Basis of Presentation and Liquidity	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation and Liquidity	NOTE 1— BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND LIQUIDITY The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Acorn Energy, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial information and with the instructions to Article 8 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for complete consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the nine month period ended September 30, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2016. All dollar amounts in the notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements are in thousands except for per share data. Certain reclassifications have been made to the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements for the nine month period ended September 30, 2015 to conform to the current period’s condensed consolidated financial statement presentation. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. On April 21, 2016, the Company closed on a transaction for the sale of a portion of its interests in DSIT Solutions, Ltd. (see Note 3). As a result of the transaction, the Company’s holdings in DSIT were reduced from 78.7% (on a fully diluted basis) to 41.2% and, subsequent to the DSIT Transaction, the Company has limited representation on the DSIT Board of directors. Accordingly, following the sale, the Company no longer consolidates the results of DSIT. Operating results for DSIT through April 21, 2016 are consolidated in continuing operations while the Company’s share of DSIT’s results for the period from April 22, 2016 to September 30, 2016 are included in the Company’s unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations in the line “Share of income in DSIT” under the equity method of accounting. The Company currently does not have sufficient cash flow to finance its activities for the next 12 months. On July 12, 2016, the Company and its GridSense subsidiary closed on a transaction for the sale of GridSense’s assets (See Note 4). As a result of the transaction, GridSense received gross proceeds of $1,000 of which $100 was set aside as an indemnity escrow. From the proceeds of the sale, GridSense paid off approximately $240 of previously accrued severance and other payroll costs as well as approximately $56 of transaction costs of the sale transaction. Following the sale, GridSense also engaged a third-party liquidation officer to satisfy, to the extent of the funds available from the remaining proceeds, the claims of GridSense creditors, including Acorn which is GridSense’s largest creditor. Through October 31, 2016, the liquidator has settled approximately $5,890 of GridSense creditor claims ($5,555 from the Company), while disbursing approximately $535 to the creditors of GridSense ($500 to the Company). As of October 31, 2016, the Company had approximately $230 of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents. Additional liquidity will be necessary to finance the operating activities of Acorn and the operations of its OmniMetrix subsidiary. The Company will continue to pursue sources of funding, which may include loans from related and/or non-related parties, a sale or partial sale of one or more of its businesses, finding a strategic partner or equity financings. There can be no assurance additional funding will be available at terms acceptable to the Company. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully utilize any of these possible sources to provide additional liquidity. If additional funding is not available in sufficient amounts, Acorn will not be able to fund its own corporate activities during the next twelve months, which could materially impact its ability to continue operations, and the Company may not be able to fund OmniMetrix as it has historically, which could materially impact its carrying value. As such, these factors raise substantial doubt as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

Basis of Presentation and Liquidity

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

NOTE 1— BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND LIQUIDITY

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Acorn Energy, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial information and with the instructions to Article 8 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for complete consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the nine month period ended September 30, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2016. All dollar amounts in the notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements are in thousands except for per share data.

Certain reclassifications have been made to the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements for the nine month period ended September 30, 2015 to conform to the current period’s condensed consolidated financial statement presentation. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.

On April 21, 2016, the Company closed on a transaction for the sale of a portion of its interests in DSIT Solutions, Ltd. (see Note 3). As a result of the transaction, the Company’s holdings in DSIT were reduced from 78.7% (on a fully diluted basis) to 41.2% and, subsequent to the DSIT Transaction, the Company has limited representation on the DSIT Board of directors. Accordingly, following the sale, the Company no longer consolidates the results of DSIT. Operating results for DSIT through April 21, 2016 are consolidated in continuing operations while the Company’s share of DSIT’s results for the period from April 22, 2016 to September 30, 2016 are included in the Company’s unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations in the line “Share of income in DSIT” under the equity method of accounting.

The Company currently does not have sufficient cash flow to finance its activities for the next 12 months. On July 12, 2016, the Company and its GridSense subsidiary closed on a transaction for the sale of GridSense’s assets (See Note 4). As a result of the transaction, GridSense received gross proceeds of $1,000 of which $100 was set aside as an indemnity escrow. From the proceeds of the sale, GridSense paid off approximately $240 of previously accrued severance and other payroll costs as well as approximately $56 of transaction costs of the sale transaction. Following the sale, GridSense also engaged a third-party liquidation officer to satisfy, to the extent of the funds available from the remaining proceeds, the claims of GridSense creditors, including Acorn which is GridSense’s largest creditor. Through October 31, 2016, the liquidator has settled approximately $5,890 of GridSense creditor claims ($5,555 from the Company), while disbursing approximately $535 to the creditors of GridSense ($500 to the Company). As of October 31, 2016, the Company had approximately $230 of unrestricted cash and cash equivalents.

Additional liquidity will be necessary to finance the operating activities of Acorn and the operations of its OmniMetrix subsidiary. The Company will continue to pursue sources of funding, which may include loans from related and/or non-related parties, a sale or partial sale of one or more of its businesses, finding a strategic partner or equity financings. There can be no assurance additional funding will be available at terms acceptable to the Company. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully utilize any of these possible sources to provide additional liquidity. If additional funding is not available in sufficient amounts, Acorn will not be able to fund its own corporate activities during the next twelve months, which could materially impact its ability to continue operations, and the Company may not be able to fund OmniMetrix as it has historically, which could materially impact its carrying value. As such, these factors raise substantial doubt as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.