Convertible and Long-term Debt Obligations - Solar Renewable Energy Credit Loan Facilities - Additional Information (Detail) - SolarCity [Member] - Solar Renewable Energy Credit Term Loan [Member]			12 Months Ended
	Jul. 14, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2017
Non-recourse debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit, additional interest rate		8.00%
Credit facility interest rate terms			The term loan bore interest at an annual rate of one-month LIBOR plus 9.00% or, at our option, 8.00% plus the highest of (i) the federal funds rate plus 0.50%, (ii) the prime rate or (iii) one-month LIBOR plus 1.00%.
Non-recourse debt [Member] | Libor Option
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit, additional interest rate		9.00%
Non-recourse debt [Member] | Federal Funds Purchased
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit, additional interest rate		0.50%
Non-recourse debt [Member] | Syndicated Revolving Bank Agreement [Member] | Libor Option
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit, additional interest rate		1.00%
Second Term Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit, additional interest rate	4.75%
Credit facility interest rate terms			The loan facility bears interest at an annual rate of one-month LIBOR plus 5.75% or, at our option, 4.75% plus the highest of (i) the federal funds rate plus 0.50%, (ii) the prime rate or (iii) one-month LIBOR plus 1.00%.
Second Term Loan [Member] | Libor Option
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit, additional interest rate	5.75%
Second Term Loan [Member] | Federal Funds Purchased
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit, additional interest rate	0.50%
Second Term Loan [Member] | Syndicated Revolving Bank Agreement [Member] | Libor Option
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of credit, additional interest rate	1.00%