Common Stock - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands |
1 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nov. 21, 2016 |
May 31, 2016 |
Aug. 31, 2015 |
Dec. 31, 2016 |
Dec. 31, 2015 |
|
| Overview Of The Company [Line Items] | |||||
| Common stock shares sold | 7,915,004 | 3,099,173 | |||
| Issuance of common stock public offering | $ 1,700,000 | $ 738,300 | $ 1,687,147 | $ 738,408 | |
| Common Stock [Member] | |||||
| Overview Of The Company [Line Items] | |||||
| Common stock shares sold | 7,915,000 | 3,099,000 | |||
| Issuance of common stock public offering | $ 8 | $ 3 | |||
| Conversion of stock, shares issued | 11,124,497,000 | ||||
| SolarCity [Member] | Common Stock [Member] | |||||
| Overview Of The Company [Line Items] | |||||
| Conversion of stock, shares converted | 101,131,791,000 | ||||
| Chief Executive Officer [Member] | |||||
| Overview Of The Company [Line Items] | |||||
| Common stock shares sold | 82,645 | ||||
| Issuance of common stock public offering | $ 20,000 | ||||