. 31, 2016			816.1		156.9
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Temporary Equity, Net Income		(11.0)	$ 0.0	[1]	$ 0.0	[1]	0.0	[1]	0.0	[1]	0.0	[1]	11.0	[1]
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		398.0
Net income (loss)		(777.0)	0.0		0.0		0.0		(1,161.0)		0.0		384.0
Total foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income tax		634.0	0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		661.0		(27.0)
Total change in derivative fair value, net of income tax		38.0	0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		23.0		15.0
Total pension adjustments, net of income tax		247.0	0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		229.0		18.0
OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)		$ 919.0									913.0		6.0
Disposition of businesses			0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		(666.0)
Distributions to noncontrolling interests			0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		426.0
Contributions from noncontrolling interests			0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		0.0		11.0
Dividends declared on common stock			$ 0.0		$ 0.0		(324.0)		0.0		0.0		0.0
Purchase of treasury stock (shares)		0.0
Issuance and exercise of stock-based compensation benefit plans (Shares)			0.2		(1.0)
Issuance and exercise of stock-based compensation benefit plans, net of income tax			$ 0.0		$ 12.0		5.0		0.0		0.0		0.0
Sale of subsidiary shares to noncontrolling interests			0.0		0.0		13.0		0.0		7.0		83.0
Acquisition of subsidiary shares from noncontrolling interests		$ 240.0	0.0		0.0		240.0		0.0		(40.0)		68.0
Fair value adjustment (2)	[2]		0.0	[3]	0.0		(25.0)		0.0		0.0		0.0
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2017		4,845.0	$ 8.0		$ (1,892.0)		8,501.0		(2,276.0)		(1,876.0)		2,380.0
Ending Balance (Shares) at Dec. 31, 2017			816.3		155.9
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Temporary Equity, Net Income		$ 14.0	$ 0.0	[1]	$ 0.0	[1]	0.0	[1]	0.0	[1]	0.0	[1]	14.0	[1]
Cumulative Effect of New Accounting Principle in Period of Adoption			$ 0.0		$ 0.0		$ 0.0		$ 31.0		$ 0.0		$ 0.0

[1] Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest of $398 million and net loss attributable to redeemable stock of subsidiaries of $14 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest of $364 million and net loss attributable to redeemable stock of subsidiaries of $11 million for the year ended December 31, 2016.

[2] Adjustment to the carrying amount of noncontrolling interest and redeemable stock of subsidiaries to fair value.

[3] Fair value of a tax equity partner's right to preferential returns recognized as a result of the acquisition of Solar Power PR, LLC, which was previously accounted for as an equity method investment