Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Long-term Debt - Additional Information (Details)

v3.10.0.1
Long-term Debt - Additional Information (Details)
$ / shares in Units, shares in Millions
3 Months Ended 9 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
USD ($)
Sep. 30, 2017
USD ($)
Sep. 30, 2018
USD ($)
Sep. 30, 2017
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2017
USD ($)
$ / shares
shares
Debt Instrument [Line Items]          
Principal, net of issuance costs $ 1,096,000,000   $ 1,096,000,000   $ 1,211,000,000
Total interest expense 19,681,000 $ 17,584,000 57,424,000 $ 46,728,000  
Convertible Senior Notes [Member] | 4.125% Convertible Senior Notes Due September 1, 2022 [Member]          
Debt Instrument [Line Items]          
Principal 150,000,000   150,000,000   150,000,000
Principal, net of issuance costs         $ 145,000,000
Interest rate         4.125%
Conversion rate of shares for each $1,000 principal amount of convertible notes         36.7107
Conversion of debt equals shares (in shares) | shares         5.5
Conversion price per share (in usd per share) | $ / shares         $ 27.24
Adjustment for dividends declared (in usd per share) | $ / shares         $ 0.33
Redemption price, percentage         100.00%
Total interest expense $ 2,000,000 $ 800,000 5,000,000 $ 800,000  
Residential Solar Loan [Member] | SunPower Corporation [Member]          
Debt Instrument [Line Items]          
Payment of principal and interest on loan     $ 1,000,000