Note 10 - Long-term Debt and Credit Agreements (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended							12 Months Ended					1 Months Ended			1 Months Ended			1 Months Ended					1 Months Ended		1 Months Ended					0 Months Ended		1 Months Ended				1 Months Ended				1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended					1 Months Ended		12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended			12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2009	Jan. 31, 2014 Subsequent Event [Member] Ormat Funding Corp [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Threshold for Loan Default [Member] Loan Agreement with OPIC (The Olkaria III Power Plant) [Member]	Oct. 31, 2011 Blended Basis for OFC 2 Power Plants [Member] Minimum [Member] OFC Two Senior Secured Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Pro Forma Basis [Member] OFC Two Senior Secured Notes [Member]	Oct. 31, 2011 Pro Forma Basis [Member] Minimum [Member] OFC Two Senior Secured Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Extensions of Credit in the Form of Loans and/or Letters of Credit [Member] Revolving Credit Lines with Banks [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Issuance of Letters of Credit [Member] Revolving Credit Lines with Banks [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Covenant Requirement Minimum [Member] Union Bank, N.A. [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Covenant Requirement Minimum [Member] HSBC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Covenant Requirement Minimum [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Tranche One [Member] Loan Agreement with OPIC (The Olkaria III Power Plant) [Member]	Nov. 30, 2012 Tranche One [Member] Loan Agreement with OPIC (The Olkaria III Power Plant) [Member]	Feb. 28, 2013 Tranche Two [Member] Loan Agreement with OPIC (The Olkaria III Power Plant) [Member]	Nov. 30, 2012 Tranche Two [Member] Loan Agreement with OPIC (The Olkaria III Power Plant) [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Tranche Two [Member] Loan Agreement with OPIC (The Olkaria III Power Plant) [Member]	Nov. 30, 2013 Tranche Three [Member] Loan Agreement with OPIC (The Olkaria III Power Plant) [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Tranche Three [Member] Loan Agreement with OPIC (The Olkaria III Power Plant) [Member]	Feb. 28, 2013 Tranche Three [Member] Loan Agreement with OPIC (The Olkaria III Power Plant) [Member]	Oct. 31, 2011 Phase One Series A Senior Notes [Member] OFC Two Senior Secured Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Phase One Series A Senior Notes [Member] OFC Two Senior Secured Notes [Member]	Sep. 23, 2011 Phase One Series A Senior Notes [Member] OFC Two Senior Secured Notes [Member]	Oct. 31, 2011 Series B Senior Notes [Member] Maximum [Member] OFC Two Senior Secured Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Phase Two [Member] Maximum [Member] OFC Two Senior Secured Notes [Member]	Nov. 30, 2010 First Loan [Member] Institutional Investors [Member]	Jul. 31, 2009 First Loan [Member] Institutional Investors [Member]	Jul. 31, 2009 Second Loan [Member] Institutional Investors [Member]	Nov. 30, 2010 Third Loan [Member] Institutional Investors [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Loan Agreement with OPIC (The Olkaria III Power Plant) [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Loan Agreement with OPIC (The Olkaria III Power Plant) [Member]	Aug. 23, 2012 Loan Agreement with OPIC (The Olkaria III Power Plant) [Member]	Nov. 09, 2012 Olkaria III - DEG [Member]	Jul. 10, 2009 Olkaria III - DEG [Member]	Nov. 30, 2012 Olkaria III - DEG [Member]	Mar. 23, 2009 Olkaria III - DEG [Member]	Mar. 31, 2009 Olkaria III - DEG [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Olkaria III - DEG [Member]	Feb. 28, 2013 Ormat Funding Corp [Member]	Feb. 28, 2004 Ormat Funding Corp [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Ormat Funding Corp [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Ormat Funding Corp [Member]	Dec. 31, 2005 OrCal Senior Secured Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 OrCal Senior Secured Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 OFC Two Senior Secured Notes [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 OFC Two Senior Secured Notes [Member]	Feb. 28, 2011 Senior Unsecured Bonds Member	Aug. 31, 2010 Senior Unsecured Bonds Member	Nov. 30, 2009 Loan from Commercial Bank [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Revolving Credit Lines with Banks [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Union Bank, N.A. [Member]	Jan. 31, 2012 Union Bank, N.A. [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 HSBC [Member]	May 31, 2009 Loan Agreement with TCW (The Amatitlan Power Plant) [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Loan Agreement with TCW (The Amatitlan Power Plant) [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Loan Agreement with TCW (The Amatitlan Power Plant) [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 In the First Two Years After the Plant 2 Commercial Operation Date [Member] Loan Agreement with OPIC (The Olkaria III Power Plant) [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 In the Third Year After the Plant 2 Commercial Operation Date [Member] Loan Agreement with OPIC (The Olkaria III Power Plant) [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Minimum [Member] Loan Agreement with OPIC (The Olkaria III Power Plant) [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Minimum [Member] Ormat Funding Corp [Member]	Feb. 28, 2004 Minimum [Member] Ormat Funding Corp [Member]	Dec. 31, 2005 Minimum [Member] OrCal Senior Secured Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Maximum [Member] Ormat Funding Corp [Member]
Note 10 - Long-term Debt and Credit Agreements (Details) [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount				$ 13,200,000											$ 85,000,000		$ 180,000,000				$ 45,000,000	$ 151,700,000			$ 28,000,000	$ 170,000,000		$ 20,000,000	$ 20,000,000	$ 20,000,000			$ 310,000,000	$ 20,500,000			$ 77,000,000	$ 105,000,000		$ 12,800,000	$ 190,000,000			$ 165,000,000			$ 350,000,000	$ 108,000,000	$ 142,000,000	$ 50,000,000					$ 42,000,000
Capacity of Plant																																																							20
Debt Instrument, Payment Terms																																																							28 quarterly installments
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage	7.00%													6.31%				6.31%		6.12%		4.687%						6.50%		5.75%							6.90%				8.25%			6.21%				6.75%	7.00%						9.83%
Debt Services Coverage Ratio	2.47%				1.10%	1.20%	2.25%	1.50%			1.35%	1.35%																			1.70%											1.29%			1.30%	1.79%						2.47%			1.20%	1.61%				1.40%		1.25%	1.25%
Debt to Equity Ratio																																																							4.00%	2.21%
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Current		2,600,000																													10,100,000	18,900,000										2,900,000	2,900,000		3,000,000											1,000,000	3,800,000
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount	248,900,000	4,900,000																					10,000,000								15,700,000											10,600,000	10,600,000		10,200,000	10,400,000					210,900,000	45,600,000		20,800,000		3,100,000
Prepayment Deposit On Debt																																				20,500,000
Prepayment Penalty Charges																																				1,500,000
Proceeds from Issuance of Debt																45,000,000	135,000,000		45,000,000			141,100,000													15,000,000		90,000,000				179,700,000			161,100,000
Long-term Debt, Gross														81,400,000				177,400,000		45,000,000											299,900,000								39,500,000
Debt Instrument Prepayment Premium Percentage																																																										2.00%	1.00%
Debt Instrument, Issuance Costs																																									10,300,000			3,900,000
Gains (Losses) on Extinguishment of Debt				300,000																																				800,000
Debt Instrument, Redemption Price, Percentage																																													100.00%																100.00%			101.00%
Government Guarantee Percent																																															80.00%
Other Reserves																							28,000,000	45,700,000
Debt Instrument, Term																											6 years		8 years	6 years																				5 years
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate																													5.00%					1.25%				4.00%												3.25%
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity									283,000,000	202,100,000																																									485,100,000	50,000,000	39,000,000	25,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding																																																			112,000,000
Line of Credit, Current																																																			112,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage																																																			2.56%
Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Parent	732,740,000		945,227,000										600,000,000
Percentage of Company Assets	34.50%												30.00%
Debt to Earnings Before Interest Tax Depreciation and Amortization Ratio	4.50										4.5	4.5	7																																							2.58		2.58
Amount Available For Dividend Distribution Percent Of Cumulative Net Income	1.34%										2.00%	2.00%	35.00%																																							1.34%
Payments of Dividends	3,600,000
Line of Credit Facility, Capacity Available for Specific Purpose Other than for Trade Purchases																																																						$ 10,000,000