First Solar (FSLR) 10-Q 3 May 19 2019 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document

Document - $ / shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Apr. 26, 2019
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	FIRST SOLAR, INC.
Trading Symbol	FSLR
Entity Central Index Key	0001274494
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2019
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Par Value Per Share	$ 0.001
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		105,353,185

Condensed Consolidated Statemen

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Net sales	$ 531,978	$ 567,265
Cost of sales	531,866	394,467
Gross profit	112	172,798
Operating expenses:
Selling, general and administrative	45,352	41,126
Research and development	21,877	20,324
Production start-up	9,522	37,084
Total operating expenses	76,751	98,534
Operating (loss) income	(76,639)	74,264
Foreign currency gain (loss), net	172	(2,517)
Interest income	14,259	11,824
Interest expense, net	(10,121)	(5,182)
Other income, net	3,509	17,934
(Loss) income before taxes and equity in earnings	(68,820)	96,323
Income tax benefit (expense)	1,394	(11,625)
Equity in earnings, net of tax	(173)	(1,747)
Net (loss) income	$ (67,599)	$ 82,951
Net (loss) income per share:
Basic	$ (0.64)	$ 0.79
Diluted	$ (0.64)	$ 0.78
Weighted-average number of shares used in per share calculations:
Basic	105,046	104,550
Diluted	105,046	106,305

Condensed Consolidated Statem_2

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Net (loss) income	$ (67,599)	$ 82,951
Other comprehensive loss:
Foreign currency translation adjustments	(1,142)	6,014
Unrealized loss on marketable securities and restricted investments, net of tax of $977 and $3,110	(3,347)	(25,924)
Unrealized loss on derivative instruments, net of tax of $(27) and $(64)	(58)	(932)
Other comprehensive loss	(4,547)	(20,842)
Comprehensive (loss) income	(72,146)	62,109
Unrealized loss on marketable securities and restricted investments, tax	977	3,110
Unrealized loss on derivative instruments, tax	$ (27)	$ (64)

Condensed Consolidated Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 1,013,402	$ 1,403,562
Marketable securities	1,103,812	1,143,704
Accounts receivable trade, net	301,669	128,282
Accounts receivable, unbilled and retainage	367,140	458,166
Inventories	459,472	387,912
Balance of systems parts	59,890	56,906
Project assets	80,278	37,930
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	277,163	243,061
Total current assets	3,662,826	3,859,523
Property, plant and equipment, net	1,859,293	1,756,211
PV solar power systems, net	305,628	308,640
Project assets	492,011	460,499
Deferred tax assets, net	78,283	77,682
Restricted cash and investments	388,637	318,390
Goodwill	14,462	14,462
Intangibles assets, net	71,641	74,162
Inventories	142,192	130,083
Notes receivable, affiliate	0	22,832
Other assets	241,953	98,878
Total assets	7,256,926	7,121,362
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	221,738	233,287
Income taxes payable	7,865	20,885
Accrued expenses	408,031	441,580
Current portion of long-term debt	12,361	5,570
Deferred revenue	166,984	129,755
Other current liabilities	19,537	14,380
Total current liabilities	836,516	845,457
Accrued solar module collection and recycling liability	134,228	134,442
Long-term debt	558,356	461,221
Other liabilities	598,665	467,839
Total liabilities	2,127,765	1,908,959
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock, $0.001 par value per share; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 105,352,685 and 104,885,261 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively	105	105
Additional paid-in capital	2,814,115	2,825,211
Accumulated earnings	2,373,954	2,441,553
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(59,013)	(54,466)
Total stockholders' equity	5,129,161	5,212,403
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$ 7,256,926	$ 7,121,362

Condensed Consolidated Balanc_2

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Common Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Common Stock, Shares Authorized	500,000,000	500,000,000
Common Stock, Shares Issued	105,352,685	104,885,261
Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	105,352,685	104,885,261

Condensed Consolidated Statem_3

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net (loss) income	$ (67,599)	$ 82,951
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation, amortization and accretion	48,872	24,419
Impairments and net losses on disposal of long-lived assets	352	1,047
Share-based compensation	5,019	8,652
Equity in earnings, net of tax	173	1,747
Remeasurement of monetary assets and liabilities	800	(1,458)
Deferred income taxes	397	(5,567)
Gains on sales of marketable securities and restricted investments	(15,016)	(19,470)
Liabilities assumed by customers for the sale of systems	0	(60,307)
Other, net	239	6,097
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable, trade, unbilled and retainage	(82,896)	(37,633)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	(28,400)	(60,539)
Inventories and balance of systems parts	(87,102)	(40,624)
Project assets and PV solar power systems	(73,402)	131,342
Other assets	26,481	(8,260)
Income tax receivable and payable	(16,512)	12,208
Accounts payable	(15,066)	1,909
Accrued expenses and other liabilities	53	(84,832)
Accrued solar module collection and recycling liability	167	3,032
Net cash used in operating activities	(303,440)	(45,286)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property, plant and equipment	(149,168)	(177,725)
Purchases of marketable securities and restricted investments	(260,715)	(366,429)
Proceeds from sales and maturities of marketable securities and restricted investments	270,091	167,134
Proceeds from sales of equity method investments	0	7,559
Other investing activities	21	(5,228)
Net cash used in investing activities	(139,771)	(374,689)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repayment of long-term debt	(2,703)	(11,282)
Proceeds from borrowings under long-term debt, net of discounts and issuance costs	106,503	65,309
Payments of tax withholdings for restricted shares	(15,663)	(10,137)
Contingent consideration payments and other financing activities	(299)	(1,734)
Net cash provided by financing activities	87,838	42,156
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(625)	(5,074)
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(355,998)	(382,893)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of the period	1,562,623	2,330,476
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of the period	1,206,625	1,947,583
Supplemental disclosure of noncash investing and financing activities:
Property, plant and equipment acquisitions funded by liabilities	135,520	162,812
Accrued interest capitalized to long-term debt	$ 0	$ 786

Condensed Consolidated Statem_4

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity Statement - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]	Accumulated Earnings [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income [Member]
Common stock, shares, beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2017		104,468,000
Stockholders' equity, beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2017	$ 5,098,697	$ 104	$ 2,799,107	$ 2,297,227	$ 2,259
Net (loss) income	82,951			82,951
Other comprehensive loss	(20,842)				(20,842)
Common stock issued for share-based compensation, shares		444,000
Common stock issued for share-based compensation	1	$ 1	0
Tax withholding related to vesting of restricted stock, shares		(149,000)
Tax withholding related to vesting of restricted stock	(10,137)	$ 0	(10,137)
Share-based compensation expense	8,701		8,701
Common stock, shares, ending balance at Mar. 31, 2018		104,763,000
Stockholders' equity, ending balance at Mar. 31, 2018	$ 5,159,371	$ 105	2,797,671	2,380,178	(18,583)
Common stock, shares, beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2018	104,885,261	104,885,000
Stockholders' equity, beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2018	$ 5,212,403	$ 105	2,825,211	2,441,553	(54,466)
Net (loss) income	(67,599)			(67,599)
Other comprehensive loss	(4,547)				(4,547)
Common stock issued for share-based compensation, shares		767,000
Common stock issued for share-based compensation	1	$ 1	0
Tax withholding related to vesting of restricted stock, shares		(299,000)
Tax withholding related to vesting of restricted stock	(15,664)	$ (1)	(15,663)
Share-based compensation expense	$ 4,567		4,567
Common stock, shares, ending balance at Mar. 31, 2019	105,352,685	105,353,000
Stockholders' equity, ending balance at Mar. 31, 2019	$ 5,129,161	$ 105	$ 2,814,115	$ 2,373,954	$ (59,013)

1. Basis of Presentation

1. Basis of Presentation	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	1. Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of First Solar, Inc. and its subsidiaries in this Quarterly Report have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and pursuant to the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Accordingly, these interim financial statements do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for annual financial statements. In the opinion of First Solar management, all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair statement have been included. Certain prior period balances have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our condensed consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. Despite our intention to establish accurate estimates and reasonable assumptions, actual results could differ materially from such estimates and assumptions. Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2019 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2019 or for any other period. The condensed consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2018 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements at that date, but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. These interim financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2018 included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the SEC. Unless expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, the terms “the Company,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and “First Solar” refer to First Solar, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, and the term “condensed consolidated financial statements” refers to the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements contained in this Quarterly Report.

2. Recent Accounting Pronouncem

2. Recent Accounting Pronouncements	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Abstract]
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	2. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815) – Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities , to simplify certain aspects of hedge accounting for both non-financial and financial risks and better align the recognition and measurement of hedge results with an entity’s risk management activities. ASU 2017-12 also amends certain presentation and disclosure requirements for hedging activities and changes how an entity assesses hedge effectiveness. The adoption of ASU 2017-12 in the first quarter of 2019 did not have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements and associated disclosures. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326) , to provide financial statement users with more useful information about expected credit losses. ASU 2016-13 also changes how entities measure credit losses on financial instruments and the timing of when such losses are recorded. ASU 2016-13 is effective for fiscal years and interim periods within those years beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted for periods beginning after December 15, 2018. We are currently evaluating the impact ASU 2016-13 will have on our consolidated financial statements and associated disclosures. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) , to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing a right-of-use asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months and disclosing key information about leasing transactions. Leases are classified as either operating or financing, with such classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-11, Leases (Topic 842) – Targeted Improvements , which provided an optional transition method to apply the new lease requirements through a cumulative-effect adjustment in the period of adoption. We adopted ASU 2016-02 in the first quarter of 2019 using the optional transition method and elected certain practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance, which, among other things, allowed us to not reassess prior conclusions related to contracts containing leases or lease classification. The adoption primarily affected our condensed consolidated balance sheet through the recognition of $140.7 million of right-of-use assets and $119.9 million of lease liabilities as of January 1, 2019 and the derecognition of historical prepaid and deferred rent balances. The adoption did not have a significant impact on our results of operations or cash flows. See Note 7. “Leases” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for further discussion of the effects of the adoption of ASU 2016-02 and the associated disclosures.

3. Cash, Cash Equivalents, and

3. Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Short-term Investments [Abstract]
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities	3. Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Cash and cash equivalents: Cash $ 812,422 $ 1,202,774 Money market funds 200,980 200,788 Total cash and cash equivalents 1,013,402 1,403,562 Marketable securities: Foreign debt 345,950 318,646 Foreign government obligations 60,124 98,621 U.S. debt 59,622 44,468 Time deposits 638,116 681,969 Total marketable securities 1,103,812 1,143,704 Total cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities $ 2,117,214 $ 2,547,266 The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash reported within our condensed consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 to the total of such amounts as presented in the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows (in thousands): Balance Sheet Line Item March 31, December 31, Cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,013,402 $ 1,403,562 Restricted cash – current (1) Prepaid expenses and other current assets 23,694 19,671 Restricted cash – noncurrent (1) Restricted cash and investments 169,529 139,390 Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash $ 1,206,625 $ 1,562,623 —————————— (1) See Note 4. “Restricted Cash and Investments” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for discussion of our “Restricted cash” arrangements. See Note 8. “Fair Value Measurements” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for information about the fair value of our marketable securities. The following tables summarize the unrealized gains and losses related to our available-for-sale marketable securities, by major security type, as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): As of March 31, 2019 Amortized Cost Unrealized Gains Unrealized Losses Fair Value Foreign debt $ 346,931 $ 213 $ 1,194 $ 345,950 Foreign government obligations 60,385 — 261 60,124 U.S. debt 59,641 76 95 59,622 Time deposits 638,116 — — 638,116 Total $ 1,105,073 $ 289 $ 1,550 $ 1,103,812 As of December 31, 2018 Amortized Cost Unrealized Gains Unrealized Losses Fair Value Foreign debt $ 320,056 $ 468 $ 1,878 $ 318,646 Foreign government obligations 99,189 — 568 98,621 U.S. debt 44,625 53 210 44,468 Time deposits 681,969 — — 681,969 Total $ 1,145,839 $ 521 $ 2,656 $ 1,143,704 As of March 31, 2019 , we identified 15 investments totaling $183.3 million that had been in a loss position for a period of time greater than 12 months with unrealized losses of $0.9 million . As of December 31, 2018 , we identified 15 investments totaling $207.2 million that had been in a loss position for a period of time greater than 12 months with unrealized losses of $1.8 million . Such unrealized losses were primarily due to increases in interest rates relative to rates at the time of purchase. Based on the underlying credit quality of the investments, we do not intend to sell these securities prior to the recovery of our cost basis. Therefore, we did not consider these securities to be other-than-temporarily impaired. The following tables show unrealized losses and fair values for those marketable securities that were in an unrealized loss position as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , aggregated by major security type and the length of time the marketable securities have been in a continuous loss position (in thousands): As of March 31, 2019 In Loss Position for Less Than 12 Months In Loss Position for 12 Months or Greater Total Fair Value Unrealized Losses Fair Value Unrealized Losses Fair Value Unrealized Losses Foreign debt $ 136,198 $ 482 $ 130,807 $ 712 $ 267,005 $ 1,194 Foreign government obligations 21,804 177 38,320 84 60,124 261 U.S. debt 10,018 10 14,183 85 24,201 95 Total $ 168,020 $ 669 $ 183,310 $ 881 $ 351,330 $ 1,550 As of December 31, 2018 In Loss Position for Less Than 12 Months In Loss Position for 12 Months or Greater Total Fair Value Unrealized Losses Fair Value Unrealized Losses Fair Value Unrealized Losses Foreign debt $ 150,842 $ 802 $ 94,446 $ 1,076 $ 245,288 $ 1,878 Foreign government obligations — — 98,621 568 98,621 568 U.S. debt 15,356 32 14,085 178 29,441 210 Total $ 166,198 $ 834 $ 207,152 $ 1,822 $ 373,350 $ 2,656 The contractual maturities of our marketable securities as of March 31, 2019 were as follows (in thousands): Fair Value One year or less $ 817,992 One year to two years 196,142 Two years to three years 89,678 Total $ 1,103,812

4. Restricted Cash and Investme

4. Restricted Cash and Investments	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Restricted Cash and Investments [Abstract]
Restricted Cash and Investments	4. Restricted Cash and Investments Restricted cash and investments consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Restricted cash $ 169,529 $ 139,390 Restricted investments 219,108 179,000 Total restricted cash and investments (1) $ 388,637 $ 318,390 —————————— (1) There was an additional $23.7 million and $19.7 million of restricted cash included within “ Prepaid expenses and other current assets ” at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , respectively. At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , our restricted cash consisted of deposits held by various banks to secure certain of our letters of credit and other deposits designated for the construction or operation of systems projects as well as the payment of amounts related to project specific debt financings. Restricted cash also included certain deposits held in custodial accounts to fund the estimated future costs of our solar module collection and recycling obligations. At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , our restricted investments consisted of long-term marketable securities that were also held in custodial accounts to fund the estimated future costs of collecting and recycling modules covered under our solar module collection and recycling program. As necessary, we fund any incremental amounts for our estimated collection and recycling obligations on an annual basis based on the estimated costs of collecting and recycling covered modules, estimated rates of return on our restricted investments, and an estimated solar module life of 25 years less amounts already funded in prior years. To ensure that amounts previously funded will be available in the future regardless of potential adverse changes in our financial condition (even in the case of our own insolvency), we have established a trust under which estimated funds are put into custodial accounts with an established and reputable bank, for which First Solar, Inc.; First Solar Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.; and First Solar Manufacturing GmbH are grantors. Trust funds may be disbursed for qualified module collection and recycling costs (including capital and facility related recycling costs), payments to customers for assuming collection and recycling obligations, and reimbursements of any overfunded amounts. Investments in the trust must meet certain investment quality criteria comparable to highly rated government or agency bonds. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , we sold certain restricted investments for proceeds of $47.9 million and realized gains of $15.0 million on such sales as part of efforts to align the currencies of the investments with those of the corresponding collection and recycling liabilities and disburse $14.9 million of overfunded amounts. During the three months ended March 31, 2018 , we sold certain restricted investments for proceeds of $101.6 million , realized gains of $19.5 million on such sales, and withdrew the funds from the trust as a reimbursement of overfunded amounts. See Note 8. “Fair Value Measurements” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for information about the fair value of our restricted investments. The following tables summarize the unrealized gains and losses related to our restricted investments, by major security type, as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): As of March 31, 2019 Amortized Cost Unrealized Gains Unrealized Losses Fair Value Foreign government obligations $ 119,161 $ 5,505 $ — $ 124,666 U.S. government obligations 97,171 424 3,153 94,442 Total $ 216,332 $ 5,929 $ 3,153 $ 219,108 As of December 31, 2018 Amortized Cost Unrealized Gains Unrealized Losses Fair Value Foreign government obligations $ 73,798 $ 14,234 $ 235 $ 87,797 U.S. government obligations 97,223 416 6,436 91,203 Total $ 171,021 $ 14,650 $ 6,671 $ 179,000 As of March 31, 2019 , we identified six restricted investments totaling $91.3 million that had been in a loss position for a period of time greater than 12 months with unrealized losses of $3.2 million . As of December 31, 2018 , we identified six restricted investments totaling $87.4 million that had been in a loss position for a period of time greater than 12 months with unrealized losses of $6.4 million . The unrealized losses were primarily due to increases in interest rates relative to rates at the time of purchase. Based on the underlying credit quality of the investments, we do not intend to sell these securities prior to the recovery of our cost basis. Therefore, we did not consider these investments to be other-than-temporarily impaired. The following tables show unrealized losses and fair values for those restricted investments that were in an unrealized loss position as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , aggregated by major security type and the length of time the restricted investments have been in a continuous loss position (in thousands): As of March 31, 2019 In Loss Position for In Loss Position for Total Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized U.S. government obligations $ — $ — $ 91,266 $ 3,153 $ 91,266 $ 3,153 Total $ — $ — $ 91,266 $ 3,153 $ 91,266 $ 3,153 As of December 31, 2018 In Loss Position for In Loss Position for Total Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized Foreign government obligations $ 41,335 $ 235 $ — $ — $ 41,335 $ 235 U.S. government obligations — — 87,401 6,436 87,401 6,436 Total $ 41,335 $ 235 $ 87,401 $ 6,436 $ 128,736 $ 6,671 As of March 31, 2019 , the contractual maturities of our restricted investments were between 10 years and 20 years .

