Finance Obligation - Other information related to finance obligations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2024	Sep. 30, 2023
Finance Obligation
Cash payments (in thousands)	$ 86,397	$ 76,747
Weighted average remaining term (in years)	4 years 3 months	4 years 7 months 13 days
Weighted average discount rate (as a percent)	12.30%	11.30%

Weighted average remaining lease term for finance obligation, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

No definition available.

Name:	plug_FinanceObligationsWeightedAverageRemainingTerm
Namespace Prefix:	plug_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration