| Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) | 12 Months Ended |
| Dec. 31, 2018 |
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |
| Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation | Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and reflect the accounts and operations of the Company and those of its subsidiaries, including Funds, in which the Company has a controlling financial interest. The typical condition for a controlling financial interest ownership is holding a majority of the voting interests of an entity. However, a controlling financial interest may also exist in entities, such as variable interest entities (“VIEs”), through arrangements that do not involve controlling voting interests. In accordance with the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 810 (“ASC 810”) Consolidation , the Company consolidates any VIE of which it is the primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary, as defined in ASC 810, is the party that has (1) the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and (2) the obligation to absorb the losses of the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. The Company evaluates its relationships with its VIEs on an ongoing basis to determine whether it continues to be the primary beneficiary. The consolidated financial statements reflect the assets and liabilities of VIEs that are consolidated. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. |
| Reclassifications | Reclassifications Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation. |
| Use of Estimates | Use of Estimates The preparation of the consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. The Company regularly makes estimates and assumptions, including, but not limited to, revenue recognition constraints that result in variable consideration, the discount rate used to adjust the promised amount of consideration for the effects of a significant financing component, the estimates that affect the collectability of accounts receivable, the valuation of inventories, the useful lives of solar energy systems, the useful lives of property and equipment, the valuation and useful lives of intangible assets, the effective interest rate used to amortize pass-through financing obligations, the discount rate uses for operating and financing leases, the valuation of stock-based compensation, the determination of valuation allowances associated with deferred tax assets, the fair value of debt instruments disclosed and the redemption value of redeemable noncontrolling interests. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions believed to be reasonable. Actual results may differ from such estimates. |
| Segment Information | Segment Information The Company has one operating segment with one business activity, providing solar energy services and products to customers. The Company’s chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) is its Chief Executive Officer, who manages operations on a consolidated basis for purposes of allocating resources. When evaluating performance and allocating resources, the CODM reviews financial information presented on a consolidated basis. |
| Cash and Restricted Cash | Cash and Restricted Cash Cash consists of bank deposits held in checking and savings accounts. The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The Company has exposure to credit risk to the extent cash balances exceed amounts covered by federal deposit insurance. The Company believes that its credit risk is not significant. Restricted cash represents amounts related to obligations under certain financing transactions and future replacement of solar energy system components. |
| Accounts Receivable | Accounts Receivable Accounts receivable consist of amounts due from customers as well as state and utility rebates due from government agencies and utility companies. Under Customer Agreements, the customers typically assign incentive rebates to the Company. Accounts receivable are recorded at net realizable value. The Company maintains allowances for the applicable portion of receivables when collection becomes doubtful. The Company estimates anticipated losses from doubtful accounts based upon the expected collectability of all accounts receivables, which takes into account the number of days past due, collection history, identification of specific customer exposure, and current economic trends. Once a receivable is deemed to be uncollectible, it is written off. |
| State Tax Credits Receivable | State Tax Credits Receivable State tax credits receivable are recognized upon submission of the state income tax return. |
| Inventories | Inventories Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value on a first-in, first-out basis. Inventories consist of raw materials such as photovoltaic panels, inverters and mounting hardware as well as miscellaneous electrical components that are sold as-is by the distribution operations and used in installations and work-in-process. Work-in-process primarily relates to solar energy systems that will be sold to customers, which are partially installed and have yet to pass inspection by the responsible city or utility department. For solar energy systems where the Company performs the installation, the Company commences transferring component parts from inventories to construction-in-progress, a component of solar energy systems, once a lease contract with a lease customer has been executed and the component parts have been assigned to a specific project. Additional costs incurred including labor and overhead are recorded within construction in progress. The Company periodically reviews inventories for unusable and obsolete items based on assumptions about future demand and market conditions. Based on this evaluation, provisions are made to write inventories down to their market value. |