5. Consolidated Balance Sheet D

5. Consolidated Balance Sheet Details	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Balance Sheet Related Disclosures [Abstract]
Consolidated Balance Sheet Details	5. Consolidated Balance Sheet Details Accounts receivable trade, net Accounts receivable trade, net consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Accounts receivable trade, gross $ 303,062 $ 129,644 Allowance for doubtful accounts (1,393 ) (1,362 ) Accounts receivable trade, net $ 301,669 $ 128,282 At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , $45.5 million and $8.5 million , respectively, of our accounts receivable trade, net were secured by letters of credit, bank guarantees, surety bonds, or other forms of financial security issued by creditworthy financial institutions. Accounts receivable, unbilled and retainage Accounts receivable, unbilled and retainage consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Accounts receivable, unbilled $ 347,726 $ 441,666 Retainage 19,414 16,500 Accounts receivable, unbilled and retainage $ 367,140 $ 458,166 Inventories Inventories consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Raw materials $ 244,409 $ 224,329 Work in process 48,530 41,294 Finished goods 308,725 252,372 Inventories $ 601,664 $ 517,995 Inventories – current $ 459,472 $ 387,912 Inventories – noncurrent $ 142,192 $ 130,083 Prepaid expenses and other current assets Prepaid expenses and other current assets consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Prepaid expenses $ 110,085 $ 90,981 Prepaid income taxes 64,726 59,319 Indirect tax receivables 39,765 26,327 Restricted cash 23,694 19,671 Derivative instruments 1,313 2,364 Other current assets 37,580 44,399 Prepaid expenses and other current assets $ 277,163 $ 243,061 Property, plant and equipment, net Property, plant and equipment, net consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Land $ 14,330 $ 14,382 Buildings and improvements 571,345 567,605 Machinery and equipment 2,063,042 1,826,434 Office equipment and furniture 179,013 178,011 Leasehold improvements 49,007 49,055 Construction in progress 299,694 405,581 Property, plant and equipment, gross 3,176,431 3,041,068 Accumulated depreciation (1,317,138 ) (1,284,857 ) Property, plant and equipment, net $ 1,859,293 $ 1,756,211 Depreciation of property, plant and equipment was $42.9 million and $18.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , respectively. PV solar power systems, net Photovoltaic (“PV”) solar power systems, net consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, PV solar power systems, gross $ 343,543 $ 343,061 Accumulated depreciation (37,915 ) (34,421 ) PV solar power systems, net $ 305,628 $ 308,640 Depreciation of PV solar power systems was $3.5 million and $4.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , respectively. Capitalized interest The cost of constructing project assets may include interest costs incurred during the construction period. The components of interest expense and capitalized interest were as follows during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands): Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Interest cost incurred $ (10,948 ) $ (6,465 ) Interest cost capitalized – project assets 827 1,283 Interest expense, net $ (10,121 ) $ (5,182 ) Project assets Project assets consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Project assets – development costs, including project acquisition and land costs $ 323,539 $ 298,070 Project assets – construction costs 248,750 200,359 Project assets $ 572,289 $ 498,429 Project assets – current $ 80,278 $ 37,930 Project assets – noncurrent $ 492,011 $ 460,499 Other assets Other assets consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Operating lease assets (1) $ 168,213 $ — Notes receivable (2) (3) 31,059 8,017 Indirect tax receivables 9,247 22,487 Income taxes receivable 4,444 4,444 Equity method investments 2,960 3,186 Deferred rent — 27,249 Other 26,030 33,495 Other assets $ 241,953 $ 98,878 —————————— (1) See Note 7. “Leases” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for discussion of our lease arrangements. (2) In April 2009, we entered into a credit facility agreement with a solar power project entity of one of our customers for an available amount of €17.5 million to provide financing for a PV solar power system. The credit facility bears interest at 8.0% per annum, payable quarterly, with the full amount due in December 2026. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the balance outstanding on the credit facility was €7.0 million ( $7.9 million and $8.0 million , respectively). (3) In November 2014 and February 2016, we entered into a term loan agreement and a convertible loan agreement, respectively, with Clean Energy Collective, LLC (“CEC”). Our term loan bears interest at 16% per annum, and our convertible loan bears interest at 10% per annum. In November 2018, we amended the terms of the loan agreements to (i) extend their maturity to June 2020, (ii) waive the conversion features on our convertible loan, and (iii) increase the frequency of interest payments, subject to certain conditions. In January 2019, CEC finalized certain restructuring arrangements, which resulted in a dilution of our ownership interest in CEC and the loss of our representation on the company’s board of managers. As a result of such restructuring, CEC no longer qualified to be accounted for under the equity method. As of March 31, 2019 , the aggregate balance outstanding on the loans was $23.2 million and was presented within “Other assets.” As of December 31, 2018 , the aggregate balance outstanding on the loans was $22.8 million and was presented within “Notes receivable, affiliate.” Goodwill Goodwill for the relevant reporting unit consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): December 31, Acquisitions (Impairments) March 31, Modules $ 407,827 $ — $ 407,827 Accumulated impairment losses (393,365 ) — (393,365 ) Goodwill $ 14,462 $ — $ 14,462 Intangible assets, net The following tables summarize our intangible assets at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, 2019 Gross Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Amount Developed technology $ 97,714 $ (35,367 ) $ 62,347 Power purchase agreements 6,486 (729 ) 5,757 Patents 7,408 (3,871 ) 3,537 Intangible assets, net $ 111,608 $ (39,967 ) $ 71,641 December 31, 2018 Gross Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Amount Developed technology $ 97,714 $ (33,093 ) $ 64,621 Power purchase agreements 6,486 (648 ) 5,838 Patents 7,408 (3,705 ) 3,703 Intangible assets, net $ 111,608 $ (37,446 ) $ 74,162 Amortization expense for our intangible assets was $2.5 million and $2.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , respectively. Accrued expenses Accrued expenses consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Accrued project costs $ 130,002 $ 147,162 Accrued property, plant and equipment 83,409 89,905 Accrued inventory 58,476 53,075 Product warranty liability (1) 31,013 27,657 Accrued compensation and benefits 29,761 41,937 Other 75,370 81,844 Accrued expenses $ 408,031 $ 441,580 —————————— (1) See Note 10. “Commitments and Contingencies” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for discussion of our “Product warranty liability.” Other current liabilities Other current liabilities consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Operating lease liabilities (1) $ 12,736 $ — Derivative instruments 2,105 7,294 Contingent consideration (2) 414 665 Other 4,282 6,421 Other current liabilities $ 19,537 $ 14,380 —————————— (1) See Note 7. “Leases” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for discussion of our lease arrangements. (2) See Note 10. “Commitments and Contingencies” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for discussion of our “Contingent consideration” arrangements. Other liabilities Other liabilities consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Product warranty liability (1) $ 186,228 $ 193,035 Operating lease liabilities (2) 132,551 — Other taxes payable 84,817 83,058 Transition tax liability 77,016 77,016 Deferred revenue 50,451 48,014 Derivative instruments 14,257 9,205 Contingent consideration (1) 2,250 2,250 Other 51,095 55,261 Other liabilities $ 598,665 $ 467,839 —————————— (1) See Note 10. “Commitments and Contingencies” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for discussion of our “Product warranty liability” and “Contingent consideration” arrangements. (2) See Note 7. “Leases” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for discussion of our lease arrangements.

6. Derivative Financial Instrum

6. Derivative Financial Instruments	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative Financial Instruments	6. Derivative Financial Instruments As a global company, we are exposed in the normal course of business to interest rate and foreign currency risks that could affect our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows. We use derivative instruments to hedge against these risks and only hold such instruments for hedging purposes, not for speculative or trading purposes. Depending on the terms of the specific derivative instruments and market conditions, some of our derivative instruments may be assets and others liabilities at any particular balance sheet date. We report all of our derivative instruments at fair value and account for changes in the fair value of derivative instruments within “ Accumulated other comprehensive loss ” if the derivative instruments qualify for hedge accounting. For those derivative instruments that do not qualify for hedge accounting (“economic hedges”), we record the changes in fair value directly to earnings. See Note 8. “Fair Value Measurements” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for information about the techniques we use to measure the fair value of our derivative instruments. The following tables present the fair values of derivative instruments included in our condensed consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, 2019 Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets Other Current Liabilities Other Liabilities Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: Foreign exchange forward contracts $ 129 $ — $ — Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments $ 129 $ — $ — Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: Foreign exchange forward contracts $ 1,184 $ 1,595 $ — Interest rate swap contracts — 510 14,257 Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments $ 1,184 $ 2,105 $ 14,257 Total derivative instruments $ 1,313 $ 2,105 $ 14,257 December 31, 2018 Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets Other Current Liabilities Other Liabilities Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: Foreign exchange forward contracts $ 158 $ — $ — Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments $ 158 $ — $ — Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: Foreign exchange forward contracts $ 2,206 $ 7,096 $ — Interest rate swap contracts — 198 9,205 Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments $ 2,206 $ 7,294 $ 9,205 Total derivative instruments $ 2,364 $ 7,294 $ 9,205 The following table presents the pretax amounts related to derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges affecting accumulated other comprehensive income or loss and our condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands): Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts Balance in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income at December 31, 2018 $ 1,329 Amounts recognized in other comprehensive (loss) income (31 ) Balance in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income at March 31, 2019 $ 1,298 Balance in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income at December 31, 2017 $ (1,723 ) Amounts recognized in other comprehensive (loss) income (868 ) Balance in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income at March 31, 2018 $ (2,591 ) We recorded no amounts related to ineffective portions of our derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges during the three months ended March 31, 2018 . We recognized unrealized losses of $0.2 million related to amounts excluded from effectiveness testing for our foreign exchange forward contracts designated as cash flow hedges within “ Other income, net ” during the three months ended March 31, 2018 . The following table presents gains and losses related to derivative instruments not designated as hedges affecting our condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands): Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income Three Months Ended Income Statement Line Item 2019 2018 Foreign exchange forward contracts Foreign currency gain (loss), net $ 1,900 $ (12,656 ) Interest rate swap contracts Interest expense, net (5,364 ) (660 ) Interest Rate Risk We use interest rate swap contracts to mitigate our exposure to interest rate fluctuations associated with certain of our debt instruments. We do not use such swap contracts for speculative or trading purposes. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , all of our interest rate swap contracts related to project specific debt facilities. Such swap contracts did not qualify for accounting as cash flow hedges in accordance with ASC 815 due to our expectation to sell the associated projects before the maturity of their project specific debt financings and corresponding swap contracts. Accordingly, changes in the fair values of the swap contracts were recorded directly to “ Interest expense, net .” In May 2018, FS NSW Project No 1 Finco Pty Ltd, our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary and project financing company, entered into various interest rate swap contracts to hedge the floating rate construction loan facility and a portion of the floating rate term loan facility under the associated project’s Beryl Credit Facility (as defined in Note 9. “Debt” to our condensed consolidated financial statements). The swaps had an initial aggregate notional value of AUD 42.4 million and, depending on the loan facility being hedged, entitled the project to receive one-month or three-month floating Bank Bill Swap Bid (“BBSY”) interest rates while requiring the project to pay fixed rates of 2.0615% or 3.2020% . The notional amounts of the interest rate swap contracts are scheduled to proportionately adjust with the scheduled draws and principal payments on the underlying hedged debt. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the aggregate notional value of the interest rate swap contracts was AUD 135.2 million ( $95.9 million ) and AUD 103.4 million ( $73.4 million ), respectively. In January 2017, FS Japan Project 12 GK, our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary and project company, entered into an interest rate swap contract to hedge a portion of the floating rate senior loan facility under the project’s Ishikawa Credit Agreement (as defined in Note 9. “Debt” to our condensed consolidated financial statements). Such swap had an initial notional value of ¥5.7 billion and entitled the project to receive a six-month floating TIBOR plus 0.75% interest rate while requiring the project to pay a fixed rate of 1.482% . The notional amount of the interest rate swap contract is scheduled to proportionately adjust with the scheduled draws and principal payments on the underlying hedged debt. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the notional value of the interest rate swap contract was ¥19.2 billion ( $173.5 million ). Foreign Currency Risk Cash Flow Exposure We expect certain of our subsidiaries to have future cash flows that will be denominated in currencies other than the subsidiaries’ functional currencies. Changes in the exchange rates between the functional currencies of our subsidiaries and the other currencies in which they transact will cause fluctuations in the cash flows we expect to receive or pay when these cash flows are realized or settled. Accordingly, we enter into foreign exchange forward contracts to hedge a portion of these forecasted cash flows. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , these foreign exchange forward contracts hedged our forecasted cash flows for periods up to three months and six months , respectively. These foreign exchange forward contracts qualify for accounting as cash flow hedges in accordance with ASC 815, and we designated them as such. We initially report the effective portion of a derivative ’ s unrealized gain or loss in “ Accumulated other comprehensive loss ” and subsequently reclassify amounts into earnings when the hedged transaction occurs and impacts earnings. We determined that these derivative financial instruments were highly effective as cash flow hedges as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 . As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the notional values associated with our foreign exchange forward contracts qualifying as cash flow hedges were as follows (notional amounts and U.S. dollar equivalents in millions): March 31, 2019 Currency Notional Amount USD Equivalent Australian dollar AUD 8.8 $6.2 December 31, 2018 Currency Notional Amount USD Equivalent Australian dollar AUD 8.8 $6.2 In the following 12 months, we expect to reclassify to earnings $1.3 million of net unrealized gains related to forward contracts that are included in “ Accumulated other comprehensive loss ” at March 31, 2019 as we realize the earnings effects of the related forecasted transactions. The amount we ultimately record to earnings will depend on the actual exchange rates when we realize the related forecasted transactions. Transaction Exposure and Economic Hedging Many of our subsidiaries have assets and liabilities (primarily cash, receivables, marketable securities, deferred taxes, payables, accrued expenses, and solar module collection and recycling liabilities) that are denominated in currencies other than the subsidiaries’ functional currencies. Changes in the exchange rates between the functional currencies of our subsidiaries and the other currencies in which these assets and liabilities are denominated will create fluctuations in our reported condensed consolidated statements of operations and cash flows. We may enter into foreign exchange forward contracts or other financial instruments to economically hedge assets and liabilities against the effects of currency exchange rate fluctuations. The gains and losses on such foreign exchange forward contracts will economically offset all or part of the transaction gains and losses that we recognize in earnings on the related foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities. We also enter into foreign exchange forward contracts to economically hedge balance sheet and other exposures related to transactions between certain of our subsidiaries and transactions with third parties. Such contracts are considered economic hedges and do not qualify for hedge accounting. Accordingly, we recognize gains or losses from the fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and the fair value of these derivative contracts in “ Foreign currency gain (loss), net ” on our condensed consolidated statements of operations. These contracts mature at various dates within the next three months . As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the notional values of our foreign exchange forward contracts that do not qualify for hedge accounting were as follows (notional amounts and U.S. dollar equivalents in millions): March 31, 2019 Transaction Currency Notional Amount USD Equivalent Purchase Australian dollar AUD 4.5 $3.2 Sell Australian dollar AUD 8.8 $6.2 Purchase Brazilian real BRL 8.5 $2.2 Purchase Canadian dollar CAD 4.6 $3.4 Sell Chilean peso CLP 3,407.8 $5.0 Purchase Euro €113.1 $127.1 Sell Euro €151.5 $170.2 Sell Indian rupee INR 789.2 $11.4 Purchase Japanese yen ¥497.9 $4.5 Sell Japanese yen ¥21,822.1 $197.0 Purchase Malaysian ringgit MYR 33.3 $8.2 Sell Malaysian ringgit MYR 69.0 $16.9 Sell Mexican peso MXN 34.6 $1.8 Purchase Singapore dollar SGD 4.0 $3.0 Sell Singapore dollar SGD 1.4 $1.0 December 31, 2018 Transaction Currency Notional Amount USD Equivalent Purchase Australian dollar AUD 2.1 $1.5 Sell Australian dollar AUD 52.9 $37.3 Purchase Brazilian real BRL 8.5 $2.2 Sell Canadian dollar CAD 2.9 $2.1 Sell Chilean peso CLP 3,506.6 $5.1 Purchase Euro €115.2 $131.9 Sell Euro €191.8 $219.7 Sell Indian rupee INR 789.2 $11.3 Purchase Japanese yen ¥931.6 $8.4 Sell Japanese yen ¥23,858.8 $216.2 Purchase Malaysian ringgit MYR 34.3 $8.3 Sell Malaysian ringgit MYR 53.8 $12.9 Sell Mexican peso MXN 37.3 $1.9 Purchase Singapore dollar SGD 3.8 $2.8

7. Leases (Notes)

7. Leases (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
Leases	7. Leases Our lease arrangements include land associated with our systems projects, our corporate and administrative offices, land for our international manufacturing facilities, and certain of our manufacturing equipment. Such leases primarily relate to assets located in the United States, Japan, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Upon commencement of a lease, we recognize a lease liability for the present value of the lease payments not yet paid, discounted using an interest rate that represents our ability to borrow on a collateralized basis over a period that approximates the lease term. We also recognize a lease asset, which represents our right to control the use of the underlying property, plant or equipment, at an amount equal to the lease liability adjusted for prepayments and initial direct costs. We subsequently recognize the cost of the lease on a straight-line basis over the lease term, and any variable lease costs, which represent amounts owed to the lessor that are not fixed per the terms of the contract, are recognized in the period in which they are incurred. Any costs included in our lease arrangements that are not directly related to the leased assets, such as maintenance charges, are included as part of the lease costs. Leases with an initial term of one year or less are considered short-term leases and are not recognized as lease assets and liabilities. We also recognize the cost of such short-term leases on a straight-line basis over the term of the underlying agreement. Many of our leases, in particular those related to systems project land, contain renewal or termination options that are exercisable at our discretion. At the commencement date of a lease, we include in the lease term any periods covered by a renewal option, and exclude from the lease term any periods covered by a termination option, to the extent we are reasonably certain to exercise such options. In making this determination, we seek to align the lease term with the expected economic life of the underlying asset. The following table presents certain quantitative information related to our lease arrangements for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and as of March 31, 2019 (in thousands): Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 Operating lease cost $ 5,283 Variable lease cost 749 Short-term lease cost 2,842 Total lease cost $ 8,874 Payments of amounts included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities $ 4,947 Lease assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities $ 149,631 March 31, 2019 Weighted-average remaining lease term 18 years Weighted-average discount rate 4.7 % As of March 31, 2019 , the future payments associated with our lease liabilities were as follows (in thousands): Total Lease Liabilities Remainder of 2019 $ 13,838 2020 14,436 2021 13,656 2022 13,255 2023 13,000 Thereafter 151,562 Total future payments 219,747 Less: interest (74,460 ) Total lease liabilities $ 145,287

8. Fair Value Measurements

8. Fair Value Measurements	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurements	8. Fair Value Measurements The following is a description of the valuation techniques that we use to measure the fair value of assets and liabilities that we measure and report at fair value on a recurring basis: • Cash Equivalents. At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , our cash equivalents consisted of money market funds. We value our cash equivalents using observable inputs that reflect quoted prices for securities with identical characteristics, and accordingly, we classify the valuation techniques that use these inputs as Level 1. • Marketable Securities and Restricted Investments. At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , our marketable securities consisted of foreign debt, foreign government obligations, U.S. debt, and time deposits, and our restricted investments consisted of foreign and U.S. government obligations. We value our marketable securities and restricted investments using observable inputs that reflect quoted prices for securities with identical characteristics or quoted prices for securities with similar characteristics and other observable inputs (such as interest rates that are observable at commonly quoted intervals). Accordingly, we classify the valuation techniques that use these inputs as either Level 1 or Level 2 depending on the inputs used. We also consider the effect of our counterparties’ credit standing in these fair value measurements. • Derivative Assets and Liabilities . At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , our derivative assets and liabilities consisted of foreign exchange forward contracts involving major currencies and interest rate swap contracts involving major interest rates. Since our derivative assets and liabilities are not traded on an exchange, we value them using standard industry valuation models. As applicable, these models project future cash flows and discount the amounts to a present value using market-based observable inputs, including interest rate curves, credit risk, foreign exchange rates, and forward and spot prices for currencies. These inputs are observable in active markets over the contract term of the derivative instruments we hold, and accordingly, we classify the valuation techniques as Level 2. In evaluating credit risk, we consider the effect of our counterparties’ and our own credit standing in the fair value measurements of our derivative assets and liabilities, respectively. At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the fair value measurements of our assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis were as follows (in thousands): Fair Value Measurements at Reporting Date Using March 31, Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Assets: Cash equivalents: Money market funds $ 200,980 $ 200,980 $ — $ — Marketable securities: Foreign debt 345,950 — 345,950 — Foreign government obligations 60,124 — 60,124 — U.S. debt 59,622 — 59,622 — Time deposits 638,116 638,116 — — Restricted investments 219,108 — 219,108 — Derivative assets 1,313 — 1,313 — Total assets $ 1,525,213 $ 839,096 $ 686,117 $ — Liabilities: Derivative liabilities $ 16,362 $ — $ 16,362 $ — Fair Value Measurements at Reporting Date Using December 31, Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Assets: Cash equivalents: Money market funds $ 200,788 $ 200,788 $ — $ — Marketable securities: Foreign debt 318,646 — 318,646 — Foreign government obligations 98,621 — 98,621 — U.S. debt 44,468 — 44,468 — Time deposits 681,969 681,969 — — Restricted investments 179,000 — 179,000 — Derivative assets 2,364 — 2,364 — Total assets $ 1,525,856 $ 882,757 $ 643,099 $ — Liabilities: Derivative liabilities $ 16,499 $ — $ 16,499 $ — Fair Value of Financial Instruments At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the carrying values and fair values of our financial instruments not measured at fair value were as follows (in thousands): March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 Carrying Value Fair Value Carrying Value Fair Value Assets: Notes receivable – noncurrent $ 31,059 $ 32,888 $ 8,017 $ 8,010 Notes receivable, affiliate – noncurrent — — 22,832 24,295 Liabilities: Long-term debt, including current maturities (1) $ 582,698 $ 598,128 $ 479,157 $ 470,124 —————————— (1) Excludes unamortized discounts and issuance costs. The carrying values in our condensed consolidated balance sheets of our trade accounts receivable, unbilled accounts receivable and retainage, restricted cash, accounts payable, and accrued expenses approximated their fair values due to their nature and relatively short maturities; therefore, we excluded them from the foregoing table. The fair value measurements for our notes receivable and long-term debt are considered Level 2 measurements under the fair value hierarchy. Credit Risk We have certain financial and derivative instruments that subject us to credit risk. These consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities, accounts receivable, restricted cash and investments, notes receivable, and foreign exchange forward contracts. We are exposed to credit losses in the event of nonperformance by the counterparties to our financial and derivative instruments. We place cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities, restricted cash and investments, and foreign exchange forward contracts with various high-quality financial institutions and limit the amount of credit risk from any one counterparty. We continuously evaluate the credit standing of our counterparty financial institutions. Our net sales are primarily concentrated among a limited number of customers. We monitor the financial condition of our customers and perform credit evaluations whenever considered necessary. Depending upon the sales arrangement, we may require some form of payment security from our customers, including advance payments, parent guarantees, letters of credit, bank guarantees, or surety bonds. We also have power purchase agreements (“PPAs”) that subject us to credit risk in the event our offtake counterparties are unable to fulfill their contractual obligations, which may adversely affect our project assets and certain receivables. Accordingly, we closely monitor the credit standing of existing and potential offtake counterparties to limit such risks.

9. Debt

9. Debt	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Debt Instruments [Abstract]
Debt	9. Debt Our long-term debt consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): Balance (USD) Loan Agreement Currency March 31, December 31, Revolving Credit Facility USD $ — $ — Luz del Norte Credit Facilities USD 188,849 188,849 Ishikawa Credit Agreement JPY 235,428 157,834 Japan Credit Facility JPY — — Tochigi Credit Facility JPY 37,819 25,468 Anantapur Credit Facility INR 15,571 16,101 Tungabhadra Credit Facility INR 13,131 13,934 Beryl Credit Facility AUD 91,900 76,971 Long-term debt principal 582,698 479,157 Less: unamortized discounts and issuance costs (11,981 ) (12,366 ) Total long-term debt 570,717 466,791 Less: current portion (12,361 ) (5,570 ) Noncurrent portion $ 558,356 $ 461,221 Revolving Credit Facility Our amended and restated credit agreement with several financial institutions as lenders and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as administrative agent provides us with a senior secured credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) with an aggregate borrowing capacity of $500.0 million , which we may increase to $750.0 million , subject to certain conditions. Borrowings under the credit facility bear interest at (i) London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), adjusted for Eurocurrency reserve requirements, plus a margin of 2.00% or (ii) a base rate as defined in the credit agreement plus a margin of 1.00% depending on the type of borrowing requested. These margins are also subject to adjustment depending on our consolidated leverage ratio. We had no borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 and had issued $64.8 million and $66.0 million , respectively, of letters of credit using availability under the facility. Loans and letters of credit issued under the Revolving Credit Facility are jointly and severally guaranteed by First Solar, Inc.; First Solar Electric, LLC; First Solar Electric (California), Inc.; and First Solar Development, LLC and are secured by interests in substantially all of the guarantors’ tangible and intangible assets other than certain excluded assets. In addition to paying interest on outstanding principal under the Revolving Credit Facility, we are required to pay a commitment fee at a rate of 0.30% per annum, based on the average daily unused commitments under the facility, which may also be adjusted due to changes in our consolidated leverage ratio. We also pay a letter of credit fee based on the applicable margin for Eurocurrency revolving loans on the face amount of each letter of credit and a fronting fee of 0.125% . Our Revolving Credit Facility matures in July 2022. Luz del Norte Credit Facilities In August 2014, Parque Solar Fotovoltaico Luz del Norte SpA (“Luz del Norte”), our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary and project company, entered into credit facilities (the “Luz del Norte Credit Facilities”) with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (“OPIC”) and the International Finance Corporation (“IFC”) to provide limited-recourse senior secured debt financing for the design, development, financing, construction, testing, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of a 141 MW AC PV solar power plant located near Copiapó, Chile. In March 2017, we amended the terms of the credit facilities, which (i) allowed for the capitalization of accrued and unpaid interest through March 15, 2017, along with the capitalization of certain future interest payments as variable rate loans under the credit facilities, (ii) allowed for the conversion of certain fixed rate loans to variable rate loans upon scheduled repayment, (iii) extended their maturity until June 2037, and (iv) canceled the remaining borrowing capacity with the exception of the capitalization of certain future interest payments. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the balance outstanding on the OPIC loans was $141.4 million . As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the balance outstanding on the IFC loans was $47.4 million . The credit facilities are secured by liens over all of Luz del Norte’s assets and by a pledge of all of the equity interests in the entity. In February 2019, we received a waiver for technical noncompliance related to the credit facilities as of December 31, 2018. We expect to cure such technical noncompliance within the waiver period, which expires in June 2019. Ishikawa Credit Agreement In December 2016, FS Japan Project 12 GK (“Ishikawa”), our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary and project company, entered into a credit agreement (the “Ishikawa Credit Agreement”) with Mizuho Bank, Ltd. for aggregate borrowings up to ¥27.3 billion ( $246.5 million ) for the development and construction of a 59 MW AC PV solar power plant located in Ishikawa, Japan. The credit agreement consists of a ¥24.0 billion ( $216.7 million ) senior loan facility, a ¥2.1 billion ( $19.0 million ) consumption tax facility, and a ¥1.2 billion ( $10.8 million ) letter of credit facility. The senior loan facility matures in October 2036, and the consumption tax facility matures in April 2020. The credit agreement is secured by pledges of Ishikawa’s assets, accounts, material project documents, and by the equity interests in the entity. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the balance outstanding on the credit agreement was $235.4 million and $157.8 million , respectively. Japan Credit Facility In September 2015, First Solar Japan GK, our wholly-owned subsidiary, entered into a construction loan facility with Mizuho Bank, Ltd. for borrowings up to ¥4.0 billion ( $36.1 million ) for the development and construction of utility-scale PV solar power plants in Japan (the “Japan Credit Facility”). In September 2018, First Solar Japan GK renewed the facility for an additional one-year period until September 2019. The facility is guaranteed by First Solar, Inc. and secured by pledges of certain projects’ cash accounts and other rights in the projects. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , there was no balance outstanding on the facility. Tochigi Credit Facility In June 2017, First Solar Japan GK, our wholly-owned subsidiary, entered into a term loan facility with Mizuho Bank, Ltd. for borrowings up to ¥7.0 billion ( $63.2 million ) for the development of utility-scale PV solar power plants in Japan (the “Tochigi Credit Facility”). The term loan facility matures in March 2021. The facility is guaranteed by First Solar, Inc. and secured by pledges of certain of First Solar Japan GK’s accounts. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the balance outstanding on the term loan facility was $37.8 million and $25.5 million , respectively. Anantapur Credit Facility In March 2018, Anantapur Solar Parks Private Limited, our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary and project company, entered into a term loan facility (the “Anantapur Credit Facility”) with J.P. Morgan Securities India Private Limited for borrowings up to INR 1.2 billion ( $17.3 million ) for costs related to a 20 MW AC PV solar power plant located in Karnataka, India. The term loan facility matures in February 2021 and is secured by a letter of credit issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Singapore, in favor of the lender. Such letter of credit is secured by a cash deposit placed by First Solar FE Holdings Pte. Ltd. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the balance outstanding on the term loan facility was $15.6 million and $16.1 million , respectively. Tungabhadra Credit Facility In March 2018, Tungabhadra Solar Parks Private Limited, our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary and project company, entered into a term loan facility (the “Tungabhadra Credit Facility”) with J.P. Morgan Securities India Private Limited for borrowings up to INR 1.0 billion ( $14.4 million ) for costs related to a 20 MW AC PV solar power plant located in Karnataka, India. The term loan facility matures in February 2021 and is secured by a letter of credit issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Singapore, in favor of the lender. Such letter of credit is secured by a cash deposit placed by First Solar FE Holdings Pte. Ltd. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the balance outstanding on the term loan facility was $13.1 million and $13.9 million , respectively. Beryl Credit Facility In May 2018, FS NSW Project No 1 Finco Pty Ltd, our wholly-owned subsidiary and project financing company, entered into a term loan facility (the “Beryl Credit Facility”) with MUFG Bank, Ltd.; Société Générale, Hong Kong Branch; and Mizuho Bank, Ltd. for aggregate borrowings up to AUD 146.4 million ( $103.9 million ) for the development and construction of an 87 MW AC PV solar power plant located in New South Wales, Australia. In October 2018, the borrowing capacity on the Beryl Credit Facility was reduced to AUD 136.4 million ( $96.8 million ). Accordingly, the credit facility consists of an AUD 125.4 million ( $89.0 million ) construction loan facility, an AUD 7.0 million ( $5.0 million ) GST facility to fund certain taxes associated with the construction of the project, and an AUD 4.0 million ( $2.8 million ) letter of credit facility. Upon completion of the project’s construction, the construction loan facility will convert to a term loan facility. The term loan facility matures in May 2023, and the GST facility matures in May 2020. The credit facility is secured by pledges of the borrower’s assets, accounts, material project documents, and by the equity interests in the entity. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the balance outstanding on the credit facility was $91.9 million and $77.0 million , respectively. Variable Interest Rate Risk Certain of our long-term debt agreements bear interest at prime, LIBOR, TIBOR, BBSY, or equivalent variable rates. An increase in these variable rates would increase the cost of borrowing under our Revolving Credit Facility and certain project specific debt financings. Our long-term debt borrowing rates as of March 31, 2019 were as follows: Loan Agreement March 31, 2019 Revolving Credit Facility 4.49% Luz del Norte Credit Facilities (1) Fixed rate loans at bank rate plus 3.50% Variable rate loans at 91-Day U.S. Treasury Bill Yield or LIBOR plus 3.50% Ishikawa Credit Agreement Senior loan facility at 6-month TIBOR plus 0.75% (2) Consumption tax facility at 3-month TIBOR plus 0.5% Japan Credit Facility 1-month TIBOR plus 0.5% Tochigi Credit Facility 3-month TIBOR plus 1.0% Anantapur Credit Facility INR overnight indexed swap rate plus 1.5% Tungabhadra Credit Facility INR overnight indexed swap rate plus 1.5% Beryl Credit Facility Construction loan facility at 1-month BBSY plus 1.75% (2) GST facility at 1-month BBSY plus 1.00% —————————— (1) Outstanding balance comprised of $159.3 million of fixed rate loans and $29.5 million of variable rate loans as of March 31, 2019 . (2) We have entered into interest rate swap contracts to hedge portions of these variable rates. See Note 6. “Derivative Financial Instruments” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for additional information. Future Principal Payments At March 31, 2019 , the future principal payments on our long-term debt were due as follows (in thousands): Total Debt Remainder of 2019 $ 10,921 2020 38,200 2021 83,943 2022 19,279 2023 94,707 Thereafter 335,648 Total long-term debt future principal payments $ 582,698

