Debt - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($)		1 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 01, 2015	Aug. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Common Stock [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Issuances of common stock, net of issuance cost (in shares)			5,000,000	17,000,000
Issuances of common stock				$ 1,000,000
NEE Equity Units 2016 [Member]
Sale Of Equity Units [Abstract]
Amount of equity units sold		$ 1,500,000,000
Stated amount of each equity unit (in dollars per unit)		$ 50
Undivided beneficial ownership interest per debenture (in hundredths)		5.00%
Principal amount of each debenture		$ 1,000
Number of shares subject to antidilution adjustments if purchased on final settlement date at less than or equal to low range threshold		0.3918
Number of shares subject to antidilution adjustments if purchased on final settlement date at equal to or greater than high range threshold		0.3134
Trading period over which market value is determined by reference to the average closing prices of the common stock (in days)		20 days
Rate of total annual distributions on equity units (in hundredths)		6.123%
Interest rate		1.65%
Rate of payments on stock purchase contracts (in hundredths)		4.473%
NEE Equity Units 2016 [Member] | Low Range [Member]
Sale Of Equity Units [Abstract]
Price per share of stock purchase contract (in dollars per share)		$ 127.63
NEE Equity Units 2016 [Member] | High Range [Member]
Sale Of Equity Units [Abstract]
Price per share of stock purchase contract (in dollars per share)		$ 159.54
September 2013 Equity Units [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debentures remarketed			$ 500,000,000
Rate of interest on debentures after remarketing			1.649%
September 2013 Equity Units [Member] | Common Stock [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Issuances of common stock, net of issuance cost (in shares)	5,101,000
Issuances of common stock	$ 500,000,000