Note 17 - Commitments and Contingencies (Detail) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended							11 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012 Solar Modules [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Inverter and Balance of System Components [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Guarantee Obligations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Guarantee Obligations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Greystone [Member]	Nov. 29, 2010 Motech Industries Inc [Member]
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents		$ 400,000	$ 1,000,000
Restricted Bank Deposits Released	300,000
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest, Equity, Carrying Amount								1,000,000
Guarantees, Fair Value Disclosure		100,000	100,000
Long-term Debt						12,900,000	13,900,000
Warranty Term				25 years	5 years
Operating Leases, Rent Expense		900,000	500,000
Loss Contingency, Damages Sought, Value									$ 339,544.15