10. Commitments and Contingenci

10. Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	10. Commitments and Contingencies Commercial Commitments During the normal course of business, we enter into commercial commitments in the form of letters of credit, bank guarantees, and surety bonds to provide financial and performance assurance to third parties. Our amended and restated Revolving Credit Facility provides us with a sub-limit of $400.0 million to issue letters of credit, subject to certain additional limits depending on the currencies of the letters of credit, at a fee based on the applicable margin for Eurocurrency revolving loans and a fronting fee. As of March 31, 2019 , we had $64.8 million in letters of credit issued under our Revolving Credit Facility, leaving $335.2 million of availability for the issuance of additional letters of credit. As of March 31, 2019 , we also had $209.4 million of letters of credit issued under three bilateral facilities, of which $35.2 million was secured with cash, leaving $230.6 million of aggregate available capacity under such agreements and facilities. We also had $60.1 million of surety bonds outstanding, leaving $656.2 million of available bonding capacity under our surety lines as of March 31, 2019 . The majority of these letters of credit, bank guarantees, and surety bonds supported our systems projects. Product Warranties When we recognize revenue for module or system sales, we accrue liabilities for the estimated future costs of meeting our limited warranty obligations for both modules and the balance of the systems. We make and revise these estimates based primarily on the number of solar modules under warranty installed at customer locations, our historical experience with warranty claims, our monitoring of field installation sites, our internal testing and the expected future performance of our solar modules and balance of systems (“BoS”) parts, and our estimated replacement costs. From time to time, we have taken remediation actions with respect to affected modules beyond our limited warranties and may elect to do so in the future, in which case we would incur additional expenses. Such potential voluntary future remediation actions beyond our limited warranty obligations may be material to our condensed consolidated statements of operations if we commit to any such remediation actions. Product warranty activities during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 were as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Product warranty liability, beginning of period $ 220,692 $ 224,274 Accruals for new warranties issued 5,116 3,632 Settlements (3,078 ) (2,609 ) Changes in estimate of product warranty liability (5,489 ) 503 Product warranty liability, end of period $ 217,241 $ 225,800 Current portion of warranty liability $ 31,013 $ 32,655 Noncurrent portion of warranty liability $ 186,228 $ 193,145 We estimate our limited product warranty liability for power output and defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service conditions based on warranty return rates of approximately 1% to 3% for modules covered under warranty, depending on the series of module technology. As of March 31, 2019 , a 1% change in estimated warranty return rates would change our module warranty liability by $77.1 million , and a 1% change in the estimated warranty return rate for BoS parts would not have a material impact on the associated warranty liability. Performance Guarantees As part of our systems business, we conduct performance testing of a system prior to substantial completion to confirm the system meets its operational and capacity expectations noted in the engineering, procurement, and construction (“EPC”) agreement. In addition, we may provide an energy performance test during the first or second year of a system’s operation to demonstrate that the actual energy generation for the applicable period meets or exceeds the modeled energy expectation, after certain adjustments. If there is an underperformance event with regards to these tests, we may incur liquidated damages as specified in the EPC contract. In certain instances, a bonus payment may be received at the end of the applicable test period if the system performs above a specified level. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , we accrued $3.1 million and $0.4 million , respectively, for our estimated obligations under such arrangements, which were classified as “ Other current liabilities ” in our condensed consolidated balance sheets. As part of our O&M service offerings, we typically offer an effective availability guarantee, which stipulates that a system will be available to generate a certain percentage of total possible energy during a specific period after adjusting for factors outside of our control as the service provider, such as weather, curtailment, outages, force majeure, and other conditions that may affect system availability. Effective availability guarantees are only offered as part of our O&M services and terminate at the end of an O&M arrangement. If we fail to meet the contractual threshold for these guarantees, we may incur liquidated damages for certain lost energy. Our O&M agreements typically contain provisions limiting our total potential losses under an agreement, including amounts paid for liquidated damages, to a percentage of O&M fees. Many of our O&M agreements also contain provisions whereby we may receive a bonus payment if system availability exceeds a separate threshold. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , we did not accrue any liquidated damages under our effective availability guarantees. Indemnifications In certain limited circumstances, we have provided indemnifications to customers, including project tax equity investors, under which we are contractually obligated to compensate such parties for losses they suffer resulting from a breach of a representation, warranty, or covenant or a reduction in tax benefits received, including investment tax credits. Project related tax benefits are, in part, based on guidance provided by the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Treasury Department, which includes assumptions regarding the fair value of qualifying PV solar power systems. For any sales contracts that have such indemnification provisions, we initially recognize a liability under ASC 460 for the estimated premium that would be required by a guarantor to issue the same indemnity in a standalone arm’s-length transaction with an unrelated party. We typically base these estimates on the cost of insurance policies that cover the underlying risks being indemnified and may purchase such policies to mitigate our exposure to potential indemnification payments. We subsequently measure such liabilities at the greater of the initially estimated premium or the contingent liability required to be recognized under ASC 450. We recognize any indemnification liabilities as a reduction of revenue in the related transaction. After an indemnification liability is recorded, we derecognize such amount pursuant to ASC 460-10-35-2 depending on the nature of the indemnity, which derecognition typically occurs upon expiration or settlement of the arrangement, and any contingent aspects of the indemnity are accounted for in accordance with ASC 450. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , we accrued $3.0 million of noncurrent indemnification liabilities for tax related indemnifications. As of March 31, 2019 , the maximum potential amount of future payments under our tax related and other indemnifications was $125.3 million , and we held insurance policies allowing us to recover up to $84.9 million of potential amounts paid under the indemnifications covered by the policies. Contingent Consideration We continually seek to make additions to our advanced-stage project pipeline by actively developing our early-to-mid-stage project pipeline and by pursuing opportunities to acquire projects at various stages of development. In connection with such project acquisitions, we may agree to pay additional amounts to project sellers upon the achievement of certain milestones, such as obtaining a PPA, obtaining financing, or selling the project to a new owner. We recognize a project acquisition contingent liability when we determine that such a liability is both probable and reasonably estimable, and the carrying amount of the related project asset is correspondingly increased. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , we accrued $0.4 million and $0.7 million of current liabilities, respectively, and $2.3 million of long-term liabilities for project related contingent obligations. Any future differences between the acquisition-date contingent obligation estimate and the ultimate settlement of the obligation are recognized as an adjustment to the project asset, as contingent payments are considered direct and incremental to the underlying value of the related project. Solar Module Collection and Recycling Liability We previously established a module collection and recycling program, which has since been discontinued, to collect and recycle modules sold and covered under such program once the modules reach the end of their useful lives. For legacy customer sales contracts that were covered under this program, we agreed to pay the costs for the collection and recycling of qualifying solar modules, and the end-users agreed to notify us, disassemble their solar power systems, package the solar modules for shipment, and revert ownership rights over the modules back to us at the end of the modules’ service lives. Accordingly, we recorded any collection and recycling obligations within “Cost of sales” at the time of sale based on the estimated cost to collect and recycle the covered solar modules. We estimate the cost of our collection and recycling obligations based on the present value of the expected probability-weighted future cost of collecting and recycling the solar modules, which includes estimates for the cost of packaging materials; the cost of freight from the solar module installation sites to a recycling center; material, labor, and capital costs; the scale of recycling centers; and an estimated third-party profit margin and return on risk for collection and recycling services. We base these estimates on (i) our experience collecting and recycling our solar modules, (ii) the expected timing of when our solar modules will be returned for recycling, and (iii) the expected economic factors at the time the solar modules will be collected and recycled. In the periods between the time of sale and the related settlement of the collection and recycling obligation, we accrete the carrying amount of the associated liability by applying the discount rate used for its initial measurement. We classify accretion as an operating expense within “Selling, general and administrative” expense on our condensed consolidated statements of operations. Our module collection and recycling liability was $134.2 million and $134.4 million as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , respectively. As of March 31, 2019 , a 1% increase in the annualized inflation rate used in our estimated future collection and recycling cost per module would increase our liability by $25.7 million , and a 1% decrease in that rate would decrease our liability by $21.7 million . See Note 4. “Restricted Cash and Investments” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for more information about our arrangements for funding this liability. Legal Proceedings Class Action On March 15, 2012, a purported class action lawsuit titled Smilovits v. First Solar, Inc., et al., Case No. 2:12-cv-00555-DGC, was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona (hereafter “Arizona District Court”) against the Company and certain of our current and former directors and officers. The complaint was filed on behalf of persons who purchased or otherwise acquired the Company’s publicly traded securities between April 30, 2008 and February 28, 2012 (the “Class Action”). The complaint generally alleges that the defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by making false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s financial performance and prospects. The action includes claims for damages, including interest, and an award of reasonable costs and attorneys’ fees to the putative class. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses and will vigorously defend this action. On July 23, 2012, the Arizona District Court issued an order appointing as lead plaintiffs in the Class Action the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme and British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (collectively, the “Pension Schemes”). The Pension Schemes filed an amended complaint on August 17, 2012, which contains similar allegations and seeks similar relief as the original complaint. Defendants filed a motion to dismiss on September 14, 2012. On December 17, 2012, the court denied defendants’ motion to dismiss. On October 8, 2013, the Arizona District Court granted the Pension Schemes’ motion for class certification and certified a class comprised of all persons who purchased or otherwise acquired publicly traded securities of the Company between April 30, 2008 and February 28, 2012 and were damaged thereby, excluding defendants and certain related parties. Merits discovery closed on February 27, 2015. Defendants filed a motion for summary judgment on March 27, 2015. On August 11, 2015, the Arizona District Court granted defendants’ motion in part and denied it in part, and certified an issue for immediate appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (the “Ninth Circuit”). First Solar filed a petition for interlocutory appeal with the Ninth Circuit, and that petition was granted on November 18, 2015. On May 20, 2016, the Pension Schemes moved to vacate the order granting the petition, dismiss the appeal, and stay the merits briefing schedule. On December 13, 2016, the Ninth Circuit denied the Pension Schemes’ motion. On January 31, 2018, the Ninth Circuit issued an opinion affirming the Arizona District Court’s order denying in part defendants’ motion for summary judgment. On March 16, 2018, First Solar filed a petition for panel rehearing or rehearing en banc with the Ninth Circuit. On May 7, 2018, the Ninth Circuit denied defendants’ petition. On August 6, 2018, defendants filed a petition for writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court has not yet ruled on that petition. Meanwhile, in the Arizona District Court, expert discovery was completed on February 5, 2019. The Arizona District Court vacated the previously scheduled trial date and all other deadlines until the outcome of the certiorari petition is clear. This lawsuit asserts claims that, if resolved against us, could give rise to substantial damages, and an unfavorable outcome or settlement may result in a significant monetary judgment or award against us or a significant monetary payment by us, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Even if this lawsuit is not resolved against us, the costs of defending the lawsuit and of any settlement may be significant. These costs would likely exceed the dollar limits of our insurance policies or may not be covered by our insurance policies. Given the uncertainties of trial, at this time we are not in a position to assess the likelihood of any potential loss or adverse effect on our financial condition or to estimate the range of potential loss, if any. Opt-Out Action On June 23, 2015, a suit titled Maverick Fund, L.D.C. v. First Solar, Inc., et al., Case No. 2:15-cv-01156-ROS, was filed in Arizona District Court by putative stockholders that opted out of the Class Action. The complaint names the Company and certain of our current and former directors and officers as defendants, and alleges that the defendants violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and violated state law, by making false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s financial performance and prospects. The action includes claims for recessionary and actual damages, interest, punitive damages, and an award of reasonable attorneys’ fees, expert fees, and costs. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses and will vigorously defend this action. First Solar and the individual defendants filed a motion to dismiss the complaint on July 16, 2018. On November 27, 2018, the Court granted defendants’ motion to dismiss the plaintiffs’ negligent misrepresentation claim under state law, but otherwise denied defendants’ motion. This action is still in the initial stages, and there has been no discovery. Accordingly, at this time we are not in a position to assess the likelihood of any potential loss or adverse effect on our financial condition or to estimate the range of potential loss, if any. Derivative Actions On July 16, 2013, a derivative complaint was filed in the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County, titled Bargar, et al. v. Ahearn, et al., Case No. CV2013-009938, by a putative stockholder against certain current and former directors and officers of the Company (“Bargar”). The complaint generally alleges that the defendants caused or allowed false and misleading statements to be made concerning the Company’s financial performance and prospects. The action includes claims for, among other things, breach of fiduciary duties, insider trading, unjust enrichment, and waste of corporate assets. By court order on October 3, 2013, the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County granted the parties’ stipulation to defer defendants’ response to the complaint pending resolution of the Class Action or expiration of a stay issued in certain consolidated derivative actions in the Arizona District Court. On November 5, 2013, the matter was placed on the court’s inactive calendar. The parties have jointly sought and obtained multiple requests to continue the stay in this action. Most recently, on March 5, 2019, the court entered an order continuing the stay until July 31, 2019. The Company believes that the plaintiff in the Bargar derivative action lacks standing to pursue litigation on behalf of First Solar. The Bargar derivative action is still in the initial stages and there has been no discovery. Accordingly, at this time we are not in a position to assess the likelihood of any potential loss or adverse effect on our financial condition or to estimate the range of potential loss, if any. Other Matters and Claims We are party to other legal matters and claims in the normal course of our operations. While we believe the ultimate outcome of such other matters and claims will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows, the outcome of such matters and claims is not determinable with certainty, and negative outcomes may adversely affect us.

11. Revenue from Contracts with

11. Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Text Block]	11. Revenue from Contracts with Customers The following table represents a disaggregation of revenue from contracts with customers for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 along with the reportable segment for each category (in thousands): Three Months Ended Category Segment 2019 2018 Solar modules Modules $ 198,815 $ 161,293 Solar power systems Systems 157,294 354,410 EPC services Systems 137,594 12,718 O&M services Systems 27,700 26,714 Energy generation (1) Systems 10,575 12,130 Net sales $ 531,978 $ 567,265 —————————— (1) During the three months ended March 31, 2018 , the majority of energy generated and sold by our PV solar power systems was accounted for under ASC 840 consistent with the classification of the associated PPAs. We recognize revenue for module sales at a point in time following the transfer of control of the modules to the customer, which typically occurs upon shipment or delivery depending on the terms of the underlying contracts. Such contracts may contain provisions that require us to make liquidated damage payments to the customer if we fail to deliver modules by scheduled dates. We recognize these liquidated damages as a reduction of revenue in the period we transfer control of the modules to the customer. We generally recognize revenue for sales of solar power systems and/or EPC services over time using cost based input methods, in which significant judgment is required to evaluate assumptions including the amount of net contract revenues and the total estimated costs to determine our progress towards contract completion and to calculate the corresponding amount of revenue to recognize. If the estimated total costs on any contract are greater than the net contract revenues, we recognize the entire estimated loss in the period the loss becomes known. The cumulative effect of revisions to estimates related to net contract revenues or costs to complete contracts are recorded in the period in which the revisions to estimates are identified and the amounts can be reasonably estimated. Changes in estimates for sales of systems and EPC services occur for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to (i) construction plan accelerations or delays, (ii) module cost forecast changes, (iii) cost related change orders, or (iv) changes in other information used to estimate costs. Changes in estimates may have a material effect on our condensed consolidated statements of operations. The following table outlines the impact on revenue of net changes in estimated transaction prices and input costs for systems related sales contracts (both increases and decreases) for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 as well as the number of projects that comprise such changes. For purposes of the table, we only include projects with changes in estimates that have a net impact on revenue of at least $1.0 million during the periods presented with the exception of the sales and use tax matter described below, for which the aggregate change in estimate has been presented. Also included in the table is the net change in estimate as a percentage of the aggregate revenue for such projects. Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Number of projects (1) 8 23 Increase in revenue from net changes in transaction prices (in thousands) (1) $ 6,114 $ 53,150 (Decrease) increase in revenue from net changes in input cost estimates (in thousands) (15,950 ) 1,955 Net (decrease) increase in revenue from net changes in estimates (in thousands) $ (9,836 ) $ 55,105 Net change in estimate as a percentage of aggregate revenue (0.5 )% 0.5 % —————————— (1) During the three months ended March 31, 2018 , we settled a tax examination with the state of California regarding several matters, including certain sales and use tax payments due under lump sum EPC contracts. Accordingly, we revised our estimates of sales and use taxes due for projects in the state of California, which affected the estimated transaction prices for such contracts, and recorded an increase to revenue of $54.6 million . The following table reflects the changes in our contract assets, which we classify as “Accounts receivable, unbilled” or “Retainage,” and our contract liabilities, which we classify as “Deferred revenue,” for the three months ended March 31, 2019 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Three Month Change Accounts receivable, unbilled $ 347,726 $ 441,666 Retainage 19,414 16,500 Accounts receivable, unbilled and retainage $ 367,140 $ 458,166 $ (91,026 ) (20 )% Deferred revenue (1) $ 217,435 $ 177,769 $ 39,666 22 % —————————— (1) Includes $50.5 million and $48.0 million of long-term deferred revenue classified as “ Other liabilities ” on our condensed consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , respectively. Accounts receivable, unbilled represents a contract asset for revenue that has been recognized in advance of billing the customer, which is common for long-term construction contracts. Billing requirements vary by contract but are generally structured around the completion of certain construction milestones. Some of our EPC contracts for systems we build may also contain retainage provisions. Retainage represents a contract asset for the portion of the contract price earned by us for work performed, but held for payment by the customer as a form of security until we reach certain construction milestones. When we receive consideration, or such consideration is unconditionally due, from a customer prior to transferring goods or services to the customer under the terms of a sales contract, we record deferred revenue, which represents a contract liability. Such deferred revenue typically results from billings in excess of costs incurred on long-term construction contracts and advance payments received on sales of solar modules. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , our contract assets decreased by $91.0 million primarily due to billings on the Willow Springs project following the completion of substantially all construction activities and final billings on the Manildra project, which we sold in 2018, partially offset by certain unbilled receivables associated with ongoing construction activities at the Rosamond and Phoebe projects. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 , our contract liabilities increased by $39.7 million primarily as a result of advance payments received for sales of solar modules and the sale of the Beryl project, partially offset by revenue recognition for certain EPC projects in Florida, for which we received a portion of the proceeds in prior years. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , we recognized revenue of $46.7 million and $33.8 million , respectively, that was included in the corresponding contract liability balance at the beginning of the periods. The following table represents our remaining performance obligations as of March 31, 2019 for sales of solar power systems, including uncompleted sold projects, projects under sales contracts subject to conditions precedent, and EPC agreements for partner developed projects that we are constructing or expect to construct. Such table excludes remaining performance obligations for any sales arrangements that had not fully satisfied the criteria to be considered a contract with a customer pursuant to the requirements of ASC 606. We expect to recognize $0.5 billion of revenue for such contracts through the later of the substantial completion or the closing dates of the projects. Project/Location Project Size in MW AC Revenue Category EPC Contract/Partner Developed Project Expected Year Revenue Recognition Will Be Completed Percentage of Revenue Recognized Phoebe, Texas 250 EPC Innergix Renewable Energy 2019 43% GA Solar 4, Georgia 200 Solar power systems Origis Energy USA 2020 16% Rosamond, California 150 Solar power systems Clearway Energy Group 2019 97% Beryl, Australia 87 Solar power systems New Energy Solar 2019 —% Troy Solar, Indiana 51 EPC Southern Indiana Gas and Electric Company 2020 —% Lake Hancock, Florida 50 EPC Tampa Electric Company 2019 97% Total 788 As of March 31, 2019 , we had entered into contracts with customers for the future sale of 9.4 GW DC of solar modules for an aggregate transaction price of $3.4 billion . We expect to recognize such amounts as revenue through 2023 as we transfer control of the modules to the customers. As of March 31, 2019 , we had also entered into long-term O&M contracts covering approximately 8 GW DC of utility-scale PV solar power systems. We expect to recognize $0.6 billion of revenue during the noncancelable term of these O&M contracts over a weighted-average period of 11.2 years .

12. Share-Based Compensation

12. Share-Based Compensation	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Share-based Compensation, Allocation and Classification in Financial Statements [Abstract]
Share-Based Compensation	12. Share-Based Compensation The following table presents share-based compensation expense recognized in our condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands): Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Cost of sales $ 1,840 $ 1,250 Selling, general and administrative 2,338 5,661 Research and development 841 1,425 Production start-up — 316 Total share-based compensation expense $ 5,019 $ 8,652 The following table presents share-based compensation expense by type of award for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands): Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Restricted and performance stock units $ 4,188 $ 8,405 Unrestricted stock 379 460 4,567 8,865 Net amount released from (absorbed into) inventory 452 (213 ) Total share-based compensation expense $ 5,019 $ 8,652 Share-based compensation expense capitalized in inventory was $1.3 million and $1.8 million as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , respectively. As of March 31, 2019 , we had $49.7 million of unrecognized share-based compensation expense related to unvested restricted and performance stock units, which we expect to recognize over a weighted-average period of approximately 1.6 years . In February 2017, the compensation committee of our board of directors approved a long-term incentive program for key executive officers and associates. The program is intended to incentivize retention of our key executive talent, provide a smooth transition from our former key senior talent equity performance program, and align the interests of executive management and stockholders. Specifically, the program consists of (i) performance stock units to be earned over an approximately three-year performance period ending in December 2019 and (ii) stub-year grants of separate performance stock units to be earned over an approximately two-year performance period, which ended in December 2018. Vesting of the 2017 grants of performance stock units is contingent upon the relative attainment of target cost per watt and operating expense metrics. In February 2019, the compensation committee of our board of directors certified the achievement of the maximum vesting conditions applicable for the stub-year grants. Accordingly, each participant received one share of common stock for each vested performance unit, net of any tax withholdings. In April 2018, in continuation of our long-term incentive program for key executive officers and associates, the compensation committee of our board of directors approved additional grants of performance stock units to be earned over an approximately three-year performance period ending in December 2020. Vesting of the 2018 grants of performance stock units is contingent upon the relative attainment of target gross margin, operating expense, and contracted revenue metrics. Vesting of performance stock units is also contingent upon the employment of program participants through the applicable vesting dates, with limited exceptions in case of death, disability, a qualifying retirement, or a change-in-control of First Solar. Outstanding performance stock units are included in the computation of diluted net income per share based on the number of shares that would be issuable if the end of the reporting period were the end of the contingency period.

13. Income Taxes

13. Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	13. Income Taxes Our effective tax rate was 2.0% and 12.1% for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 , respectively. The decrease in our effective tax rate was primarily driven by higher losses in certain jurisdictions for which no tax benefit could be recorded, combined with our pretax loss in the current period. Our provision for income taxes differed from the amount computed by applying the U.S. statutory federal income tax rate of 21% primarily due to the beneficial impact of our Malaysian tax holiday. Our Malaysian subsidiary has been granted a long-term tax holiday that expires in 2027. The tax holiday, which generally provides for a full exemption from Malaysian income tax, is conditional upon our continued compliance with certain employment and investment thresholds, which we are currently in compliance with and expect to continue to comply with through the expiration of the tax holiday in 2027. We account for uncertain tax positions pursuant to the recognition and measurement criteria under ASC 740. It is reasonably possible that less than $0.1 million of uncertain tax positions will be recognized within the next 12 months due to the expiration of the statute of limitations associated with such tax positions. We are subject to audit by federal, state, local, and foreign tax authorities. We are currently under examination in Chile, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and the state of California. We believe that adequate provisions have been made for any adjustments that may result from tax examinations. However, the outcome of tax examinations cannot be predicted with certainty. If any issues addressed by our tax examinations are not resolved in a manner consistent with our expectations, we could be required to adjust our provision for income taxes in the period such resolution occurs.

