Description of the Business and Basis of Presentation	6 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2010
Description of the Business and Basis of Presentation
Description of the Business and Basis of Presentation	1. Description of the Business and Basis of Presentation American Superconductor Corporation (the "Company" or "AMSC") was founded on April 9, 1987. The Company is a leading provider of megawatt-scale solutions that lower the cost of wind power and enhance the performance of the power grid. In the wind power market, the Company enables manufacturers to field wind turbines through its advanced engineering, support services and power electronics products. In the power grid market, the Company enables electric utilities and renewable energy project developers to connect, transmit and distribute power through its transmission planning services and power electronics and superconductor based products. The Company's wind and power grid products and services provide exceptional reliability, security, efficiency and affordability to its customers. The Company operates in two business units: AMSC Power Systems and AMSC Superconductors. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC") instructions to Form 10-Q. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP") have been condensed or omitted pursuant to those instructions. The year-end condensed balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods ended September 30, 2010 and 2009 and the financial position at September 30, 2010. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. Certain reclassifications of prior year amounts have been made to conform to current year presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on net income, cash flows or stockholders' equity. The results of operations for an interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for the fiscal year. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010 (fiscal 2009) which are contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on May 27, 2010. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In October 2009, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2009-13, Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangements, pertaining to the accounting for revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables. Specifically, the new standard requires an entity to allocate consideration at the inception of an arrangement to all of its deliverables based on their relative selling prices. In the absence of the vendor-specific objective evidence or third-party evidence of the selling prices, consideration must be allocated to the deliverables based on management's best estimate of the selling prices. In addition, the new standard eliminates the use of the residual method of allocation. The new accounting standard supersedes the prior multiple element revenue arrangement accounting rules that were previously used by the Company. The Company adopted this new accounting standard on April 1, 2010 using the prospective method and the adoption did not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements. In January 2010, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2010-06, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (Topic 820): Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements. This standard amends the disclosure guidance with respect to fair value measurements for both interim and annual reporting periods. Specifically, this standard requires new disclosures for significant transfers of assets or liabilities between Level 1 and Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy; separate disclosures for purchases, sales, issuance and settlements of Level 3 fair value items on a gross, rather than net basis; and more robust disclosure of the valuation techniques and inputs used to measure Level 2 and Level 3 assets and liabilities. The Company has included these new disclosures, as applicable, in Note 3, "Marketable Securities and Fair Value Disclosures," of the consolidated financial statements. In December 2010, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2010-29, Business Combinations (Topic 805), Disclosure of Supplementary Pro forma Information for Business Combinations a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force (ASC 2010-29). This amendment clarifies the periods for which pro forma financial information is presented. The disclosures include pro forma revenue and earnings of the combined entity for the current reporting period as though the acquisition date for all business combinations that occurred during the year had been as of the beginning of the annual reporting period. If comparative financial statements are presented, the pro forma revenue and earnings of the combined entity for the comparable prior reporting period should be reported as though the acquisition date for all business combinations that occurred during the current year had been as of the beginning of the comparable prior annual reporting period. ASU 2010-29 is effective prospectively for business combinations that occur on or after the beginning of the first annual reporting period beginning after December 15, 2010. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2011-04 to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows. In June 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2011-05, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Presentation of Comprehensive Income. ASU 2011-05 requires entities to present net income and other comprehensive income in either a single continuous statement or in two separate, but consecutive, statements of net income and other comprehensive income. ASU 2011-05 is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2011-04 to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.

1. Description of the Business and Basis of Presentation

American Superconductor Corporation (the "Company" or "AMSC") was founded on April 9, 1987. The Company is a leading provider of megawatt-scale solutions that lower the cost of wind power and enhance the performance of the power grid. In the wind power market, the Company enables manufacturers to field wind turbines through its advanced engineering, support services and power electronics products. In the power grid market, the Company enables electric utilities and renewable energy project developers to connect, transmit and distribute power through its transmission planning services and power electronics and superconductor based products. The Company's wind and power grid products and services provide exceptional reliability, security, efficiency and affordability to its customers. The Company operates in two business units: AMSC Power Systems and AMSC Superconductors.

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC") instructions to Form 10-Q. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP") have been condensed or omitted pursuant to those instructions. The year-end condensed balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods ended September 30, 2010 and 2009 and the financial position at September 30, 2010. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. Certain reclassifications of prior year amounts have been made to conform to current year presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on net income, cash flows or stockholders' equity.

The results of operations for an interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for the fiscal year. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010 (fiscal 2009) which are contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on May 27, 2010.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In October 2009, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2009-13, Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangements, pertaining to the accounting for revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables. Specifically, the new standard requires an entity to allocate consideration at the inception of an arrangement to all of its deliverables based on their relative selling prices. In the absence of the vendor-specific objective evidence or third-party evidence of the selling prices, consideration must be allocated to the deliverables based on management's best estimate of the selling prices. In addition, the new standard eliminates the use of the residual method of allocation. The new accounting standard supersedes the prior multiple element revenue arrangement accounting rules that were previously used by the Company. The Company adopted this new accounting standard on April 1, 2010 using the prospective method and the adoption did not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

In January 2010, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2010-06, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (Topic 820): Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements. This standard amends the disclosure guidance with respect to fair value measurements for both interim and annual reporting periods. Specifically, this standard requires new disclosures for significant transfers of assets or liabilities between Level 1 and Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy; separate disclosures for purchases, sales, issuance and settlements of Level 3 fair value items on a gross, rather than net basis; and more robust disclosure of the valuation techniques and inputs used to measure Level 2 and Level 3 assets and liabilities. The Company has included these new disclosures, as applicable, in Note 3, "Marketable Securities and Fair Value Disclosures," of the consolidated financial statements.

In December 2010, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2010-29, Business Combinations (Topic 805), Disclosure of Supplementary Pro forma Information for Business Combinations a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force (ASC 2010-29). This amendment clarifies the periods for which pro forma financial information is presented. The disclosures include pro forma revenue and earnings of the combined entity for the current reporting period as though the acquisition date for all business combinations that occurred during the year had been as of the beginning of the annual reporting period. If comparative financial statements are presented, the pro forma revenue and earnings of the combined entity for the comparable prior reporting period should be reported as though the acquisition date for all business combinations that occurred during the current year had been as of the beginning of the comparable prior annual reporting period. ASU 2010-29 is effective prospectively for business combinations that occur on or after the beginning of the first annual reporting period beginning after December 15, 2010. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2011-04 to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.

In June 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2011-05, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Presentation of Comprehensive Income. ASU 2011-05 requires entities to present net income and other comprehensive income in either a single continuous statement or in two separate, but consecutive, statements of net income and other comprehensive income. ASU 2011-05 is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2011-04 to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.