The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	9 Months Ended
Sep. 29, 2013
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]	THE COMPANY AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES The Company SunPower Corporation (together with its subsidiaries, the "Company" or "SunPower") is a vertically integrated solar products and solutions company that designs, manufactures and delivers high-performance solar systems worldwide, serving as a one-stop shop for residential, commercial, and utility-scale power plant customers. The Company's President and Chief Executive Officer, as the chief operating decision maker ("CODM"), has organized the Company, manages resource allocations, and measures performance of the Company's activities among three regional segments: (i) the Americas Segment, (ii) the EMEA Segment, and (iii) the APAC Segment. The Americas Segment includes both North and South America. The EMEA Segment includes European countries, as well as the Middle East and Africa. The APAC segment includes all Asia-Pacific countries. On June 21, 2011, the Company became a majority owned subsidiary of Total Energies Nouvelles Activités USA, SAS, formerly known as Total Gas & Power USA, SAS ("Total"), a subsidiary of Total S.A. ("Total S.A."), through a tender offer and Total's purchase of 60% of the outstanding former class A common stock and former class B common stock of the Company as of June 13, 2011. On January 31, 2012, Total purchased an additional 18.6 million shares of the Company's common stock in a private placement, thereby increasing Total's ownership to approximately 66% of the Company's outstanding common stock as of that date (see Note 2). Basis of Presentation and Preparation Principles of Consolidation The condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("United States" or "U.S.") and include the accounts of the Company, all of its subsidiaries and special purpose entities, as appropriate under consolidation accounting guidelines. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. The assets of the special purpose entities that the Company sets up related to project financing for customers are not designed to be available to service the general liabilities and obligations of the Company in certain circumstances. Reclassifications Certain prior period balances have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation in the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. Such reclassifications had no effect on previously reported results of operations or retained earnings. As reflected in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2012 ("2012 Form 10-K"), in connection with the growth of its residential lease program, during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 the Company began to separately classify both the cost of the leased assets and related investing cash flows based upon the nature of the lease entered into. The Company has reclassified prior period interim balances to conform to the current period presentation, which resulted in an increase in operating cash flows of $100.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2012. Fiscal Years The Company has a 52-to-53-week fiscal year that ends on the Sunday closest to December 31. Accordingly, every fifth or sixth year will be a 53-week fiscal year. Both fiscal 2013 and 2012 are 52-week fiscal years. The third quarter of fiscal 2013 ended on September 29, 2013, while the third quarter of fiscal 2012 ended on September 30, 2012. All quarters in fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2012 were 13-week quarters. Management Estimates The preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant estimates in these condensed consolidated financial statements include percentage-of-completion for construction projects; allowances for doubtful accounts receivable and sales returns; inventory and project asset write-downs; stock-based compensation; estimates for future cash flows and economic useful lives of property, plant and equipment and other long-term assets; the fair value and residual value of leased solar power systems; fair value of financial instruments; valuation of certain accrued liabilities including accrued warranty, restructuring, and termination of supply contracts reserves; valuation of debt without the conversion feature; and income taxes and tax valuation allowances. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Revenue Recognition Residential Leases The Company offers a solar lease program, in partnership with third-party financial institutions, which allows its residential customers to obtain SunPower systems under lease agreements for terms of up to 20 years. Leases are classified as either operating or sales-type leases in accordance with the relevant accounting guidelines. For those systems classified as sales-type leases, the net present value of the minimum lease payments, net of executory costs, is recognized as revenue when the lease is placed in service. This net present value as well as the net present value of the residual value of the lease at termination are recorded as receivables in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The difference between the initial net amounts and the gross amounts are amortized to revenue over the lease term using the interest method. The residual values of our solar systems are determined at the inception of the lease applying an estimated system fair value at the end of the lease term. For those systems classified as operating leases, rental revenue is recognized, net of executory costs, on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Noncontrolling Interests Noncontrolling interests represents the portion of net assets in consolidated subsidiaries that are not attributable, directly or indirectly, to the Company. Beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2013, the Company has entered into facilities with third-party investors under which the investors are determined to hold noncontrolling interests in entities fully consolidated by the Company. The net assets of the shared entities are attributed to the controlling and noncontrolling interests based on the terms of the governing contractual arrangements. The Company further determined the hypothetical liquidation at book value method ("HLBV Method") to be the appropriate method for attributing net assets to the controlling and noncontrolling interests as this method most closely mirrors the economics of the governing contractual arrangements. Under the HLBV Method, the Company allocates recorded income (loss) to each investor based on the change, during the reporting period, of the amount of net assets each investor is entitled to under the governing contractual arrangements in a liquidation scenario. Other than as described above, there have been no significant changes in the Company's significant accounting policies during the nine months ended September 29, 2013, as compared with the significant accounting policies described in the 2012 Form 10-K. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In July 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") amended its guidance related to the presentation of unrecognized tax benefits. The amended guidance specifies when an unrecognized tax benefit or a portion of an unrecognized tax benefit should be presented as a liability versus an offset against a deferred tax asset when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss or tax credit carryforward exists. The amendment will become effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2014. The Company does not expect that the requirement will have a material impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements. In March 2013, the FASB and International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB") issued common disclosure requirements that are intended to enhance comparability between financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and those prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). This new guidance is applicable to companies that have financial instruments or derivatives that are either offset in the balance sheet (presented on a net basis) or subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar arrangement. The requirement does not change the existing offsetting eligibility criteria or the permitted balance sheet presentation for those instruments that meet the eligibility criteria. However, once this disclosure requirement becomes effective, companies will also be required to disclose information about financial instruments and derivatives instruments that have been offset and related arrangements and to provide both net (offset amounts) and gross information in the notes to the financial statements for relevant assets and liabilities that are offset. The disclosure requirement becomes effective retrospectively in the first quarter of the Company's fiscal year 2014. The Company does not expect that the requirement will have a material impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements as it is disclosure only in nature. In March 2013, the FASB amended its guidance related to foreign currency matters requiring the release of the cumulative translation adjustment into net income when an entity ceases to have a controlling financial interest in a subsidiary or a group of assets within a foreign entity. The amendment will become effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2014. The Company does not expect that the requirement will have a material impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements. In February 2013, the FASB amended its disclosure guidance related to the presentation of comprehensive income. The amendment requires reporting of the impact of significant reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income or loss on the line items on the statement of operations, if a reclassification is required in its entirety in one reporting period. The amendment became effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2013 and did not have a significant impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements. Other than as described above, there has been no issued accounting guidance not yet adopted by the Company that it believes is material or potentially material to its condensed consolidated financial statements.

THE COMPANY AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The Company

SunPower Corporation (together with its subsidiaries, the "Company" or "SunPower") is a vertically integrated solar products and solutions company that designs, manufactures and delivers high-performance solar systems worldwide, serving as a one-stop shop for residential, commercial, and utility-scale power plant customers.

The Company's President and Chief Executive Officer, as the chief operating decision maker ("CODM"), has organized the Company, manages resource allocations, and measures performance of the Company's activities among three regional segments: (i) the Americas Segment, (ii) the EMEA Segment, and (iii) the APAC Segment. The Americas Segment includes both North and South America. The EMEA Segment includes European countries, as well as the Middle East and Africa. The APAC segment includes all Asia-Pacific countries.

On June 21, 2011, the Company became a majority owned subsidiary of Total Energies Nouvelles Activités USA, SAS, formerly known as Total Gas & Power USA, SAS ("Total"), a subsidiary of Total S.A. ("Total S.A."), through a tender offer and Total's purchase of 60% of the outstanding former class A common stock and former class B common stock of the Company as of June 13, 2011. On January 31, 2012, Total purchased an additional 18.6 million shares of the Company's common stock in a private placement, thereby increasing Total's ownership to approximately 66% of the Company's outstanding common stock as of that date (see Note 2).

Basis of Presentation and Preparation

Principles of Consolidation

The condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("United States" or "U.S.") and include the accounts of the Company, all of its subsidiaries and special purpose entities, as appropriate under consolidation accounting guidelines. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. The assets of the special purpose entities that the Company sets up related to project financing for customers are not designed to be available to service the general liabilities and obligations of the Company in certain circumstances.

Reclassifications

Certain prior period balances have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation in the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. Such reclassifications had no effect on previously reported results of operations or retained earnings. As reflected in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2012 ("2012 Form 10-K"), in connection with the growth of its residential lease program, during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 the Company began to separately classify both the cost of the leased assets and related investing cash flows based upon the nature of the lease entered into. The Company has reclassified prior period interim balances to conform to the current period presentation, which resulted in an increase in operating cash flows of $100.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2012.