14. Net (Loss) Income Per Share

14. Net (Loss) Income Per Share	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net (Loss) Income per Share	14. Net (Loss) Income per Share Basic net (loss) income per share is computed by dividing net (loss) income by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net income per share is computed giving effect to all potentially dilutive common shares, including restricted and performance stock units and stock purchase plan shares, unless there is a net loss for the period. In computing diluted net income per share, we utilize the treasury stock method. The calculation of basic and diluted net (loss) income per share for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 was as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts): Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Basic net (loss) income per share Numerator: Net (loss) income $ (67,599 ) $ 82,951 Denominator: Weighted-average common shares outstanding 105,046 104,550 Diluted net (loss) income per share Denominator: Weighted-average common shares outstanding 105,046 104,550 Effect of restricted and performance stock units and stock purchase plan shares — 1,755 Weighted-average shares used in computing diluted net (loss) income per share 105,046 106,305 Net (loss) income per share: Basic $ (0.64 ) $ 0.79 Diluted $ (0.64 ) $ 0.78 The following table summarizes the potential shares of common stock that were excluded from the computation of diluted net income per share for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 as such shares would have had an anti-dilutive effect (in thousands): Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Anti-dilutive shares 864 21

15. Accumulated Other Comprehen

15. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Abstract]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	15. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss The following table presents the changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax, for the three months ended March 31, 2019 (in thousands): Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Marketable Securities and Restricted Investments Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Derivative Instruments Total Balance as of December 31, 2018 $ (66,380 ) $ 10,641 $ 1,273 $ (54,466 ) Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications (1,142 ) 10,692 (31 ) 9,519 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss — (15,016 ) — (15,016 ) Net tax effect — 977 (27 ) 950 Net other comprehensive loss (1,142 ) (3,347 ) (58 ) (4,547 ) Balance as of March 31, 2019 $ (67,522 ) $ 7,294 $ 1,215 $ (59,013 ) The following table presents the pretax amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss into our condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands): Comprehensive Income Components Income Statement Line Item Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Unrealized gain on marketable securities and restricted investments Other income, net $ 15,016 $ 19,470 Total amount reclassified $ 15,016 $ 19,470

16. Segment Reporting

16. Segment Reporting	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting Information, Profit (Loss) [Abstract]
Segment Reporting	16. Segment Reporting We operate our business in two segments. Our modules segment involves the design, manufacture, and sale of cadmium telluride (“CdTe”) solar modules, which convert sunlight into electricity. Third-party customers of our modules segment include integrators and operators of PV solar power systems. Our second segment is our fully integrated systems segment, through which we provide complete turn-key PV solar power systems, or solar solutions, that draw upon our capabilities, which include (i) project development, (ii) EPC services, and (iii) O&M services. We may provide our full EPC services or any combination of individual products and services within our EPC capabilities depending upon the customer and market opportunity. All of our systems segment products and services are for PV solar power systems, which primarily use our solar modules, and we sell such products and services to utilities, independent power producers, commercial and industrial companies, and other system owners. Additionally within our systems segment, we may temporarily own and operate certain of our systems for a period of time based on strategic opportunities or market factors. See Note 22. “Segment and Geographical Information” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 for a complete discussion of our segment reporting. The following tables present certain financial information for our reportable segments for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 and as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 Modules Systems Total Modules Systems Total Net sales $ 198,815 $ 333,163 $ 531,978 $ 161,293 $ 405,972 $ 567,265 Gross (loss) profit (24,996 ) 25,108 112 10,278 162,520 172,798 Depreciation and amortization expense 39,535 4,259 43,794 9,249 5,278 14,527 March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 Modules Systems Total Modules Systems Total Goodwill $ 14,462 $ — $ 14,462 $ 14,462 $ — $ 14,462

3. Cash, Cash Equivalents, an_2

3. Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Short-term Investments [Abstract]
Schedule of Cash, Cash Equivalent, and Marketable Securities	Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Cash and cash equivalents: Cash $ 812,422 $ 1,202,774 Money market funds 200,980 200,788 Total cash and cash equivalents 1,013,402 1,403,562 Marketable securities: Foreign debt 345,950 318,646 Foreign government obligations 60,124 98,621 U.S. debt 59,622 44,468 Time deposits 638,116 681,969 Total marketable securities 1,103,812 1,143,704 Total cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities $ 2,117,214 $ 2,547,266
Reconciliation of Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash	The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash reported within our condensed consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 to the total of such amounts as presented in the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows (in thousands): Balance Sheet Line Item March 31, December 31, Cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,013,402 $ 1,403,562 Restricted cash – current (1) Prepaid expenses and other current assets 23,694 19,671 Restricted cash – noncurrent (1) Restricted cash and investments 169,529 139,390 Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash $ 1,206,625 $ 1,562,623 —————————— (1) See Note 4. “Restricted Cash and Investments” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for discussion of our “Restricted cash” arrangements.
Available-for-sale Marketable Securities	The following tables summarize the unrealized gains and losses related to our available-for-sale marketable securities, by major security type, as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): As of March 31, 2019 Amortized Cost Unrealized Gains Unrealized Losses Fair Value Foreign debt $ 346,931 $ 213 $ 1,194 $ 345,950 Foreign government obligations 60,385 — 261 60,124 U.S. debt 59,641 76 95 59,622 Time deposits 638,116 — — 638,116 Total $ 1,105,073 $ 289 $ 1,550 $ 1,103,812 As of December 31, 2018 Amortized Cost Unrealized Gains Unrealized Losses Fair Value Foreign debt $ 320,056 $ 468 $ 1,878 $ 318,646 Foreign government obligations 99,189 — 568 98,621 U.S. debt 44,625 53 210 44,468 Time deposits 681,969 — — 681,969 Total $ 1,145,839 $ 521 $ 2,656 $ 1,143,704
Available-for-sale Marketable Securities Continuous Unrealized Loss Position	The following tables show unrealized losses and fair values for those marketable securities that were in an unrealized loss position as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , aggregated by major security type and the length of time the marketable securities have been in a continuous loss position (in thousands): As of March 31, 2019 In Loss Position for Less Than 12 Months In Loss Position for 12 Months or Greater Total Fair Value Unrealized Losses Fair Value Unrealized Losses Fair Value Unrealized Losses Foreign debt $ 136,198 $ 482 $ 130,807 $ 712 $ 267,005 $ 1,194 Foreign government obligations 21,804 177 38,320 84 60,124 261 U.S. debt 10,018 10 14,183 85 24,201 95 Total $ 168,020 $ 669 $ 183,310 $ 881 $ 351,330 $ 1,550 As of December 31, 2018 In Loss Position for Less Than 12 Months In Loss Position for 12 Months or Greater Total Fair Value Unrealized Losses Fair Value Unrealized Losses Fair Value Unrealized Losses Foreign debt $ 150,842 $ 802 $ 94,446 $ 1,076 $ 245,288 $ 1,878 Foreign government obligations — — 98,621 568 98,621 568 U.S. debt 15,356 32 14,085 178 29,441 210 Total $ 166,198 $ 834 $ 207,152 $ 1,822 $ 373,350 $ 2,656
Available-for-sale Marketable Securities by Maturity	The contractual maturities of our marketable securities as of March 31, 2019 were as follows (in thousands): Fair Value One year or less $ 817,992 One year to two years 196,142 Two years to three years 89,678 Total $ 1,103,812

4. Restricted Cash and Invest_2

4. Restricted Cash and Investments (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Restricted Cash and Investments [Abstract]
Restricted Cash And Investments	Restricted cash and investments consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Restricted cash $ 169,529 $ 139,390 Restricted investments 219,108 179,000 Total restricted cash and investments (1) $ 388,637 $ 318,390 —————————— (1) There was an additional $23.7 million and $19.7 million of restricted cash included within “ Prepaid expenses and other current assets ” at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , respectively.
Restricted Available For Sale Securities	The following tables summarize the unrealized gains and losses related to our restricted investments, by major security type, as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): As of March 31, 2019 Amortized Cost Unrealized Gains Unrealized Losses Fair Value Foreign government obligations $ 119,161 $ 5,505 $ — $ 124,666 U.S. government obligations 97,171 424 3,153 94,442 Total $ 216,332 $ 5,929 $ 3,153 $ 219,108 As of December 31, 2018 Amortized Cost Unrealized Gains Unrealized Losses Fair Value Foreign government obligations $ 73,798 $ 14,234 $ 235 $ 87,797 U.S. government obligations 97,223 416 6,436 91,203 Total $ 171,021 $ 14,650 $ 6,671 $ 179,000
Schedule of Unrealized Loss on Restricted Investments	The following tables show unrealized losses and fair values for those restricted investments that were in an unrealized loss position as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , aggregated by major security type and the length of time the restricted investments have been in a continuous loss position (in thousands): As of March 31, 2019 In Loss Position for In Loss Position for Total Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized U.S. government obligations $ — $ — $ 91,266 $ 3,153 $ 91,266 $ 3,153 Total $ — $ — $ 91,266 $ 3,153 $ 91,266 $ 3,153 As of December 31, 2018 In Loss Position for In Loss Position for Total Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized Fair Unrealized Foreign government obligations $ 41,335 $ 235 $ — $ — $ 41,335 $ 235 U.S. government obligations — — 87,401 6,436 87,401 6,436 Total $ 41,335 $ 235 $ 87,401 $ 6,436 $ 128,736 $ 6,671

5. Consolidated Balance Sheet_2

5. Consolidated Balance Sheet Details (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Balance Sheet Related Disclosures [Abstract]
Schedule of Accounts Receivable	Accounts receivable trade, net Accounts receivable trade, net consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Accounts receivable trade, gross $ 303,062 $ 129,644 Allowance for doubtful accounts (1,393 ) (1,362 ) Accounts receivable trade, net $ 301,669 $ 128,282 At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , $45.5 million and $8.5 million , respectively, of our accounts receivable trade, net were secured by letters of credit, bank guarantees, surety bonds, or other forms of financial security issued by creditworthy financial institutions. Accounts receivable, unbilled and retainage Accounts receivable, unbilled and retainage consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Accounts receivable, unbilled $ 347,726 $ 441,666 Retainage 19,414 16,500 Accounts receivable, unbilled and retainage $ 367,140 $ 458,166
Schedule of Inventories, Current and Noncurrent	Inventories consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Raw materials $ 244,409 $ 224,329 Work in process 48,530 41,294 Finished goods 308,725 252,372 Inventories $ 601,664 $ 517,995 Inventories – current $ 459,472 $ 387,912 Inventories – noncurrent $ 142,192 $ 130,083
Schedule of Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets	Prepaid expenses and other current assets consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Prepaid expenses $ 110,085 $ 90,981 Prepaid income taxes 64,726 59,319 Indirect tax receivables 39,765 26,327 Restricted cash 23,694 19,671 Derivative instruments 1,313 2,364 Other current assets 37,580 44,399 Prepaid expenses and other current assets $ 277,163 $ 243,061
Schedule of Property, Plant and Equipment, Net	Property, plant and equipment, net consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Land $ 14,330 $ 14,382 Buildings and improvements 571,345 567,605 Machinery and equipment 2,063,042 1,826,434 Office equipment and furniture 179,013 178,011 Leasehold improvements 49,007 49,055 Construction in progress 299,694 405,581 Property, plant and equipment, gross 3,176,431 3,041,068 Accumulated depreciation (1,317,138 ) (1,284,857 ) Property, plant and equipment, net $ 1,859,293 $ 1,756,211
Schedule of PV Solar Power Systems, Net	Photovoltaic (“PV”) solar power systems, net consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, PV solar power systems, gross $ 343,543 $ 343,061 Accumulated depreciation (37,915 ) (34,421 ) PV solar power systems, net $ 305,628 $ 308,640
Schedule of Capitalized Interest	The components of interest expense and capitalized interest were as follows during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands): Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Interest cost incurred $ (10,948 ) $ (6,465 ) Interest cost capitalized – project assets 827 1,283 Interest expense, net $ (10,121 ) $ (5,182 )
Schedule of Project Assets	Project assets consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Project assets – development costs, including project acquisition and land costs $ 323,539 $ 298,070 Project assets – construction costs 248,750 200,359 Project assets $ 572,289 $ 498,429 Project assets – current $ 80,278 $ 37,930 Project assets – noncurrent $ 492,011 $ 460,499
Schedule of Other Assets, Noncurrent	Other assets consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Operating lease assets (1) $ 168,213 $ — Notes receivable (2) (3) 31,059 8,017 Indirect tax receivables 9,247 22,487 Income taxes receivable 4,444 4,444 Equity method investments 2,960 3,186 Deferred rent — 27,249 Other 26,030 33,495 Other assets $ 241,953 $ 98,878 —————————— (1) See Note 7. “Leases” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for discussion of our lease arrangements. (2) In April 2009, we entered into a credit facility agreement with a solar power project entity of one of our customers for an available amount of €17.5 million to provide financing for a PV solar power system. The credit facility bears interest at 8.0% per annum, payable quarterly, with the full amount due in December 2026. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the balance outstanding on the credit facility was €7.0 million ( $7.9 million and $8.0 million , respectively). (3) In November 2014 and February 2016, we entered into a term loan agreement and a convertible loan agreement, respectively, with Clean Energy Collective, LLC (“CEC”). Our term loan bears interest at 16% per annum, and our convertible loan bears interest at 10% per annum. In November 2018, we amended the terms of the loan agreements to (i) extend their maturity to June 2020, (ii) waive the conversion features on our convertible loan, and (iii) increase the frequency of interest payments, subject to certain conditions. In January 2019, CEC finalized certain restructuring arrangements, which resulted in a dilution of our ownership interest in CEC and the loss of our representation on the company’s board of managers. As a result of such restructuring, CEC no longer qualified to be accounted for under the equity method. As of March 31, 2019 , the aggregate balance outstanding on the loans was $23.2 million and was presented within “Other assets.” As of December 31, 2018 , the aggregate balance outstanding on the loans was $22.8 million and was presented within “Notes receivable, affiliate.”
Schedule of Goodwill	Goodwill for the relevant reporting unit consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): December 31, Acquisitions (Impairments) March 31, Modules $ 407,827 $ — $ 407,827 Accumulated impairment losses (393,365 ) — (393,365 ) Goodwill $ 14,462 $ — $ 14,462
Schedule of Intangible Assets, Net	The following tables summarize our intangible assets at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, 2019 Gross Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Amount Developed technology $ 97,714 $ (35,367 ) $ 62,347 Power purchase agreements 6,486 (729 ) 5,757 Patents 7,408 (3,871 ) 3,537 Intangible assets, net $ 111,608 $ (39,967 ) $ 71,641 December 31, 2018 Gross Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Amount Developed technology $ 97,714 $ (33,093 ) $ 64,621 Power purchase agreements 6,486 (648 ) 5,838 Patents 7,408 (3,705 ) 3,703 Intangible assets, net $ 111,608 $ (37,446 ) $ 74,162
Schedule of Accrued Expenses	Accrued expenses consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Accrued project costs $ 130,002 $ 147,162 Accrued property, plant and equipment 83,409 89,905 Accrued inventory 58,476 53,075 Product warranty liability (1) 31,013 27,657 Accrued compensation and benefits 29,761 41,937 Other 75,370 81,844 Accrued expenses $ 408,031 $ 441,580 —————————— (1) See Note 10. “Commitments and Contingencies” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for discussion of our “Product warranty liability.”
Schedule of Other Current Liabilities	Other current liabilities consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Operating lease liabilities (1) $ 12,736 $ — Derivative instruments 2,105 7,294 Contingent consideration (2) 414 665 Other 4,282 6,421 Other current liabilities $ 19,537 $ 14,380 —————————— (1) See Note 7. “Leases” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for discussion of our lease arrangements. (2) See Note 10. “Commitments and Contingencies” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for discussion of our “Contingent consideration” arrangements.
Schedule of Other Liabilities	Other liabilities consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Product warranty liability (1) $ 186,228 $ 193,035 Operating lease liabilities (2) 132,551 — Other taxes payable 84,817 83,058 Transition tax liability 77,016 77,016 Deferred revenue 50,451 48,014 Derivative instruments 14,257 9,205 Contingent consideration (1) 2,250 2,250 Other 51,095 55,261 Other liabilities $ 598,665 $ 467,839 —————————— (1) See Note 10. “Commitments and Contingencies” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for discussion of our “Product warranty liability” and “Contingent consideration” arrangements. (2) See Note 7. “Leases” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for discussion of our lease arrangements.

6. Derivative Financial Instr_2

6. Derivative Financial Instruments (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Derivative Instruments in Statement of Financial Position, Fair Value [Table Text Block]	The following tables present the fair values of derivative instruments included in our condensed consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): March 31, 2019 Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets Other Current Liabilities Other Liabilities Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: Foreign exchange forward contracts $ 129 $ — $ — Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments $ 129 $ — $ — Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: Foreign exchange forward contracts $ 1,184 $ 1,595 $ — Interest rate swap contracts — 510 14,257 Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments $ 1,184 $ 2,105 $ 14,257 Total derivative instruments $ 1,313 $ 2,105 $ 14,257 December 31, 2018 Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets Other Current Liabilities Other Liabilities Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: Foreign exchange forward contracts $ 158 $ — $ — Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments $ 158 $ — $ — Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: Foreign exchange forward contracts $ 2,206 $ 7,096 $ — Interest rate swap contracts — 198 9,205 Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments $ 2,206 $ 7,294 $ 9,205 Total derivative instruments $ 2,364 $ 7,294 $ 9,205
Schedule of Derivative Instruments, Effect on Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Table Text Block]	The following table presents the pretax amounts related to derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges affecting accumulated other comprehensive income or loss and our condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands): Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts Balance in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income at December 31, 2018 $ 1,329 Amounts recognized in other comprehensive (loss) income (31 ) Balance in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income at March 31, 2019 $ 1,298 Balance in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income at December 31, 2017 $ (1,723 ) Amounts recognized in other comprehensive (loss) income (868 ) Balance in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income at March 31, 2018 $ (2,591 )
Schedule of Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Table Text Block]	The following table presents gains and losses related to derivative instruments not designated as hedges affecting our condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands): Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income Three Months Ended Income Statement Line Item 2019 2018 Foreign exchange forward contracts Foreign currency gain (loss), net $ 1,900 $ (12,656 ) Interest rate swap contracts Interest expense, net (5,364 ) (660 )
Schedule of Notional Amounts of Outstanding Derivative Positions [Table Text Block]	As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the notional values associated with our foreign exchange forward contracts qualifying as cash flow hedges were as follows (notional amounts and U.S. dollar equivalents in millions): March 31, 2019 Currency Notional Amount USD Equivalent Australian dollar AUD 8.8 $6.2 December 31, 2018 Currency Notional Amount USD Equivalent Australian dollar AUD 8.8 $6.2
Schedule of Notional Value of Foreign Exchange Forward Derivatives [Table Text Block]	As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the notional values of our foreign exchange forward contracts that do not qualify for hedge accounting were as follows (notional amounts and U.S. dollar equivalents in millions): March 31, 2019 Transaction Currency Notional Amount USD Equivalent Purchase Australian dollar AUD 4.5 $3.2 Sell Australian dollar AUD 8.8 $6.2 Purchase Brazilian real BRL 8.5 $2.2 Purchase Canadian dollar CAD 4.6 $3.4 Sell Chilean peso CLP 3,407.8 $5.0 Purchase Euro €113.1 $127.1 Sell Euro €151.5 $170.2 Sell Indian rupee INR 789.2 $11.4 Purchase Japanese yen ¥497.9 $4.5 Sell Japanese yen ¥21,822.1 $197.0 Purchase Malaysian ringgit MYR 33.3 $8.2 Sell Malaysian ringgit MYR 69.0 $16.9 Sell Mexican peso MXN 34.6 $1.8 Purchase Singapore dollar SGD 4.0 $3.0 Sell Singapore dollar SGD 1.4 $1.0 December 31, 2018 Transaction Currency Notional Amount USD Equivalent Purchase Australian dollar AUD 2.1 $1.5 Sell Australian dollar AUD 52.9 $37.3 Purchase Brazilian real BRL 8.5 $2.2 Sell Canadian dollar CAD 2.9 $2.1 Sell Chilean peso CLP 3,506.6 $5.1 Purchase Euro €115.2 $131.9 Sell Euro €191.8 $219.7 Sell Indian rupee INR 789.2 $11.3 Purchase Japanese yen ¥931.6 $8.4 Sell Japanese yen ¥23,858.8 $216.2 Purchase Malaysian ringgit MYR 34.3 $8.3 Sell Malaysian ringgit MYR 53.8 $12.9 Sell Mexican peso MXN 37.3 $1.9 Purchase Singapore dollar SGD 3.8 $2.8

7. Leases (Tables)

7. Leases (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
Schedule of operating lease cost and related information	The following table presents certain quantitative information related to our lease arrangements for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and as of March 31, 2019 (in thousands): Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 Operating lease cost $ 5,283 Variable lease cost 749 Short-term lease cost 2,842 Total lease cost $ 8,874 Payments of amounts included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities $ 4,947 Lease assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities $ 149,631 March 31, 2019 Weighted-average remaining lease term 18 years Weighted-average discount rate 4.7 %
Operating lease liability maturity	As of March 31, 2019 , the future payments associated with our lease liabilities were as follows (in thousands): Total Lease Liabilities Remainder of 2019 $ 13,838 2020 14,436 2021 13,656 2022 13,255 2023 13,000 Thereafter 151,562 Total future payments 219,747 Less: interest (74,460 ) Total lease liabilities $ 145,287

8. Fair Value Measurements (Tab

8. Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair value of assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis	At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the fair value measurements of our assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis were as follows (in thousands): Fair Value Measurements at Reporting Date Using March 31, Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Assets: Cash equivalents: Money market funds $ 200,980 $ 200,980 $ — $ — Marketable securities: Foreign debt 345,950 — 345,950 — Foreign government obligations 60,124 — 60,124 — U.S. debt 59,622 — 59,622 — Time deposits 638,116 638,116 — — Restricted investments 219,108 — 219,108 — Derivative assets 1,313 — 1,313 — Total assets $ 1,525,213 $ 839,096 $ 686,117 $ — Liabilities: Derivative liabilities $ 16,362 $ — $ 16,362 $ — Fair Value Measurements at Reporting Date Using December 31, Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) Assets: Cash equivalents: Money market funds $ 200,788 $ 200,788 $ — $ — Marketable securities: Foreign debt 318,646 — 318,646 — Foreign government obligations 98,621 — 98,621 — U.S. debt 44,468 — 44,468 — Time deposits 681,969 681,969 — — Restricted investments 179,000 — 179,000 — Derivative assets 2,364 — 2,364 — Total assets $ 1,525,856 $ 882,757 $ 643,099 $ — Liabilities: Derivative liabilities $ 16,499 $ — $ 16,499 $ —
Carrying value and fair value of financial instruments not measured at fair value	At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , the carrying values and fair values of our financial instruments not measured at fair value were as follows (in thousands): March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 Carrying Value Fair Value Carrying Value Fair Value Assets: Notes receivable – noncurrent $ 31,059 $ 32,888 $ 8,017 $ 8,010 Notes receivable, affiliate – noncurrent — — 22,832 24,295 Liabilities: Long-term debt, including current maturities (1) $ 582,698 $ 598,128 $ 479,157 $ 470,124 —————————— (1) Excludes unamortized discounts and issuance costs.

9. Debt (Tables)

9. Debt (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Debt Instruments [Abstract]
Schedule of Long-term Debt Instruments	Our long-term debt consisted of the following at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): Balance (USD) Loan Agreement Currency March 31, December 31, Revolving Credit Facility USD $ — $ — Luz del Norte Credit Facilities USD 188,849 188,849 Ishikawa Credit Agreement JPY 235,428 157,834 Japan Credit Facility JPY — — Tochigi Credit Facility JPY 37,819 25,468 Anantapur Credit Facility INR 15,571 16,101 Tungabhadra Credit Facility INR 13,131 13,934 Beryl Credit Facility AUD 91,900 76,971 Long-term debt principal 582,698 479,157 Less: unamortized discounts and issuance costs (11,981 ) (12,366 ) Total long-term debt 570,717 466,791 Less: current portion (12,361 ) (5,570 ) Noncurrent portion $ 558,356 $ 461,221
Schedule of Borrowing Rate on Debt	Our long-term debt borrowing rates as of March 31, 2019 were as follows: Loan Agreement March 31, 2019 Revolving Credit Facility 4.49% Luz del Norte Credit Facilities (1) Fixed rate loans at bank rate plus 3.50% Variable rate loans at 91-Day U.S. Treasury Bill Yield or LIBOR plus 3.50% Ishikawa Credit Agreement Senior loan facility at 6-month TIBOR plus 0.75% (2) Consumption tax facility at 3-month TIBOR plus 0.5% Japan Credit Facility 1-month TIBOR plus 0.5% Tochigi Credit Facility 3-month TIBOR plus 1.0% Anantapur Credit Facility INR overnight indexed swap rate plus 1.5% Tungabhadra Credit Facility INR overnight indexed swap rate plus 1.5% Beryl Credit Facility Construction loan facility at 1-month BBSY plus 1.75% (2) GST facility at 1-month BBSY plus 1.00% —————————— (1) Outstanding balance comprised of $159.3 million of fixed rate loans and $29.5 million of variable rate loans as of March 31, 2019 . (2) We have entered into interest rate swap contracts to hedge portions of these variable rates. See Note 6. “Derivative Financial Instruments” to our condensed consolidated financial statements for additional information.
Schedule of Maturities of Long-term Debt	At March 31, 2019 , the future principal payments on our long-term debt were due as follows (in thousands): Total Debt Remainder of 2019 $ 10,921 2020 38,200 2021 83,943 2022 19,279 2023 94,707 Thereafter 335,648 Total long-term debt future principal payments $ 582,698

10. Commitments and Contingen_2

10. Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Product Warranty Liability	Product warranty activities during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 were as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Product warranty liability, beginning of period $ 220,692 $ 224,274 Accruals for new warranties issued 5,116 3,632 Settlements (3,078 ) (2,609 ) Changes in estimate of product warranty liability (5,489 ) 503 Product warranty liability, end of period $ 217,241 $ 225,800 Current portion of warranty liability $ 31,013 $ 32,655 Noncurrent portion of warranty liability $ 186,228 $ 193,145

11. Revenue from Contracts wi_2

11. Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Disaggregation of Revenue, by Type of Revenue [Table Text Block]	The following table represents a disaggregation of revenue from contracts with customers for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 along with the reportable segment for each category (in thousands): Three Months Ended Category Segment 2019 2018 Solar modules Modules $ 198,815 $ 161,293 Solar power systems Systems 157,294 354,410 EPC services Systems 137,594 12,718 O&M services Systems 27,700 26,714 Energy generation (1) Systems 10,575 12,130 Net sales $ 531,978 $ 567,265 —————————— (1) During the three months ended March 31, 2018 , the majority of energy generated and sold by our PV solar power systems was accounted for under ASC 840 consistent with the classification of the associated PPAs.
Changes in Estimates Systems Business [Table Text Block]	The following table outlines the impact on revenue of net changes in estimated transaction prices and input costs for systems related sales contracts (both increases and decreases) for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 as well as the number of projects that comprise such changes. For purposes of the table, we only include projects with changes in estimates that have a net impact on revenue of at least $1.0 million during the periods presented with the exception of the sales and use tax matter described below, for which the aggregate change in estimate has been presented. Also included in the table is the net change in estimate as a percentage of the aggregate revenue for such projects. Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Number of projects (1) 8 23 Increase in revenue from net changes in transaction prices (in thousands) (1) $ 6,114 $ 53,150 (Decrease) increase in revenue from net changes in input cost estimates (in thousands) (15,950 ) 1,955 Net (decrease) increase in revenue from net changes in estimates (in thousands) $ (9,836 ) $ 55,105 Net change in estimate as a percentage of aggregate revenue (0.5 )% 0.5 % —————————— (1) During the three months ended March 31, 2018 , we settled a tax examination with the state of California regarding several matters, including certain sales and use tax payments due under lump sum EPC contracts. Accordingly, we revised our estimates of sales and use taxes due for projects in the state of California, which affected the estimated transaction prices for such contracts, and recorded an increase to revenue of $54.6 million .
Changes in Contract Assets and Liabilities [Table Text Block]	The following table reflects the changes in our contract assets, which we classify as “Accounts receivable, unbilled” or “Retainage,” and our contract liabilities, which we classify as “Deferred revenue,” for the three months ended March 31, 2019 (in thousands): March 31, December 31, Three Month Change Accounts receivable, unbilled $ 347,726 $ 441,666 Retainage 19,414 16,500 Accounts receivable, unbilled and retainage $ 367,140 $ 458,166 $ (91,026 ) (20 )% Deferred revenue (1) $ 217,435 $ 177,769 $ 39,666 22 % —————————— (1) Includes $50.5 million and $48.0 million of long-term deferred revenue classified as “ Other liabilities ” on our condensed consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 , respectively.
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Table Text Block]	The following table represents our remaining performance obligations as of March 31, 2019 for sales of solar power systems, including uncompleted sold projects, projects under sales contracts subject to conditions precedent, and EPC agreements for partner developed projects that we are constructing or expect to construct. Such table excludes remaining performance obligations for any sales arrangements that had not fully satisfied the criteria to be considered a contract with a customer pursuant to the requirements of ASC 606. We expect to recognize $0.5 billion of revenue for such contracts through the later of the substantial completion or the closing dates of the projects. Project/Location Project Size in MW AC Revenue Category EPC Contract/Partner Developed Project Expected Year Revenue Recognition Will Be Completed Percentage of Revenue Recognized Phoebe, Texas 250 EPC Innergix Renewable Energy 2019 43% GA Solar 4, Georgia 200 Solar power systems Origis Energy USA 2020 16% Rosamond, California 150 Solar power systems Clearway Energy Group 2019 97% Beryl, Australia 87 Solar power systems New Energy Solar 2019 —% Troy Solar, Indiana 51 EPC Southern Indiana Gas and Electric Company 2020 —% Lake Hancock, Florida 50 EPC Tampa Electric Company 2019 97% Total 788

12. Share-Based Compensation (T

12. Share-Based Compensation (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Share-based Compensation, Allocation and Classification in Financial Statements [Abstract]
Schedule of Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs	The following table presents share-based compensation expense recognized in our condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands): Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Cost of sales $ 1,840 $ 1,250 Selling, general and administrative 2,338 5,661 Research and development 841 1,425 Production start-up — 316 Total share-based compensation expense $ 5,019 $ 8,652 The following table presents share-based compensation expense by type of award for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands): Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Restricted and performance stock units $ 4,188 $ 8,405 Unrestricted stock 379 460 4,567 8,865 Net amount released from (absorbed into) inventory 452 (213 ) Total share-based compensation expense $ 5,019 $ 8,652

14. Net (Loss) Income Per Sha_2

14. Net (Loss) Income Per Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted	The calculation of basic and diluted net (loss) income per share for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 was as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts): Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Basic net (loss) income per share Numerator: Net (loss) income $ (67,599 ) $ 82,951 Denominator: Weighted-average common shares outstanding 105,046 104,550 Diluted net (loss) income per share Denominator: Weighted-average common shares outstanding 105,046 104,550 Effect of restricted and performance stock units and stock purchase plan shares — 1,755 Weighted-average shares used in computing diluted net (loss) income per share 105,046 106,305 Net (loss) income per share: Basic $ (0.64 ) $ 0.79 Diluted $ (0.64 ) $ 0.78
Schedule of Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share	The following table summarizes the potential shares of common stock that were excluded from the computation of diluted net income per share for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 as such shares would have had an anti-dilutive effect (in thousands): Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Anti-dilutive shares 864 21

15. Accumulated Other Compreh_2

15. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Abstract]
Schedule of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	The following table presents the changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax, for the three months ended March 31, 2019 (in thousands): Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Marketable Securities and Restricted Investments Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Derivative Instruments Total Balance as of December 31, 2018 $ (66,380 ) $ 10,641 $ 1,273 $ (54,466 ) Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications (1,142 ) 10,692 (31 ) 9,519 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss — (15,016 ) — (15,016 ) Net tax effect — 977 (27 ) 950 Net other comprehensive loss (1,142 ) (3,347 ) (58 ) (4,547 ) Balance as of March 31, 2019 $ (67,522 ) $ 7,294 $ 1,215 $ (59,013 )
Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	The following table presents the pretax amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss into our condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands): Comprehensive Income Components Income Statement Line Item Three Months Ended 2019 2018 Unrealized gain on marketable securities and restricted investments Other income, net $ 15,016 $ 19,470 Total amount reclassified $ 15,016 $ 19,470

16. Segment Reporting (Tables)

16. Segment Reporting (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting Information, Profit (Loss) [Abstract]
Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment	The following tables present certain financial information for our reportable segments for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 and as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 (in thousands): Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 Modules Systems Total Modules Systems Total Net sales $ 198,815 $ 333,163 $ 531,978 $ 161,293 $ 405,972 $ 567,265 Gross (loss) profit (24,996 ) 25,108 112 10,278 162,520 172,798 Depreciation and amortization expense 39,535 4,259 43,794 9,249 5,278 14,527 March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 Modules Systems Total Modules Systems Total Goodwill $ 14,462 $ — $ 14,462 $ 14,462 $ — $ 14,462

2. Recent Accounting Pronounc_2

2. Recent Accounting Pronouncements 2. Recent Accounting Pronouncements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Jan. 01, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Operating lease assets	$ 168,213		$ 0
Operating lease liabilities	$ 145,287
Accounting Standards Update 2016-02 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Operating lease assets		$ 140,700
Operating lease liabilities		$ 119,900

3. Cash, Cash Equivalents, an_3

3. Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities (Details) - Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 1,013,402	$ 1,403,562
Marketable securities	1,103,812	1,143,704
Total cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities	2,117,214	2,547,266
Restricted cash - current	23,694	19,671
Restricted cash - noncurrent	169,529	139,390
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash	1,206,625	1,562,623	$ 1,947,583	$ 2,330,476
Foreign debt [Member]
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities [Line Items]
Marketable securities	345,950	318,646
Foreign government obligations [Member]
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities [Line Items]
Marketable securities	60,124	98,621
U.S debt [Member]
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities [Line Items]
Marketable securities	59,622	44,468
Time deposits [Member]
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities [Line Items]
Marketable securities	638,116	681,969
Cash [Member]
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	812,422	1,202,774
Money Market Funds [Member]
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 200,980	$ 200,788

3. Cash, Cash Equivalents, an_4

3. Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities (Details) - Marketable Securities $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)Investments	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)Investments
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	$ 1,105,073	$ 1,145,839
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	289	521
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Loss, before Tax	1,550	2,656
Marketable securities	$ 1,103,812	$ 1,143,704
Debt securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position [Abstract]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Number of Positions | Investments	15	15
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months	$ 168,020	$ 166,198
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 months, Accumulated Loss	669	834
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer	183,310	207,152
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	881	1,822
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position	351,330	373,350
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	1,550	2,656
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Maturity, Allocated and Single Maturity Date, Rolling within One Year	817,992
Debt securities, Available-for-sale, Debt Maturities, Rolling Year One Through Two	196,142
Debt securities, Available-for-sale, Debt Maturities, Rolling Year Two Through Three	89,678
Foreign debt [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	346,931	320,056
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	213	468
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Loss, before Tax	1,194	1,878
Marketable securities	345,950	318,646
Debt securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position [Abstract]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months	136,198	150,842
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 months, Accumulated Loss	482	802
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer	130,807	94,446
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	712	1,076
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position	267,005	245,288
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	1,194	1,878
Foreign government obligations [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	60,385	99,189
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	0	0
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Loss, before Tax	261	568
Marketable securities	60,124	98,621
Debt securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position [Abstract]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months	21,804	0
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 months, Accumulated Loss	177	0
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer	38,320	98,621
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	84	568
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position	60,124	98,621
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	261	568
U.S debt [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	59,641	44,625
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	76	53
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Loss, before Tax	95	210
Marketable securities	59,622	44,468
Debt securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position [Abstract]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months	10,018	15,356
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 months, Accumulated Loss	10	32
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer	14,183	14,085
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	85	178
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position	24,201	29,441
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	95	210
Time deposits [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	638,116	681,969
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	0	0
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Loss, before Tax	0	0
Marketable securities	$ 638,116	$ 681,969

4. Restricted Cash and Invest_3

4. Restricted Cash and Investments (Details) - Restricted Cash and Restricted Investments - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Restricted cash - noncurrent	$ 169,529		$ 139,390
Restricted Investments	219,108		179,000
Restricted cash and investments, noncurrent	388,637		318,390
Restricted cash - current	$ 23,694		19,671
Product minimum service life	25 years
Restricted Investments [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Restricted Investments	$ 219,108		$ 179,000
Proceeds from sale of restricted investments	47,900	$ 101,600
Realized gain from sale of restricted investments	15,000	$ 19,500
Proceeds from sale of restricted investments withdrawn from custodial accounts	$ 14,900

4. Restricted Cash and Invest_4

4. Restricted Cash and Investments (Details) - Available For Sale Securities $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)Investments	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)Investments
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	$ 1,105,073	$ 1,145,839
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	289	521
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Loss, before Tax	1,550	2,656
Restricted Investments	$ 219,108	$ 179,000
Debt securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position:
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Number of Positions | Investments	15	15
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months	$ 168,020	$ 166,198
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 months, Accumulated Loss	669	834
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer	183,310	207,152
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	881	1,822
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position	351,330	373,350
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	1,550	2,656
Foreign government obligations [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	60,385	99,189
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	0	0
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Loss, before Tax	261	568
Debt securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position:
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months	21,804	0
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 months, Accumulated Loss	177	0
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer	38,320	98,621
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	84	568
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position	60,124	98,621
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	261	568
Restricted Investments [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	216,332	171,021
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	5,929	14,650
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Loss, before Tax	3,153	6,671
Restricted Investments	$ 219,108	$ 179,000
Debt securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position:
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Number of Positions | Investments	6	6
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months	$ 0	$ 41,335
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 months, Accumulated Loss	0	235
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer	91,266	87,401
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	3,153	6,436
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position	91,266	128,736
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	$ 3,153	6,671
Restricted Investments [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position:
Contractual maturities of Debt securities, Available-for-sale, range start (in years)	10 years
Restricted Investments [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position:
Contractual maturities of Debt securities, Available-for-sale, range end (in years)	20 years
Restricted Investments [Member] | Foreign government obligations [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	$ 119,161	73,798
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	5,505	14,234
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Loss, before Tax	0	235
Restricted Investments	124,666	87,797
Debt securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position:
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months		41,335
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 months, Accumulated Loss		235
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer		0
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss		0
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position		41,335
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss		235
Restricted Investments [Member] | U.S. government obligations [Member]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	97,171	97,223
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	424	416
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Loss, before Tax	3,153	6,436
Restricted Investments	94,442	91,203
Debt securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position:
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months	0	0
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 months, Accumulated Loss	0	0
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer	91,266	87,401
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, 12 Months or Longer, Accumulated Loss	3,153	6,436
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position	91,266	87,401
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	$ 3,153	$ 6,436

5. Consolidated Balance Sheet_3

5. Consolidated Balance Sheet Details (Details) $ in Thousands, € in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019EUR (€)	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)	Feb. 29, 2016	Nov. 30, 2014	Apr. 30, 2009EUR (€)
Accounts receivable, trade, unbilled and retainage
Accounts receivable trade, gross				$ 303,062		$ 129,644
Allowance for doubtful accounts				(1,393)		(1,362)
Accounts receivable trade, net				301,669		128,282
Secured accounts receivable				45,500		8,500
Accounts receivable, unbilled				347,726		441,666
Retainage				19,414		16,500
Accounts receivable, unbilled and retainage				367,140		458,166
Inventories and balance of systems parts
Raw materials				244,409		224,329
Work in process				48,530		41,294
Finished goods				308,725		252,372
Inventories				601,664		517,995
Inventories - current				459,472		387,912
Inventories - noncurrent				142,192		130,083
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Prepaid expenses				110,085		90,981
Prepaid income taxes				64,726		59,319
Indirect tax receivables				39,765		26,327
Restricted cash				23,694		19,671
Derivative instruments				1,313		2,364
Other current assets				37,580		44,399
Prepaid expenses and other current assets				277,163		243,061
Property, plant and equipment, net
Property, plant and equipment, gross				3,176,431		3,041,068
Accumulated depreciation				(1,317,138)		(1,284,857)
Property, plant and equipment, net				1,859,293		1,756,211
PV solar power systems, net
PV solar power systems, gross				343,543		343,061
Accumulated depreciation				(37,915)		(34,421)
PV solar power systems, net				305,628		308,640
Capitalized interest
Interest cost incurred	$ (10,948)	$ (6,465)
Interest expense, net	(10,121)	(5,182)
Project assets
Project assets - development costs, including project acquisition and land costs				323,539		298,070
Project assets - construction costs				248,750		200,359
Total project assets				572,289		498,429
Project assets - current				80,278		37,930
Project assets - noncurrent				492,011		460,499
Other assets
Operating lease assets				168,213		0
Notes receivable				31,059		8,017
Indirect tax receivables				9,247		22,487
Income taxes receivable				4,444		4,444
Equity method investments				2,960		3,186
Deferred rent				0		27,249
Other				26,030		33,495
Other assets				241,953		98,878
Notes receivable, affiliate				0		22,832
Goodwill
Goodwill				14,462		14,462
Goodwill, period increase (decrease)	0
Intangibles assets, net
Intangible assets, gross				111,608		111,608
Intangible assets, accumulated amortization				(39,967)		(37,446)
Intangibles assets, net				71,641		74,162
Amortization of intangible assets	2,500	2,400
Accrued expenses
Accrued project assets				130,002		147,162
Accrued property, plant and equipment				83,409		89,905
Accrued inventory				58,476		53,075
Product warranty liability				31,013		27,657
Accrued compensation and benefits				29,761		41,937
Other				75,370		81,844
Accrued expenses				408,031		441,580
Other current liabilities
Operating lease liabilities, current				12,736		0
Derivative instruments				2,105		7,294
Contingent consideration				414		665
Other				4,282		6,421
Other current liabilities				19,537		14,380
Other liabilities
Product warranty liability				186,228		193,035
Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent				132,551		0
Other taxes payable				84,817		83,058
Transition tax liability				77,016		77,016
Deferred revenue, noncurrent				50,451		48,014
Derivative instruments				14,257		9,205
Contingent consideration				2,250		2,250
Other				51,095		55,261
Other liabilities				598,665		467,839
Developed Technology [Member]
Intangibles assets, net
Intangible assets, gross				97,714		97,714
Intangible assets, accumulated amortization				(35,367)		(33,093)
Intangibles assets, net				62,347		64,621
Power Purchase Agreements [Member]
Intangibles assets, net
Intangible assets, gross				6,486		6,486
Intangible assets, accumulated amortization				(729)		(648)
Intangibles assets, net				5,757		5,838
Patents [Member]
Intangibles assets, net
Intangible assets, gross				7,408		7,408
Intangible assets, accumulated amortization				(3,871)		(3,705)
Intangibles assets, net				3,537		3,703
Modules Segment [Member]
Goodwill
Goodwill, Gross				407,827		407,827
Accumulated impairment loss				(393,365)		(393,365)
Goodwill				14,462		14,462
Goodwill from acquisition	0
Goodwill impairment	0
Clean Energy Collective, LLC [Member]
Other assets
Notes receivable				23,200
Note Receivable Interest Rate								16.00%
Convertible Notes Receivable Interest Rate							10.00%
Notes receivable, affiliate						22,800
Credit Facility Agreement [Member]
Other assets
Notes receivable			€ 7	7,900	€ 7	8,000
Notes Receivable Initial Available Amount | €									€ 17.5
Note Receivable Interest Rate									8.00%
Property, Plant and Equipment [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, net
Depreciation	42,900	18,600
PV solar power systems [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, net
Depreciation	3,500	4,300
Project Assets [Member]
Capitalized interest
Interest costs capitalized - project assets	$ 827	$ 1,283
Land [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, net
Property, plant and equipment, gross				14,330		14,382
Building and improvements [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, net
Property, plant and equipment, gross				571,345		567,605
Machinery and equipment [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, net
Property, plant and equipment, gross				2,063,042		1,826,434
Office equipment and furniture [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, net
Property, plant and equipment, gross				179,013		178,011
Leasehold improvements [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, net
Property, plant and equipment, gross				49,007		49,055
Construction in progress [Member]
Property, plant and equipment, net
Property, plant and equipment, gross				$ 299,694		$ 405,581

6. Derivative Financial Instr_3

6. Derivative Financial Instruments (Details) - Summary - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Assets (Liabilities), at Fair Value, Net	$ 1,313	$ 2,364
Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Gross Asset	129	158
Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Gross Asset	1,184	2,206
Other Current Liabilities [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Assets (Liabilities), at Fair Value, Net	(2,105)	(7,294)
Other Current Liabilities [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Liability, Fair Value, Gross Liability	0	0
Other Current Liabilities [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Liability, Fair Value, Gross Liability	2,105	7,294
Other Liabilities [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Assets (Liabilities), at Fair Value, Net	(14,257)	(9,205)
Other Liabilities [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Liability, Fair Value, Gross Liability	0	0
Other Liabilities [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Liability, Fair Value, Gross Liability	14,257	9,205
Foreign exchange forward contracts [Member] | Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Gross Asset	129	158
Foreign exchange forward contracts [Member] | Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Gross Asset	1,184	2,206
Foreign exchange forward contracts [Member] | Other Current Liabilities [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Liability, Fair Value, Gross Liability	0	0
Foreign exchange forward contracts [Member] | Other Current Liabilities [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Liability, Fair Value, Gross Liability	1,595	7,096
Foreign exchange forward contracts [Member] | Other Liabilities [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Liability, Fair Value, Gross Liability	0	0
Foreign exchange forward contracts [Member] | Other Liabilities [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Liability, Fair Value, Gross Liability	0	0
Interest rate swap contract [Member] | Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Asset, Fair Value, Gross Asset	0	0
Interest rate swap contract [Member] | Other Current Liabilities [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Liability, Fair Value, Gross Liability	510	198
Interest rate swap contract [Member] | Other Liabilities [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative Liability, Fair Value, Gross Liability	$ 14,257	$ 9,205

6. Derivative Financial Instr_4

6. Derivative Financial Instruments (Details) - Hedging Relationship - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Foreign exchange forward contracts [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Balance in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income	$ 1,298	$ (2,591)	$ 1,329	$ (1,723)
Amounts recognized in other comprehensive (loss) income	(31)	(868)
Foreign exchange forward contracts [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Cash Flow Hedging [Member] | Other (loss) income, net
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) on Cash Flow Hedge Ineffectiveness, Net		0
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income, Ineffective Portion and Amount Excluded from Effectiveness Testing, Net		(200)
Foreign exchange forward contracts [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Foreign currency gain (loss), net [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Derivative, Gain (Loss) on Derivative, Net	1,900	(12,656)
Interest rate swap contract [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Interest expense, net [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Derivative, Gain (Loss) on Derivative, Net	$ (5,364)	$ (660)

6. Derivative Financial Instr_5

6. Derivative Financial Instruments (Details) - Risk Management $ in Millions, $ in Millions, ¥ in Billions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019AUD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018AUD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019JPY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018JPY (¥)	May 31, 2018AUD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017JPY (¥)
Foreign exchange forward contracts [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Maximum length of time hedged in foreign currency cash flow hedge	3 months	6 months
Foreign exchange forward contracts [Member] | Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Foreign Currency Cash Flow Hedge Gain (Loss) to be Reclassified During Next 12 Months			$ 1.3
Foreign exchange forward contracts [Member] | Cash Flow Hedging [Member] | Australia, Dollars
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative, Notional Amount	$ 8.8	$ 8.8	6.2		$ 6.2
Beryl Credit Facility [Member] | Interest rate swap contract [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative, Notional Amount	$ 135.2	$ 103.4	95.9		73.4		$ 42.4
Beryl Credit Facility [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Interest rate swap contract [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative fixed interest rate paid on swap							2.0615%
Beryl Credit Facility [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Interest rate swap contract [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative fixed interest rate paid on swap							3.202%
Ishikawa Credit Agreement [Member] | Interest rate swap contract [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative, Notional Amount			$ 173.5	¥ 19.2	$ 173.5	¥ 19.2		¥ 5.7
Derivative, Basis Spread on Variable Rate								0.75%
Derivative fixed interest rate paid on swap								1.482%

6. Derivative Financial Instr_6

6. Derivative Financial Instruments (Details) - Transaction Exposure - Foreign exchange forward contracts [Member] - Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] € in Millions, ₨ in Millions, ¥ in Millions, RM in Millions, R$ in Millions, $ in Millions, $ in Millions, $ in Millions, $ in Millions, $ in Millions, $ in Millions

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019SGD ($)

Dec. 31, 2018SGD ($)

Mar. 31, 2019EUR (€)

Mar. 31, 2019CLP ($)

Mar. 31, 2019BRL (R$)

Mar. 31, 2019MYR (RM)

Mar. 31, 2019AUD ($)

Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)

Mar. 31, 2019CAD ($)

Mar. 31, 2019INR (₨)

Mar. 31, 2019MXN ($)

Mar. 31, 2019JPY (¥)

Dec. 31, 2018EUR (€)

Dec. 31, 2018CLP ($)

Dec. 31, 2018BRL (R$)

Dec. 31, 2018MYR (RM)

Dec. 31, 2018AUD ($)

Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2018CAD ($)

Dec. 31, 2018INR (₨)

Dec. 31, 2018MXN ($)

Dec. 31, 2018JPY (¥)

Derivative [Line Items]

Maximum Remaining Maturity of Foreign Currency Derivatives

3 months

Australia, Dollars

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Currency Bought

Australian dollar

Australian dollar

Derivative, Currency Sold

Australian dollar

Australian dollar

Brazil, Brazil Real

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Currency Bought

Brazilian real

Brazilian real

Canada, Dollars

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Currency Bought

Canadian dollar

Derivative, Currency Sold

Canadian dollar

Chile, Pesos

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Currency Sold

Chilean peso

Chilean peso

Euro Member Countries, Euro

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Currency Bought

Euro

Euro

Derivative, Currency Sold

Euro

Euro

India, Rupees

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Currency Sold

Indian rupee

Indian rupee

Japan, Yen

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Currency Bought

Japanese yen

Japanese yen

Derivative, Currency Sold

Japanese yen

Japanese yen

Malaysia, Ringgits

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Currency Bought

Malaysian ringgit

Malaysian ringgit

Derivative, Currency Sold

Malaysian ringgit

Malaysian ringgit

Mexico, Pesos

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Currency Sold

Mexican peso

Mexican peso

Singapore, Dollars

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Currency Bought

Singapore dollar

Singapore dollar

Derivative, Currency Sold

Singapore dollar

Long [Member] | Australia, Dollars

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

$ 4.5

$ 3.2

$ 2.1

$ 1.5

Long [Member] | Brazil, Brazil Real

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

R$ 8.5

2.2

R$ 8.5

2.2

Long [Member] | Canada, Dollars

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

3.4

$ 4.6

Long [Member] | Euro Member Countries, Euro

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

€ 113.1

127.1

€ 115.2

131.9

Long [Member] | Japan, Yen

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

4.5

¥ 497.9

8.4

¥ 931.6

Long [Member] | Malaysia, Ringgits

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

RM 33.3

8.2

RM 34.3

8.3

Long [Member] | Singapore, Dollars

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

$ 4

$ 3.8

3

2.8

Short [Member] | Australia, Dollars

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

$ 8.8

6.2

$ 52.9

37.3

Short [Member] | Canada, Dollars

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

2.1

$ 2.9

Short [Member] | Chile, Pesos

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

$ 3,407.8

5

$ 3,506.6

5.1

Short [Member] | Euro Member Countries, Euro

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

€ 151.5

170.2

€ 191.8

219.7

Short [Member] | India, Rupees

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

11.4

₨ 789.2

11.3

₨ 789.2

Short [Member] | Japan, Yen

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

197

¥ 21,822.1

216.2

¥ 23,858.8

Short [Member] | Malaysia, Ringgits

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

RM 69

16.9

RM 53.8

12.9

Short [Member] | Mexico, Pesos

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

1.8

$ 34.6

$ 1.9

$ 37.3

Short [Member] | Singapore, Dollars

Derivative [Line Items]

Derivative, Notional Amount

$ 1.4

$ 1

7. Leases (Details)

7. Leases (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)
Leases [Abstract]
Operating lease cost	$ 5,283
Variable lease cost	749
Short-term lease cost	2,842
Total lease cost	8,874
Payments of amounts included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities	4,947
Lease assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities	$ 149,631
Weighted-average remaining lease term	18 years
Weighted-average discount rate	4.70%
Operating lease liabilities, future payments, remainder of 2019	$ 13,838
Operating lease liabilities, future payments, due 2020	14,436
Operating lease liabilities, future payments, due 2021	13,656
Operating lease liabilities, future payments, due 2022	13,255
Operating lease liabilities, future payments, due 2023	13,000
Operating lease liabilities, future payments, due after 2023	151,562
Total future payments	219,747
Future interest	(74,460)
Total lease liabilities	$ 145,287

8. Fair Value Measurements (Det

8. Fair Value Measurements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Assets:
Marketable securities	$ 1,103,812	$ 1,143,704
Restricted Investments	219,108	179,000
Foreign debt [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	345,950	318,646
Foreign government obligations [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	60,124	98,621
U.S debt [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	59,622	44,468
Time deposits [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	638,116	681,969
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member]
Assets:
Restricted Investments	219,108	179,000
Derivative assets	1,313	2,364
Total assets	1,525,213	1,525,856
Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	16,362	16,499
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Foreign debt [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	345,950	318,646
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Foreign government obligations [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	60,124	98,621
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | U.S debt [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	59,622	44,468
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Time deposits [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	638,116	681,969
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Money Market Funds [Member]
Assets:
Cash equivalents	200,980	200,788
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Assets:
Restricted Investments	0	0
Derivative assets	0	0
Total assets	839,096	882,757
Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Foreign debt [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Foreign government obligations [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | U.S debt [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Time deposits [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	638,116	681,969
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Money Market Funds [Member]
Assets:
Cash equivalents	200,980	200,788
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Assets:
Restricted Investments	219,108	179,000
Derivative assets	1,313	2,364
Total assets	686,117	643,099
Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	16,362	16,499
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Foreign debt [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	345,950	318,646
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Foreign government obligations [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	60,124	98,621
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | U.S debt [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	59,622	44,468
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Time deposits [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member] | Money Market Funds [Member]
Assets:
Cash equivalents	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member]
Assets:
Restricted Investments	0	0
Derivative assets	0	0
Total assets	0	0
Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Foreign debt [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Foreign government obligations [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | U.S debt [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Time deposits [Member]
Assets:
Marketable securities	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] | Money Market Funds [Member]
Assets:
Cash equivalents	$ 0	$ 0

8. Fair Value Measurements (D_2

8. Fair Value Measurements (Details) - Balance Sheet Grouping - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Financial Instruments, Financial Assets, Balance Sheet Groupings [Abstract]
Notes receivable - noncurrent	$ 31,059	$ 8,017
Notes receivable, affiliate - noncurrent	0	22,832
Financial Instruments, Financial Liabilities, Balance Sheet Groupings [Abstract]
Long-term debt, including current maturities	582,698
Reported Value Measurement [Member]
Financial Instruments, Financial Assets, Balance Sheet Groupings [Abstract]
Notes receivable - noncurrent	31,059	8,017
Notes receivable, affiliate - noncurrent	0	22,832
Financial Instruments, Financial Liabilities, Balance Sheet Groupings [Abstract]
Long-term debt, including current maturities	582,698	479,157
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member]
Financial Instruments, Financial Assets, Balance Sheet Groupings [Abstract]
Notes receivable - noncurrent	32,888	8,010
Notes receivable, affiliate - noncurrent	0	24,295
Financial Instruments, Financial Liabilities, Balance Sheet Groupings [Abstract]
Long-term debt, including current maturities	$ 598,128	$ 470,124

9. Debt (Details)

9. Debt (Details) $ in Thousands, $ in Millions, ₨ in Billions, ¥ in Billions

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2018AUD ($)

Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)

Oct. 31, 2018AUD ($)

Oct. 31, 2018USD ($)

Jun. 30, 2018AUD ($)

Jun. 30, 2018USD ($)

Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)

Mar. 31, 2018INR (₨)

Jun. 30, 2017USD ($)

Jun. 30, 2017JPY (¥)

Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)

Dec. 31, 2016JPY (¥)

Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)

Sep. 30, 2015JPY (¥)

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Long-term debt, gross

$ 582,698

$ 479,157

Unamortized discount and issuance costs

(11,981)

(12,366)

Total long-term debt

570,717

466,791

Less current portion

(12,361)

(5,570)

Noncurrent portion

558,356

461,221

Long-term Debt, Maturities, Repayments of Principal in Remainder of Fiscal Year

10,921

Long-term Debt, Maturities, Repayments of Principal in Year Two

38,200

Long-term Debt, Maturities, Repayments of Principal in Year Three

83,943

Long-term Debt, Maturities, Repayments of Principal in Year Four

19,279

Long-term Debt, Maturities, Repayments of Principal in Year Five

94,707

Long-term Debt, Maturities, Repayments of Principal after Year Five

335,648

Total long-term debt future principal payments

$ 582,698

Revolving Credit Facility [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt instrument, currency

USD

Revolving credit facility

$ 0

0

Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity

500,000

Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity

750,000

Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount

$ 64,800

66,000

Line of Credit Facility, Unused Capacity, Commitment Fee Percentage

0.30%

Fronting fee

0.125%

Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage

4.49%

Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis

Borrowings under the credit facility bear interest at (i) London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), adjusted for Eurocurrency reserve requirements, plus a margin of 2.00% or (ii) a base rate as defined in the credit agreement plus a margin of 1.00% depending on the type of borrowing requested.

Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Minimum [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate

1.00%

Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Maximum [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate

2.00%

Luz del Norte Credit Facilities [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt instrument, currency

USD

Long-term debt, gross

$ 188,849

188,849

Luz del Norte Credit Facilities [Member] | OPIC and IFC [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt Instrument, Description of Fixed Rate Basis

Fixed rate loans at bank rate plus 3.50%

Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis

Variable rate loans at 91-Day U.S. Treasury Bill Yield or LIBOR plus 3.50%

Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Fixed Rate

3.50%

Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate

3.50%

Luz del Norte Credit Facilities [Member] | OPIC [Member] | Parque Solar Fotovoltaico Luz del Norte SpA [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Long-term debt, gross

$ 141,400

141,400

Luz del Norte Credit Facilities [Member] | IFC [Member] | Parque Solar Fotovoltaico Luz del Norte SpA [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Long-term debt, gross

47,400

47,400

Luz del Norte Credit Facilities [Member] | Fixed Rate Term Loan [Member] | OPIC and IFC [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Long-term debt, gross

159,300

Luz del Norte Credit Facilities [Member] | Variable Rate Term Loan [Member] | OPIC and IFC [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Long-term debt, gross

$ 29,500

Ishikawa Credit Agreement [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt instrument, currency

JPY

Long-term debt, gross

$ 235,428

157,834

Ishikawa Credit Agreement [Member] | Mizuho Bank [Member] | FS Japan Project 12 GK [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Long-term debt, gross

$ 235,400

157,800

Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity

$ 246,500

¥ 27.3

Ishikawa Credit Agreement [Member] | Senior Loan Facility [Member] | Mizuho Bank [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis

Senior loan facility at 6-month TIBOR plus 0.75% (2)

Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate

0.75%

Ishikawa Credit Agreement [Member] | Senior Loan Facility [Member] | Mizuho Bank [Member] | FS Japan Project 12 GK [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity

216,700

24

Ishikawa Credit Agreement [Member] | Consumption Tax Facility [Member] | Mizuho Bank [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis

Consumption tax facility at 3-month TIBOR plus 0.5%

Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate

0.50%

Ishikawa Credit Agreement [Member] | Consumption Tax Facility [Member] | Mizuho Bank [Member] | FS Japan Project 12 GK [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity

19,000

2.1

Ishikawa Credit Agreement [Member] | Letter of Credit Facility [Member] | Mizuho Bank [Member] | FS Japan Project 12 GK [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity

$ 10,800

¥ 1.2

Japan Credit Facility [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt instrument, currency

JPY

Long-term debt, gross

$ 0

0

Japan Credit Facility [Member] | Mizuho Bank [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis

1-month TIBOR plus 0.5%

Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate

0.50%

Japan Credit Facility [Member] | Mizuho Bank [Member] | First Solar Japan GK [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Long-term debt, gross

$ 0

0

Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity

$ 36,100

¥ 4

Tochigi Credit Facility [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt instrument, currency

JPY

Long-term debt, gross

$ 37,819

25,468

Tochigi Credit Facility [Member] | Mizuho Bank [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis

3-month TIBOR plus 1.0%

Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate

1.00%

Tochigi Credit Facility [Member] | Mizuho Bank [Member] | First Solar Japan GK [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Long-term debt, gross

$ 37,800

25,500

Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity

$ 63,200

¥ 7

Anantapur Credit Facility [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt instrument, currency

INR

Long-term debt, gross

$ 15,571

16,101

Anantapur Credit Facility [Member] | J.P. Morgan Securities India Private Limited [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis

INR overnight indexed swap rate plus 1.5%

Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate

1.50%

Anantapur Credit Facility [Member] | J.P. Morgan Securities India Private Limited [Member] | Anantapur Solar Parks Private Limited [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Long-term debt, gross

$ 15,600

16,100

Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity

$ 17,300

₨ 1.2

Tungabhadra Credit Facility [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt instrument, currency

INR

Long-term debt, gross

$ 13,131

13,934

Tungabhadra Credit Facility [Member] | J.P. Morgan Securities India Private Limited [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis

INR overnight indexed swap rate plus 1.5%

Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate

1.50%

Tungabhadra Credit Facility [Member] | J.P. Morgan Securities India Private Limited [Member] | Tungabhadra Solar Parks Private Limited [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Long-term debt, gross

$ 13,100

13,900

Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity

$ 14,400

₨ 1

Beryl Credit Facility [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt instrument, currency

AUD

Long-term debt, gross

$ 91,900

76,971

Beryl Credit Facility [Member] | MUFG Bank, Ltd.; Société Générale, Hong Kong Branch; and Mizuho Bank, Ltd. [Member] | FS NSW Project No 1 Finco Pty Ltd [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Long-term debt, gross

$ 91,900

77,000

Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity

$ 136.4

$ 96,800

$ 146.4

$ 103,900

Beryl Credit Facility [Member] | Construction Loans [Member] | MUFG Bank, Ltd.; Société Générale, Hong Kong Branch; and Mizuho Bank, Ltd. [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis

Construction loan facility at 1-month BBSY plus 1.75% (2)

Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate

1.75%

Beryl Credit Facility [Member] | Construction Loans [Member] | MUFG Bank, Ltd.; Société Générale, Hong Kong Branch; and Mizuho Bank, Ltd. [Member] | FS NSW Project No 1 Finco Pty Ltd [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity

$ 125.4

89,000

Beryl Credit Facility [Member] | Goods and Service Tax Facility [Member] | MUFG Bank, Ltd.; Société Générale, Hong Kong Branch; and Mizuho Bank, Ltd. [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis

GST facility at 1-month BBSY plus 1.00%

Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate

1.00%

Beryl Credit Facility [Member] | Goods and Service Tax Facility [Member] | MUFG Bank, Ltd.; Société Générale, Hong Kong Branch; and Mizuho Bank, Ltd. [Member] | FS NSW Project No 1 Finco Pty Ltd [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity

7

5,000

Beryl Credit Facility [Member] | Letter of Credit Facility [Member] | MUFG Bank, Ltd.; Société Générale, Hong Kong Branch; and Mizuho Bank, Ltd. [Member] | FS NSW Project No 1 Finco Pty Ltd [Member]

Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity

$ 4

$ 2,800

10. Commitments and Contingen_3

10. Commitments and Contingencies (Details) - Commercial Commitments - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Surety Bonds	$ 60.1
Surety Bond Capacity	656.2
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Letter of Credit Sub-Limit	400
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount	64.8	$ 66
Letters of Credit, Remaining Borrowing Capacity	335.2
Bilateral Facilities [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Amount	209.4
Letters of Credit Outstanding, Secured by Cash	35.2
Bilateral Facilities, Bank Guarantees and Letter of Credit [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Letters of Credit, Remaining Borrowing Capacity	$ 230.6

10. Commitments and Contingen_4

10. Commitments and Contingencies (Details) - Product Warranties - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Movement in Standard Product Warranty Accrual [Roll Forward]
Product warranty liability, beginning of period	$ 220,692	$ 224,274
Accruals for new warranties issued	5,116	3,632
Settlements	(3,078)	(2,609)
Changes in estimate of product warranty liability	(5,489)	503
Product warranty liability, end of period	217,241	225,800
Current portion of warranty liability	31,013	32,655
Noncurrent portion of warranty liability	$ 186,228	$ 193,145
Percentage Point Change in Estimated Rate of Return of Module Warranty	1.00%
Estimated Change in Module Warranty from Sensitivity Analysis	$ 77,100
Percentage Point Change in Estimated Rate of Return of Balance of Systems Warranty	1.00%
Minimum [Member]
Movement in Standard Product Warranty Accrual [Roll Forward]
Estimated Rate of Return for Module Warranty	1.00%
Maximum [Member]
Movement in Standard Product Warranty Accrual [Roll Forward]
Estimated Rate of Return for Module Warranty	3.00%

10. Commitments and Contingen_5

10. Commitments and Contingencies (Details) - Performance Guarantees - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Energy Performance Testing Liability	$ 3.1	$ 0.4

10. Commitments and Contingen_6

10. Commitments and Contingencies (Details) - Indemnifications - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Indemnification liabilities, noncurrent	$ 3	$ 3
Indemnification liabilities, maximum exposure	125.3
Indemnification liabilities, potential insurance recoveries	$ 84.9

10. Commitments and Contingen_7

10. Commitments and Contingencies (Details) - Contingent Consideration - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Project Acquisition, Contingent Consideration Liability, Current	$ 0.4	$ 0.7
Project Acquisition, Contingent Consideration Liability, Noncurrent	$ 2.3	$ 2.3

10. Commitments and Contingen_8

10. Commitments and Contingencies (Details) - Solar Module Collection and Recycling Liability - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Accrued solar module collection and recycling liability	$ 134,228	$ 134,442
Percentage increase in annualized inflation rate	1.00%
Estimated increase in solar module collection recycling liability from sensitivity analysis	$ 25,700
Percentage decrease in annualized inflation rate	1.00%
Estimated decrease in solar module collection recycling liability from sensitivity analysis	$ 21,700

11. Revenue from Contracts wi_3

11. Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)Projects	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)Projects	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 531,978	$ 567,265
Project Change in Estimate Disclosure Threshold	$ 1,000
Number of Projects with Changes in Estimates | Projects	8	23
Increase in Revenue from Net Changes in Transaction Prices	$ 6,114	$ 53,150
(Decrease) Increase in Revenue from Net Changes in Input Cost Estimates	(15,950)	1,955
Net (Decrease) Increase in Revenue from Net Changes in Estimates	$ (9,836)	$ 55,105
Net Change in Estimate as a Percentage of Aggregate Revenue	(0.50%)	0.50%
Increase in Revenue from Net Changes in Indirect Tax Estimates		$ 54,600
Accounts receivable, unbilled	$ 347,726		$ 441,666
Retainage	19,414		16,500
Accounts receivable, unbilled and retainage	367,140		458,166
Contract Asset, Net Change	$ (91,026)
Contract Asset, Percent Change	(20.00%)
Deferred Revenue	$ 217,435		177,769
Contract Liability, Net Change	$ 39,666
Contract Liability, Percent Change	22.00%
Deferred Revenue, Noncurrent	$ 50,451		$ 48,014
Sales Revenue Net, from Beginning Contract Liability	46,700	33,800
Solar Modules [Member]
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Line Items]
Net sales	198,815	161,293
Remaining Performance Obligation, Transaction Price	3,400,000
Solar Power Systems [Member]
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Line Items]
Net sales	157,294	354,410
EPC Services [Member]
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Line Items]
Net sales	137,594	12,718
O&M Services [Member]
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Line Items]
Net sales	27,700	26,714
Remaining Performance Obligation, Transaction Price	$ 600,000
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Period of Recognition	11 years 2 months
Energy Generation [Member]
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 10,575	$ 12,130
Solar Power Systems, Sales of and EPC Services [Member]
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Line Items]
Remaining Performance Obligation, Transaction Price	$ 500,000
Solar Power Systems, Sales of and EPC Services [Member] | Phoebe [Member]
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Line Items]
Remaining Performance Obligations, Percent of Revenue Recognized	43.00%
Solar Power Systems, Sales of and EPC Services [Member] | GA Solar 4 [Member]
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Line Items]
Remaining Performance Obligations, Percent of Revenue Recognized	16.00%
Solar Power Systems, Sales of and EPC Services [Member] | Rosamond [Member]
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Line Items]
Remaining Performance Obligations, Percent of Revenue Recognized	97.00%
Solar Power Systems, Sales of and EPC Services [Member] | Beryl [Member]
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Line Items]
Remaining Performance Obligations, Percent of Revenue Recognized	0.00%
Solar Power Systems, Sales of and EPC Services [Member] | Troy Solar [Member]
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Line Items]
Remaining Performance Obligations, Percent of Revenue Recognized	0.00%
Solar Power Systems, Sales of and EPC Services [Member] | Lake Hancock [Member]
Revenue from Contracts with Customers [Line Items]
Remaining Performance Obligations, Percent of Revenue Recognized	97.00%

12. Share-Based Compensation (D

12. Share-Based Compensation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Allocated share-based compensation expense	$ 5,019	$ 8,652
Allocated share-based compensation expense, gross	4,567	8,865
Net amount released from (absorbed into) inventory	452	(213)
Employee service share-based compensation, capitalized in inventory	1,300		$ 1,800
Restricted and performance stock units [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Allocated share-based compensation expense	4,188	8,405
Employee service share-based compensation, nonvested awards, total compensation cost not yet recognized	$ 49,700
Employee service share-based compensation, unrecognized compensation costs on nonvested awards, weighted average period of recognition (in years)	1 year 7 months
Unrestricted stock [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Allocated share-based compensation expense	$ 379	460
Cost of sales [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Allocated share-based compensation expense	1,840	1,250
Selling, general and administrative [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Allocated share-based compensation expense	2,338	5,661
Research and development [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Allocated share-based compensation expense	841	1,425
Production start-up [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Allocated share-based compensation expense	$ 0	$ 316

13. Income Taxes (Details)

13. Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Significant Change in Unrecognized Tax Benefits is Reasonably Possible [Line Items]
Effective income tax rate	2.00%	12.10%
Statutory U.S. federal tax rate	21.00%
Maximum [Member]
Significant Change in Unrecognized Tax Benefits is Reasonably Possible [Line Items]
Significant change in unrecognized tax benefits is reasonably possible, amount of unrecorded benefit	$ 0.1

14. Net (Loss) Income Per Sha_3

14. Net (Loss) Income Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net (loss) income	$ (67,599)	$ 82,951
Weighted-average common shares outstanding	105,046	104,550
Effect of restricted and performance stock units and stock purchase plan shares	0	1,755
Weighted-average shares used in computing diluted net (loss) income per share	105,046	106,305
Net (loss) income per share, basic	$ (0.64)	$ 0.79
Net (loss) income per share, diluted	$ (0.64)	$ 0.78
Anti-dilutive shares	864	21

15. Accumulated Other Compreh_3

15. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Stockholders' equity, beginning balance	$ 5,212,403	$ 5,098,697
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	(15,016)	(19,470)
Net other comprehensive loss	(4,547)	(20,842)
Stockholders' equity, ending balance	5,129,161	5,159,371
Other income, net	3,509	17,934
Total amount reclassified	15,016	19,470
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment [Member]
Stockholders' equity, beginning balance	(66,380)
Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications	(1,142)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	0
Net tax effect	0
Net other comprehensive loss	(1,142)
Stockholders' equity, ending balance	(67,522)
Total amount reclassified	0
Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Marketable Securities and Restricted Investments [Member]
Stockholders' equity, beginning balance	10,641
Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications	10,692
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	(15,016)
Net tax effect	977
Net other comprehensive loss	(3,347)
Stockholders' equity, ending balance	7,294
Total amount reclassified	15,016
Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Marketable Securities and Restricted Investments [Member] | Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss [Member]
Other income, net	15,016	19,470
Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Derivative Instruments [Member]
Stockholders' equity, beginning balance	1,273
Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications	(31)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	0
Net tax effect	(27)
Net other comprehensive loss	(58)
Stockholders' equity, ending balance	1,215
Total amount reclassified	0
Total, Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income [Member]
Stockholders' equity, beginning balance	(54,466)	2,259
Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications	9,519
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	(15,016)
Net tax effect	950
Net other comprehensive loss	(4,547)	(20,842)
Stockholders' equity, ending balance	(59,013)	$ (18,583)
Total amount reclassified	$ 15,016

16. Segment Reporting (Details)

16. Segment Reporting (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)segments	Mar. 31, 2018USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of reportable segments | segments	2
Net sales	$ 531,978	$ 567,265
Gross (loss) profit	112	172,798
Depreciation and amortization expense	43,794	14,527
Goodwill	14,462		$ 14,462
Modules Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	198,815	161,293
Gross (loss) profit	(24,996)	10,278
Depreciation and amortization expense	39,535	9,249
Goodwill	14,462		14,462
Systems Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	333,163	405,972
Gross (loss) profit	25,108	162,520
Depreciation and amortization expense	4,259	$ 5,278
Goodwill	$ 0		$ 0