| Solar Energy Systems, net | Solar Energy Systems, net The Company records solar energy systems subject to signed Customer Agreements and solar energy systems that are under installation as solar energy systems, net on its consolidated balance sheet. Solar energy systems, net is comprised of system equipment costs related to solar energy systems, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation on solar energy systems is calculated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the systems of 35 years . Prior to the fourth quarter of 2016, the Company calculated depreciation on solar energy systems on a straight-line basis to their estimated residual values over the estimated useful lives of systems, which was expected to be 20 years . The Company revised the estimated useful life of solar energy systems in the fourth quarter of 2016, as the Company reviewed its assumptions and concluded that customers are more likely to renew their lease rather than purchase the solar energy system at the end of the lease term. The impact of the change in estimate was immaterial for 2016 and future periods. The Company periodically reviews its estimated useful life and recognizes changes in estimates by prospectively adjusting depreciation expense. Inverters and batteries are depreciated over their estimated useful life of 10 years . Solar energy systems under construction will be depreciated as solar energy systems subject to signed Customer Agreements when the respective systems are completed and interconnected. |
| Property and Equipment, net | Property and Equipment, net Property and equipment, net consists of leasehold improvements, furniture, computer hardware and software, machinery and equipment and automobiles. All property and equipment are stated at historical cost net of accumulated depreciation. Repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. |
| Capitalization of Software Costs | Capitalization of Software Costs For costs incurred in the development of internal use software, the Company capitalizes costs incurred during the application development stage. Costs related to preliminary project activities and post implementation activities are expensed as incurred. Internal use software is amortized on a straight-line basis over its estimated useful life. |
| Intangible Assets, net | Intangible Assets, net Finite-lived intangible assets are initially recorded at fair value and are subsequently presented net of accumulated amortization. Intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives |
| Impairment of Long-Lived Assets | Impairment of Long-Lived Assets The carrying amounts of the Company’s long-lived assets, including solar energy systems and intangible assets subject to depreciation and amortization, are periodically reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of these assets may not be recoverable or that the useful life is shorter than originally estimated. Factors that are considered in deciding when to perform an impairment review would include significant negative industry or economic trends and significant changes or planned changes in the use of the assets. Recoverability of these assets is measured by comparison of the carrying amount of each asset group to the future undiscounted cash flows the asset group is expected to generate over its remaining life. If the asset group is considered to be impaired, the amount of any impairment is measured as the difference between the carrying value and the fair value of the impaired asset group. If the useful life is shorter than originally estimated, the Company amortizes the remaining carrying value over the new shorter useful life. The Company has recognized no material impairments of its long-lived assets in any of the periods presented. |
| Goodwill | Goodwill Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Goodwill is reviewed for impairment at least annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may be impaired. The Company has determined that it operates as one reporting unit and the Company’s goodwill is recorded at the enterprise level. The Company performs its annual impairment test of goodwill on October 1 of each fiscal year or whenever events or circumstances change or occur that would indicate that goodwill might be impaired. When assessing goodwill for impairment, the Company uses qualitative and if necessary, quantitative methods in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 350, Goodwill . The Company also considers its enterprise value and if necessary, discounted cash flow model, which involves assumptions and estimates, including the Company’s future financial performance, weighted average cost of capital and interpretation of currently enacted tax laws. Circumstances that could indicate impairment and require the Company to perform a quantitative impairment test include a significant decline in the Company’s financial results, a significant decline in the Company’s enterprise value relative to its net book value, an unanticipated change in competition or the Company’s market share and a significant change in the Company’s strategic plans. |
| Deferred Revenue | Deferred Revenue When the Company receives consideration, or when such consideration is unconditionally due, from a customer prior to delivering goods or services to the customer under the terms of a Customer Agreement, the Company records deferred revenue. Such deferred revenue consists of amounts for which the criteria for revenue recognition have not yet been met and includes amounts that are collected or assigned from customers, including upfront deposits and prepayments, and rebates. Deferred revenue relating to financing components represents the cumulative excess of interest expense recorded on financing component elements over the related revenue recognized to date and will eventually net to zero by the end of the initial term. Amounts received related to the sales of SRECs which have not yet been delivered to the counterparty are recorded as deferred revenue. |
| Deferred Grants | Deferred Grants Deferred grants consist of U.S. Treasury grants and state tax credits. The Company applied for a renewable energy technologies income tax credit offered by one of the states in the form of a cash payment and deferred the tax credit as a grant on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company records the grants as deferred grants and recognizes the benefit on a straight-line basis over the estimated depreciable life of the associated assets as a reduction in Cost of customer agreements and incentives. As described in the Solar Energy Systems, net section above, the estimated depreciable life of the associated assets was revised from 20 to 35 years in 2016. |
| Warranty Accrual | Warranty Accrual The Company accrues warranty costs when revenue is recognized for solar energy systems sales, based on the estimated future costs of meeting its warranty obligations. Warranty costs primarily consist of replacement costs for supplies and labor costs for service personnel since warranties for equipment and materials are covered by the original manufacturer’s warranty (other than a small deductible in certain cases). As such, the warranty reserve is immaterial in all periods presented. The Company makes and revises these estimates based on the number of solar energy systems under warranty, the Company’s historical experience with warranty claims, assumptions on warranty claims to occur over a systems’ warranty period and the Company’s estimated replacement costs. |
| Solar Energy Performance Guarantees | Solar Energy Performance Guarantees The Company guarantees to customers certain specified minimum solar energy production output for solar facilities over the initial term of the Customer Agreements. The Company monitors the solar energy systems to determine whether these specified minimum outputs are being achieved. |
| Derivative Financial Instruments | Derivative Financial Instruments The Company recognizes all derivative instruments on the balance sheet at their fair value. Changes in the fair value of derivatives are recorded each period in current earnings or other comprehensive loss if a derivative is designated as part of a hedge transaction. The ineffective portion of the hedge, if any, is immediately recognized in earnings and are included in other expenses (income), net in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company uses derivative financial instruments, primarily interest rate swaps, to manage its exposure to interest rate risks on its syndicated term loans, which are recognized on the balance sheet at their fair values. On the date that the Company enters into a derivative contract, the Company formally documents all relationships between the hedging instruments and the hedged items, as well as its risk management objective and strategy for undertaking each hedge transaction. Derivative instruments designated in a hedge relationship to mitigate exposure to variability in expected future cash flows, or other types of forecasted transactions, are considered cash flow hedges. Cash flow hedges are accounted for by recording the fair value of the derivative instrument on the balance sheet as either a freestanding asset or liability. Changes in the fair value of a derivative that is designated and qualifies as an effective cash flow hedge are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax, until earnings are affected by the variability of cash flows of the hedged item. Any derivative gains and losses that are not effective in hedging the variability of expected cash flows of the hedged item or that do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment are recognized directly into income. At the hedge’s inception and at least quarterly thereafter, a formal assessment is performed to determine whether changes in cash flows of the derivative instrument have been highly effective in offsetting changes in the cash flows of the hedged items and whether they are expected to be highly effective in the future. The Company discontinues hedge accounting prospectively when (i) it determines that the derivative is no longer effective in offsetting changes in the cash flows of a hedged item; (ii) the derivative expires or is sold, terminated, or exercised; or (iii) management determines that designating the derivative as a hedging instrument is no longer appropriate. In all situations in which hedge accounting is discontinued and the derivative remains outstanding, the derivative instrument is carried at its fair market value on the balance sheet with the changes in fair value recognized in current period earnings. The remaining balance in accumulated other comprehensive loss associated with the derivative that has been discontinued is not recognized in the income statement unless it is probable that the forecasted transaction will not occur. Such amounts are recognized in earnings when earnings are affected by the hedged transaction. |
| Fair Value of Financial Instruments | Fair Value of Financial Instruments The Company defines fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or an exit price that would be paid to transfer a liability in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The Company uses valuation approaches to measure fair value that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The FASB establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy for disclosure of fair value measurements as follows: • Level 1—Inputs are unadjusted, quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities at the measurement date; • Level 2—Inputs are observable, unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, unadjusted quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the related assets or liabilities; and • Level 3—Inputs that are unobservable, significant to the measurement of the fair value of the assets or liabilities and are supported by little or no market data. The Company’s financial instruments include cash, receivables, accounts payable, accrued expenses, distributions payable to noncontrolling interests, derivatives, and recourse and non-recourse debt. |
| Revenue Recognition | Revenue Recognition The Company recognizes revenue when control of goods or services is transferred to its customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration it expected to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. Customer agreements and incentives Customer agreements and incentives revenue is primarily comprised of revenue from Customer Agreements in which the Company provides continuous access to a functioning solar system and revenue from the sales of SRECs generated by the Company’s solar energy systems to third parties. The Company begins to recognize revenue on Customer Agreements when permission to operate ("PTO") is given by the local utility company or on the date daily operation commences if utility approval is not required. Revenue recognition does not necessarily follow the receipt of cash. The Company recognizes revenue evenly over the time that it satisfies its performance obligations over the initial term of the Customer Agreements. Customer Agreements typically have an initial term of 20 or 25 years. After the initial contract term, our Customer Agreements typically automatically renew on an annual basis and the rate is initially set at up to a 10% discount to then prevailing power prices. SREC revenue arises from the sale of environmental credits generated by solar energy systems and is generally recognized upon delivery of the SRECs to the counterparty. For pass-through financing obligation Funds, the value attributable to the monetization of ITCs are recognized in the period a solar system is granted PTO - see Note 14, Pass-through Financing Obligations . In determining the transaction price, the Company adjusts the promised amount of consideration for the effects of the time value of money when the timing of payments provides it with a significant benefit of financing the transfer of goods or services to the customer. In those circumstances, the contract contains a significant financing component. When adjusting the promised amount of consideration for a significant financing component, the Company uses the discount rate that would be reflected in a separate financing transaction between the entity and its customer at contract inception and recognizes the revenue amount on a straight-line basis over the term of the Customer Agreement, and interest expense using the effective interest rate method. Consideration from customers is considered variable due to the performance guarantee under Customer Agreements and liquidating damage provisions under SREC contracts in the event minimum deliveries are not achieved. Performance guarantees provide a credit to the customer if the system's cumulative production, as measured on various PTO anniversary dates, is below the Company's guarantee of a specified minimum. Revenue is recognized to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of such revenue will not occur. The Company capitalizes incremental costs incurred to obtain a contract in Other Assets in the consolidated balance sheets. These amounts are amortized on a straight-line basis over the term of the Customer Agreements, and are included in Sales and marketing in the consolidated statements of operations. Solar energy systems and product sales For solar energy systems sold to customers, the Company recognizes revenue when the solar energy system passes inspection by the authority having jurisdiction. The Company’s installation projects are typically completed in less than twelve months. Product sales consist of solar panels, racking systems, inverters, other solar energy products sold to resellers and customer leads. Product sales revenue is recognized at the time when control is transferred, upon shipment. Customer lead revenue, included in product sales, is recognized at the time the lead is delivered. Taxes assessed by government authorities that are directly imposed on revenue producing transactions are excluded from solar energy systems and product sales. Cost of Revenue Customer agreements and incentives Cost of revenue for customer agreements and incentives is primarily comprised of (1) the depreciation of the cost of the solar energy systems, as reduced by amortization of deferred grants, (2) solar energy system operations, monitoring and maintenance costs including associated personnel costs, and (3) allocated corporate overhead costs. Upon adoption of Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("Topic 606"), the Company no longer records initial direct costs from the origination of Customer Agreements. Instead, the Company records costs to obtain a contract as described in Revenue Recognition - Customer agreements and incentives above. Solar energy systems and product sales Cost of revenue for solar energy systems and non-lead generation product sales consist of direct and indirect material and labor costs for solar energy systems installations and product sales. Also included are engineering and design costs, estimated warranty costs, freight costs, allocated corporate overhead costs, vehicle depreciation costs and personnel costs associated with supply chain, logistics, operations management, safety and quality control. Cost of revenue for lead generations consists of costs related to direct-response advertising activities associated with generating customer leads. |
| Research and development Expense | Research and development Expense Research and development expenses include personnel costs, allocated overhead costs, and other costs related to the development of our proprietary technology. |
| Stock-Based Compensation | Stock-Based Compensation The Company grants stock options and restricted stock units (“RSUs”) for its equity incentive plan and employee stock purchase plan. Stock-based compensation to employees is measured based on the grant date fair value of the awards and recognized over the period during which the employee is required to perform services in exchange for the award (generally the vesting period of the award). The Company estimates the fair value of stock options and employee stock purchase plans awards granted using the Black-Scholes option-valuation model. Compensation cost is recognized over the vesting period of the applicable award using the straight-line method for those options expected to vest. The Company also grants RSUs to non-employees that vest upon the satisfaction of both performance and service conditions. For RSUs granted to non-employees that vest upon the satisfaction of a performance condition, the Company starts recognizing expense on the RSUs when the performance condition is met. |
