Stockholder's Equity - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions				3 Months Ended
	Jan. 14, 2016	Jun. 24, 2015	Jun. 18, 2015	Feb. 29, 2016	Nov. 30, 2015
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Partnership interest				28.20%
Period of highest cash price after notice to acquire all shares is served				90 days
Minimum quarterly distribution other than liquidating				150.00%
Cash distribution payment to Partnership	$ 4.3
I P O
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Partners' capital number of capital units purchased		20,000,000
Partners capital cash distributions to general purposes		$ 37.8
Noncontrolling Interest
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Partnership interest				28.20%
First Solar | I P O
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Partnership Cumulative Cash Distributions		154.4
SunPower | I P O
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Partnership Cumulative Cash Distributions		$ 201.6
SunPower and First Solar | Noncontrolling Interest
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Partnership interest				71.80%
Minimum
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Period of notice to be served to acquire all shares				10 days
Maximum
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Period of notice to be served to acquire all shares				60 days
Class A shares
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Partnership shares, Issued				20,011,010	20,007,281
Class A shares | I P O
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
New issuance of shares		20,000,000
Shares issued price per share		$ 21.00
Proceeds from issuance of shares		$ 420.0
Payments for underwriting discount		23.1
Structuring fee		3.2
Payments of stock issuance costs		26.3
Additional shares authorized to underwriters			3,000,000
Period to purchase additional shares			30 days
Proceeds from issuance of common limited partners units		$ 393.8
Class A shares | Minimum
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Partnership interest				80.00%
Class B shares
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Partnership shares, Issued				51,000,000	51,000,000
Partnership shares, outstanding				51,000,000
Class B shares | First Solar
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Partnership shares, outstanding				22,116,925
Class B shares | First Solar | I P O
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Partnership shares, Issued			1,300,995
Class B shares | SunPower
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Partnership shares, outstanding				28,883,075
Class B shares | SunPower | I P O
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Partnership shares, Issued			1,699,005
Class B shares | Minimum
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Partnership interest				80.00%