Nature of the Business and Operations and Liquidity	3 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Nature of the Business and Operations and Liquidity	Nature of the Business and Operations and Liquidity Nature of the Business and Operations American Superconductor Corporation (“AMSC” or the “Company”) 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. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared on a going concern basis in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) instructions to Form 10-Q. The going concern basis of presentation assumes that the Company will continue operations and will be able to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with 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 June 30, 2018 and 2017 and the financial position at June 30, 2018; however, these results are not necessarily indicative of results which may be expected for the full year. The interim condensed consolidated financial statements, and notes thereto, should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2018, and notes thereto, included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2018 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 6, 2018. Liquidity The Company has experienced recurring operating losses and as of June 30, 2018, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $993.0 million. In addition, the Company has experienced recurring negative operating cash flows. At June 30, 2018, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $26.8 million, with no outstanding debt other than ordinary trade payables. Cash used in operations for the three months ended June 30, 2018 was $6.9 million. From April 1, 2011 through the date of this filing, the Company has reduced its global workforce substantially. As of June 30, 2018, the Company had a global workforce of 231 persons. The Company plans to closely monitor its expenses and, if required, expects to further reduce operating costs and capital spending to enhance liquidity. Over the last several years, the Company has entered into several debt and equity financing arrangements in order to raise capital. Since April 1, 2012, the Company has generated aggregate cash flows from financing activities of $85.0 million. Included in this amount are proceeds of approximately $17.0 million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by the Company, from the Company's equity offering completed on May 10, 2017, which includes the subsequent exercise by the underwriters of their option in full to purchase additional shares. The Company terminated its At Market Issuance Sales Agreement ("ATM") with FBR Capital Markets & Co. in conjunction with this equity offering. See Note 14 “Stockholders' Equity” for further discussion of these financing arrangements. On July 3, 2018, the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Suzhou AMSC Superconductor Co. Ltd. (“AMSC China”) and AMSC Austria GMBH (“AMSC Austria”) entered into a settlement agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”) with Sinovel Wind Group Co., Ltd. (“Sinovel”). The Settlement Agreement settles the litigation and arbitration proceedings between the Company and Sinovel, as further described in Note 15 “Commitments and Contingencies". Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement, Sinovel has agreed to pay AMSC China an aggregate cash amount in Renminbi (RMB) equivalent to $57.5 million, consisting of two installments. Sinovel paid the first installment of $32.5 million on July 4, 2018, and has agreed to pay the second installment of $25.0 million (the “Second Payment”) within ten (10) months after the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin (the “District Court”) delivers the first sentence against Sinovel in the criminal case entitled United States v. Sinovel Wind Co., Ltd., Case Number 3:13-cr-00084-jdp. On July 6, 2018, the District Court delivered such sentence, and therefore the Second Payment is due by May 6, 2019 (the “Second Payment Due Date”). On July 24, 2018, AMSC China paid $30.7 million to AMSC Austria to settle outstanding inter-company balances. On February 5, 2018, the Company entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement (the “PSA”) with 64 Jackson, LLC (the “Purchaser”) and Stewart Title Guaranty Company (“Escrow Agent”), to effectuate the sale of certain real property located at 64 Jackson Road, Devens, Massachusetts, including the building that had served as the Company’s headquarters (collectively, the “Property”), in exchange for total consideration of $23.0 million, composed of (i) cash consideration of $17.0 million, and (ii) a $6.0 million subordinated secured commercial promissory note payable to the Company (the "Seller Note"). Subsequently, the Seller, the Purchaser and Jackson 64 MGI, LLC (“Assignee”) entered into an Assignment of Purchase and Sale Agreement (the “Assignment Agreement”), pursuant to which the Purchaser assigned all of its rights and interests in the PSA to the Assignee and the Assignee agreed to assume all of the Purchaser’s obligations and liabilities under the PSA. The transaction closed on March 28, 2018, at which time the Company received, from the Assignee, cash consideration, net of certain agreed upon closing costs, of $16.9 million, and the Seller Note at an interest rate of 1.96%. The Seller Note is secured by a subordinated second mortgage on the Property and a subordinated second assignment of leases and rents. In December 2015, the Company entered into a set of strategic agreements valued at approximately $210.0 million with Inox Wind Ltd. (“Inox” or "Inox Wind"), which includes a multi-year supply contract pursuant to which the Company will supply electric control systems to Inox and a license agreement allowing Inox to manufacture a limited number of electrical control systems. After Inox purchases the specified number of electrical control systems required under the terms of the supply contract, Inox agreed that the Company will continue as Inox’s preferred supplier and Inox will be required to purchase from the Company a majority of its electric control systems requirements for an additional three-year period. The Company believes that based on the information presented above and its quarterly management assessment, it has sufficient liquidity to fund its operations and capital expenditures for the next twelve months following the issuance of the financial statements for the three months ended June 30, 2018. The Company’s liquidity is highly dependent on its ability to increase revenues, including its ability to collect revenues under our agreements with Inox, its ability to control its operating costs, and its ability to raise additional capital, if necessary. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to continue to raise additional capital, on favorable terms or at all, from other sources or execute on any other means of improving liquidity described above.

