Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 290,710	$ 382,544
Short-term investments			11,311
Restricted cash		74,717	39,864
Accounts receivable (net of allowances for doubtful accounts of $14,829 and $4,292 as of December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively)		66,949	33,998
Rebates receivable (net of reserves of $2,803 and $2,207 as of December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively)		10,339	11,545
Inventories		172,713	342,951
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		77,497	79,925
Total current assets		692,925	902,138
Solar energy systems, leased and to be leased – net		5,828,755	4,375,553
Property, plant and equipment – net		244,736	262,387
Build-to-suit lease asset under construction		807,593	284,500
Goodwill and intangible assets – net		461,989	517,109
MyPower customer notes receivable, net of current portion		517,244	488,461
MyPower deferred costs		232,369	215,708
Other assets		345,145	241,262
Total assets	[1]	9,130,756	7,287,118
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable		207,643	364,973
Distributions payable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests		24,085	26,769
Payable to parent – net		11,693
Current portion of deferred U.S. Treasury grant income		14,348	15,336
Accrued and other current liabilities		265,987	276,506
Current portion of deferred revenue		124,722	103,078
Current portion of long-term debt		617,588	180,048
Current portion of solar asset-backed notes		19,628	13,864
Current portion of financing obligation		52,031	34,479
Total current liabilities		1,519,307	1,193,362
Deferred revenue, net of current portion		1,086,417	1,010,491
Long-term debt, net of current portion		1,092,426	1,006,595
Convertible senior notes		873,194	881,585
Convertible senior notes issued to related parties		11,669	12,975
Solar asset-backed notes, net of current portion		549,205	395,667
Long-term deferred tax liability		481	1,373
Financing obligation, net of current portion		81,917	68,940
Deferred U.S. Treasury grant income, net of current portion		343,264	382,283
Build-to-suit lease liability		807,593	284,500
Other liabilities and deferred credits		339,951	279,006
Total liabilities	[1]	6,855,703	5,552,555
Commitments and contingencies (Note 23)
Redeemable noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries		343,623	320,935
Parent's equity:
Common stock: as of December 31, 2016, $0.01 par value, 1.0 million shares authorized, 100 shares issued and outstanding; as of December 31, 2015, $0.0001 par value, 1 billion shares authorized, 97.9 million shares issued and outstanding			10
Additional paid-in capital		1,301,201	1,195,246
Accumulated deficit		(77,916)	(316,690)
Total parent's equity		1,223,285	878,566
Noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries		708,145	535,062
Total equity		1,931,430	1,413,628
Total liabilities and equity		9,130,756	7,287,118
Solar Bonds [Member]
Current liabilities:
Current portion of solar bonds		16,582	13,189
Current portion of solar bonds issued to related parties		165,000	165,120
Solar bonds, net of current portion		50,179	35,678
Solar bonds issued to related parties, net of current portion		$ 100,100	$ 100

[1] SolarCity Corporation’s, or the Company’s, consolidated assets as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 included $4,133,472 and $2,866,882, respectively, of assets of variable interest entities, or VIEs, that can only be used to settle obligations of the VIEs. These assets included solar energy systems, leased and to be leased – net of $3,975,214 and $2,779,363 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively; property, plant and equipment – net of $0 and $21,960 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively; cash and cash equivalents of $44,091 and $33,537 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively; inventory of $0 and $1,000 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively; restricted cash, current, of $20,916 and $522 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively; accounts receivable – net of $16,023 and $10,267 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively; prepaid expenses and other current assets of $7,532 and $2,713 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively; rebates receivable of $6,646 and $6,220 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively; and other assets of $63,050 and $11,300 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The Company’s consolidated liabilities as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 included $596,802 and $33,475, respectively, of liabilities of VIEs whose creditors have no recourse to the Company. These liabilities included distributions payable to noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries and redeemable noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries of $24,085 and $26,769 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively; accounts payable of $20 and $1,954 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively; customer deposits of $1,169 and $2,928 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively; accrued liabilities and other payables of $8,524 and $1,824 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively; current portion of long-term debt of $87,467 and $0 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively; and long-term debt, net of current portion, of $475,537 and $0 as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively.