Indebtedness - Summary of Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands			12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Oct. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 23, 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			$ 2,753,746	$ 1,424,340
Current, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			372,221	25,927
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			2,332,600	1,356,393
Unused Borrowing Capacity			$ 234,235	273,085
2.75% convertible senior notes due in 2018 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Date		Nov. 01, 2018
Interest Rate		2.75%
1.625% convertible senior notes due in 2019 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Date	Nov. 01, 2019
Interest Rate					1.625%
Zero-Coupon Convertible Senior Notes Due in 2020 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Date			Dec. 01, 2020
Solar Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			$ 214,087	3,652
Recourse debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			1,511,497	939,667
Current, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			213,191	3,636
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			1,279,235	914,125
Unused Borrowing Capacity			13,053	54,935
Recourse debt [Member] | Secured revolving credit facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			360,000	130,000
Current, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			22,320
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			333,287	126,659
Unused Borrowing Capacity			$ 13,053	$ 54,935
Maturity Date				Dec. 31, 2016
Maturity Date, Start			Dec. 31, 2016
Maturity Date, End			Dec. 31, 2017
Interest Rate, Low			3.50%
Interest Rate, High			5.80%
Interest Rate				3.40%
Recourse debt [Member] | Vehicle and other loans [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			$ 28,173
Current, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			12,562
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			$ 15,610
Maturity Date, Start			Jan. 31, 2016
Maturity Date, End			Jun. 30, 2019
Interest Rate, Low			2.50%
Interest Rate, High			7.60%
Recourse debt [Member] | 2.75% convertible senior notes due in 2018 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			$ 230,000	$ 230,000
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			$ 225,795	$ 224,311
Maturity Date			Nov. 30, 2018	Nov. 30, 2018
Interest Rate			2.80%	2.80%
Recourse debt [Member] | 1.625% convertible senior notes due in 2019 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			$ 566,000	$ 566,000
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			$ 555,981	$ 553,415
Maturity Date			Nov. 30, 2019	Nov. 30, 2019
Interest Rate			1.60%	1.60%
Recourse debt [Member] | Zero-Coupon Convertible Senior Notes Due in 2020 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			$ 113,000
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			$ 112,784
Maturity Date			Dec. 31, 2020
Interest Rate			0.00%
Recourse debt [Member] | Solar Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			$ 214,324	$ 3,943
Current, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			178,309	989
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			$ 35,778	$ 2,663
Maturity Date, Start			Jan. 31, 2016	Oct. 31, 2015
Maturity Date, End			Dec. 31, 2030	Oct. 31, 2018
Interest Rate, Low			1.30%	2.00%
Interest Rate, High			5.80%	4.00%
Recourse debt [Member] | Vehicle loans [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value				$ 9,724
Current, Carrying Value, Net of Fees				2,647
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees				$ 7,077
Maturity Date, Start				Mar. 31, 2015
Maturity Date, End				Jun. 30, 2019
Interest Rate, Low				1.90%
Interest Rate, High				7.50%
Non-recourse debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			$ 1,242,249	$ 484,673
Current, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			159,030	22,291
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			1,053,365	442,268
Unused Borrowing Capacity			221,182	218,150
Non-recourse debt [Member] | Term Loan Assumed From Silevo Acquisition [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value				9,134
Current, Carrying Value, Net of Fees				$ 9,134
Maturity Date				Jun. 30, 2015
Interest Rate				7.80%
Non-recourse debt [Member] | Term loan due in May 2016 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			34,622	$ 34,195
Current, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			$ 33,918
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees				31,174
Unused Borrowing Capacity				$ 90,805
Maturity Date			May 31, 2016	May 31, 2016
Interest Rate			3.50%	3.20%
Non-recourse debt [Member] | Term loan due in December 2016 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			$ 112,483	$ 122,655
Current, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			$ 111,248
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees				117,879
Unused Borrowing Capacity				$ 127,345
Maturity Date			Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
Interest Rate, Low			3.60%	3.40%
Interest Rate, High			3.70%	3.50%
Non-recourse debt [Member] | MyPower revolving credit facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			$ 213,125
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			210,735
Unused Borrowing Capacity			$ 26,875
Maturity Date			Jan. 31, 2017
Interest Rate, Low			3.00%
Interest Rate, High			5.50%
Non-recourse debt [Member] | Revolving aggregation credit facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			$ 455,693
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			446,963
Unused Borrowing Capacity			$ 194,307
Maturity Date			Dec. 31, 2017
Interest Rate, Low			3.10%
Interest Rate, High			3.20%
Non-recourse debt [Member] | Solar Asset-backed Notes, Series 2013-1 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			$ 45,845	$ 49,519
Current, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			3,342	3,167
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			$ 39,669	$ 43,395
Maturity Date			Nov. 30, 2038	Nov. 30, 2038
Interest Rate			4.80%	4.80%
Non-recourse debt [Member] | Solar Asset-backed Notes, Series 2014-1 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			$ 64,431	$ 67,676
Current, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			2,855	2,686
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			$ 58,938	$ 62,250
Maturity Date			Apr. 30, 2044	Apr. 30, 2044
Interest Rate			4.60%	4.60%
Non-recourse debt [Member] | Solar Asset-backed Notes, Series 2014-2 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			$ 193,755	$ 201,494
Current, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			6,319	7,304
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			$ 181,041	$ 187,570
Maturity Date			Jul. 31, 2044	Jul. 31, 2044
Non-recourse debt [Member] | Solar Asset-backed Notes, Series 2014-2 [Member] | Class A [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate			4.00%	4.00%
Non-recourse debt [Member] | Solar Asset-backed Notes, Series 2014-2 [Member] | Class B [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate			5.40%	5.40%
Non-recourse debt [Member] | Solar Asset-backed Notes, Series 2015-1 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance, Carrying Value			$ 122,295
Current, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			1,348
Long-Term, Carrying Value, Net of Fees			$ 116,019
Maturity Date			Aug. 31, 2045
Non-recourse debt [Member] | Solar Asset-backed Notes, Series 2015-1 [Member] | Class A [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate			4.20%
Non-recourse debt [Member] | Solar Asset-backed Notes, Series 2015-1 [Member] | Class B [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest Rate			5.60%