Document and Entity Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015 shares
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	20-F
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2015
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	SPI
Entity Registrant Name	SPI Energy Co., Ltd.
Entity Central Index Key	0001210618
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	639,065,172