Fiscal Years

The Company has a 52-to-53-week fiscal year that ends on the Sunday closest to December 31. Accordingly, every fifth or sixth year will be a 53-week fiscal year. Both fiscal 2013 and 2012 are 52-week fiscal years. The third quarter of fiscal 2013 ended on September 29, 2013, while the third quarter of fiscal 2012 ended on September 30, 2012. All quarters in fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2012 were 13-week quarters.

Management Estimates

The preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant estimates in these condensed consolidated financial statements include percentage-of-completion for construction projects; allowances for doubtful accounts receivable and sales returns; inventory and project asset write-downs; stock-based compensation; estimates for future cash flows and economic useful lives of property, plant and equipment and other long-term assets; the fair value and residual value of leased solar power systems; fair value of financial instruments; valuation of certain accrued liabilities including accrued warranty, restructuring, and termination of supply contracts reserves; valuation of debt without the conversion feature; and income taxes and tax valuation allowances. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Revenue Recognition

Residential Leases

The Company offers a solar lease program, in partnership with third-party financial institutions, which allows its residential customers to obtain SunPower systems under lease agreements for terms of up to 20 years. Leases are classified as either operating or sales-type leases in accordance with the relevant accounting guidelines.

For those systems classified as sales-type leases, the net present value of the minimum lease payments, net of executory costs, is recognized as revenue when the lease is placed in service. This net present value as well as the net present value of the residual value of the lease at termination are recorded as receivables in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The difference between the initial net amounts and the gross amounts are amortized to revenue over the lease term using the interest method. The residual values of our solar systems are determined at the inception of the lease applying an estimated system fair value at the end of the lease term.

For those systems classified as operating leases, rental revenue is recognized, net of executory costs, on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.

Noncontrolling Interests

Noncontrolling interests represents the portion of net assets in consolidated subsidiaries that are not attributable, directly or indirectly, to the Company. Beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2013, the Company has entered into facilities with third-party investors under which the investors are determined to hold noncontrolling interests in entities fully consolidated by the Company. The net assets of the shared entities are attributed to the controlling and noncontrolling interests based on the terms of the governing contractual arrangements. The Company further determined the hypothetical liquidation at book value method ("HLBV Method") to be the appropriate method for attributing net assets to the controlling and noncontrolling interests as this method most closely mirrors the economics of the governing contractual arrangements. Under the HLBV Method, the Company allocates recorded income (loss) to each investor based on the change, during the reporting period, of the amount of net assets each investor is entitled to under the governing contractual arrangements in a liquidation scenario.

Other than as described above, there have been no significant changes in the Company's significant accounting policies during the nine months ended September 29, 2013, as compared with the significant accounting policies described in the 2012 Form 10-K.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In July 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") amended its guidance related to the presentation of unrecognized tax benefits. The amended guidance specifies when an unrecognized tax benefit or a portion of an unrecognized tax benefit should be presented as a liability versus an offset against a deferred tax asset when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss or tax credit carryforward exists. The amendment will become effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2014. The Company does not expect that the requirement will have a material impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements.

In March 2013, the FASB and International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB") issued common disclosure requirements that are intended to enhance comparability between financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and those prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). This new guidance is applicable to companies that have financial instruments or derivatives that are either offset in the balance sheet (presented on a net basis) or subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar arrangement. The requirement does not change the existing offsetting eligibility criteria or the permitted balance sheet presentation for those instruments that meet the eligibility criteria. However, once this disclosure requirement becomes effective, companies will also be required to disclose information about financial instruments and derivatives instruments that have been offset and related arrangements and to provide both net (offset amounts) and gross information in the notes to the financial statements for relevant assets and liabilities that are offset. The disclosure requirement becomes effective retrospectively in the first quarter of the Company's fiscal year 2014. The Company does not expect that the requirement will have a material impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements as it is disclosure only in nature.

In March 2013, the FASB amended its guidance related to foreign currency matters requiring the release of the cumulative translation adjustment into net income when an entity ceases to have a controlling financial interest in a subsidiary or a group of assets within a foreign entity. The amendment will become effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2014. The Company does not expect that the requirement will have a material impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements.

In February 2013, the FASB amended its disclosure guidance related to the presentation of comprehensive income. The amendment requires reporting of the impact of significant reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income or loss on the line items on the statement of operations, if a reclassification is required in its entirety in one reporting period. The amendment became effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2013 and did not have a significant impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements.

Other than as described above, there has been no issued accounting guidance not yet adopted by the Company that it believes is material or potentially material to its condensed consolidated financial statements.