Nature of the Business and Operations and Liquidity

Nature of the Business and Operations

American Superconductor Corporation (“AMSC” or the “Company”) 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.

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared on a going concern basis in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) instructions to Form 10-Q. The going concern basis of presentation assumes that the Company will continue operations and will be able to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with 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 June 30, 2018 and 2017 and the financial position at June 30, 2018; however, these results are not necessarily indicative of results which may be expected for the full year. The interim condensed consolidated financial statements, and notes thereto, should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2018, and notes thereto, included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2018 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 6, 2018.

Liquidity

The Company has experienced recurring operating losses and as of June 30, 2018, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $993.0 million. In addition, the Company has experienced recurring negative operating cash flows. At June 30, 2018, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $26.8 million, with no outstanding debt other than ordinary trade payables. Cash used in operations for the three months ended June 30, 2018 was $6.9 million.

From April 1, 2011 through the date of this filing, the Company has reduced its global workforce substantially. As of June 30, 2018, the Company had a global workforce of 231 persons. The Company plans to closely monitor its expenses and, if required, expects to further reduce operating costs and capital spending to enhance liquidity.

Over the last several years, the Company has entered into several debt and equity financing arrangements in order to raise capital. Since April 1, 2012, the Company has generated aggregate cash flows from financing activities of $85.0 million. Included in this amount are proceeds of approximately $17.0 million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by the Company, from the Company's equity offering completed on May 10, 2017, which includes the subsequent exercise by the underwriters of their option in full to purchase additional shares. The Company terminated its At Market Issuance Sales Agreement ("ATM") with FBR Capital Markets & Co. in conjunction with this equity offering. See Note 14 “Stockholders' Equity” for further discussion of these financing arrangements.

On July 3, 2018, the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Suzhou AMSC Superconductor Co. Ltd. (“AMSC China”) and AMSC Austria GMBH (“AMSC Austria”) entered into a settlement agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”) with Sinovel Wind Group Co., Ltd. (“Sinovel”). The Settlement Agreement settles the litigation and arbitration proceedings between the Company and Sinovel, as further described in Note 15 “Commitments and Contingencies". Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement, Sinovel has agreed to pay AMSC China an aggregate cash amount in Renminbi (RMB) equivalent to $57.5 million, consisting of two installments. Sinovel paid the first installment of $32.5 million on July 4, 2018, and has agreed to pay the second installment of $25.0 million (the “Second Payment”) within ten (10) months after the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin (the “District Court”) delivers the first sentence against Sinovel in the criminal case entitled United States v. Sinovel Wind Co., Ltd., Case Number 3:13-cr-00084-jdp. On July 6, 2018, the District Court delivered such sentence, and therefore the Second Payment is due by May 6, 2019 (the “Second Payment Due Date”). On July 24, 2018, AMSC China paid $30.7 million to AMSC Austria to settle outstanding inter-company balances.

On February 5, 2018, the Company entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement (the “PSA”) with 64 Jackson, LLC (the “Purchaser”) and Stewart Title Guaranty Company (“Escrow Agent”), to effectuate the sale of certain real property located at 64 Jackson Road, Devens, Massachusetts, including the building that had served as the Company’s headquarters (collectively, the “Property”), in exchange for total consideration of $23.0 million, composed of (i) cash consideration of $17.0 million, and (ii) a $6.0 million subordinated secured commercial promissory note payable to the Company (the "Seller Note"). Subsequently, the Seller, the Purchaser and Jackson 64 MGI, LLC (“Assignee”) entered into an Assignment of Purchase and Sale Agreement (the “Assignment Agreement”), pursuant to which the Purchaser assigned all of its rights and interests in the PSA to the Assignee and the Assignee agreed to assume all of the Purchaser’s obligations and liabilities under the PSA. The transaction closed on March 28, 2018, at which time the Company received, from the Assignee, cash consideration, net of certain agreed upon closing costs, of $16.9 million, and the Seller Note at an interest rate of 1.96%. The Seller Note is secured by a subordinated second mortgage on the Property and a subordinated second assignment of leases and rents.

In December 2015, the Company entered into a set of strategic agreements valued at approximately $210.0 million with Inox Wind Ltd. (“Inox” or "Inox Wind"), which includes a multi-year supply contract pursuant to which the Company will supply electric control systems to Inox and a license agreement allowing Inox to manufacture a limited number of electrical control systems. After Inox purchases the specified number of electrical control systems required under the terms of the supply contract, Inox agreed that the Company will continue as Inox’s preferred supplier and Inox will be required to purchase from the Company a majority of its electric control systems requirements for an additional three-year period.

The Company believes that based on the information presented above and its quarterly management assessment, it has sufficient liquidity to fund its operations and capital expenditures for the next twelve months following the issuance of the financial statements for the three months ended June 30, 2018. The Company’s liquidity is highly dependent on its ability to increase revenues, including its ability to collect revenues under our agreements with Inox, its ability to control its operating costs, and its ability to raise additional capital, if necessary. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to continue to raise additional capital, on favorable terms or at all, from other sources or execute on any other means of improving liquidity described above.