| Noncontrolling Interests and Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests | Noncontrolling Interests and Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests Noncontrolling interests represent investors’ interests in the net assets of the Funds that the Company has created to finance the cost of its solar energy systems subject to the Company’s Customer Agreements. The Company has determined that the contractual provisions in the funding arrangements represent substantive profit sharing arrangements. The Company has further determined that the appropriate methodology for attributing income and loss to the noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests each period is a balance sheet approach referred to as the hypothetical liquidation at book value (“HLBV”) method. Under the HLBV method, the amounts of income and loss attributed to the noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests in the consolidated statements of operations reflect changes in the amounts the investors would hypothetically receive at each balance sheet date under the liquidation provisions of the contractual agreements of these arrangements, assuming the net assets of these funding structures were liquidated at recorded amounts. The Company’s initial calculation of the investor’s noncontrolling interest in the results of operations of these funding arrangements is determined as the difference in the noncontrolling interests’ claim under the HLBV method at the start and end of each reporting period, after taking into account any capital transactions, such as contributions or distributions, between the Fund and the investors. The Company classifies certain noncontrolling interests with redemption features that are not solely within the control of the Company outside of permanent equity on its consolidated balance sheets. Redeemable noncontrolling interests are reported using the greater of their carrying value as determined by the HLBV method or their estimated redemption value at each reporting date. |
| Income Taxes | Income Taxes The Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the consolidated financial statements and tax returns. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are provided against deferred tax assets to the extent that it is more likely than not that the deferred tax asset will not be realized. The Company is subject to the provisions of ASC 740, Income Taxes , which establishes consistent thresholds as it relates to accounting for income taxes. It defines the threshold for recognizing the benefits of tax return positions in the financial statements as “more likely than not” to be sustained by the taxing authority and requires measurement of a tax position meeting the more-likely-than-not criterion, based on the largest benefit that is more than 50% likely to be realized. Management has analyzed the Company’s inventory of tax positions with respect to all applicable income tax issues for all open tax years (in each respective jurisdiction). The Company sells solar energy systems to the Funds. As the Funds are consolidated by the Company, the gain on the sale of the solar energy systems is not recognized in the consolidated financial statements. However, this gain is recognized for tax reporting purposes. Since these transactions are intercompany sales, prior to January 1, 2017, any tax expense incurred related to these intercompany sales is deferred and recorded as a prepaid tax asset and amortized over the depreciable life of the underlying solar energy systems which has been estimated to be 35 years in accordance with ASC Topic 810. With the adoption of ASU 2016-16 on January 1, 2017 the Company reversed net prepaid tax assets of $378.5 million and recorded the gross deferred tax assets associated with the historical intercompany sales of solar energy systems, which in turn reduced the deferred tax liabilities on investment in partnerships by $378.2 million with the remaining $0.3 million being recorded as a cumulative effect of adoption in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest and Stockholders’ Equity. The adoption did not have an impact on the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations. The Company files tax returns as prescribed by the tax laws of the jurisdictions in which it operates. In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to examination by federal, state and local jurisdictions, where applicable. The statute of limitations for the tax returns varies by jurisdiction. |
| Concentrations of Risk | Concentrations of Risk Financial instruments which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and accounts receivable, which includes rebates receivable. The associated risk of concentration for cash is mitigated by banking with institutions with high credit ratings. At certain times, amounts on deposit exceed Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limits. The Company does not require collateral or other security to support accounts receivable. To reduce credit risk, management performs periodic credit evaluations and ongoing evaluations of its customers’ financial condition. Rebates receivable are due from various states and local governments as well as various utility companies. The Company considers the collectability risk of such amounts to be low. The Company is not dependent on any single customer. The Company’s customers under Customer Agreements are primarily located in California, Arizona, New Jersey, Hawaii, New York and Massachusetts . The loss of a customer would not adversely impact the Company’s operating results or financial position. The Company depends on a limited number of suppliers of solar panels and other system components. |
| Recently Issued Accounting Standards | Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Standards Accounting standards adopted January 1, 2018 causing recast of prior periods: In May 2014, the FASB issued Topic 606. The standard establishes a single revenue recognition model for all contracts with customers, eliminates industry specific requirements, and expands disclosure requirements. The Company adopted Topic 606 effective January 1, 2018, using the full retrospective method, which required the Company to recast each prior reporting period presented. The Company has elected to use the practical expedient under Topic 606 and has excluded disclosures of transaction prices allocated to remaining performance obligations and when the Company expects to recognize such revenue for all periods prior to the date of initial application. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases , to replace existing lease guidance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic 842 ("Topic 842"). Topic 842 changes how the definition of a lease is applied and judgment may be required in applying the definition of a lease to certain arrangements. The Company elected to early adopt the standard effective January 1, 2018 concurrent with the adoption of Topic 606 related to revenue recognition, using the modified retrospective approach at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, which required the Company to recast each prior reporting period presented. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-10, Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases , to clarify how to apply certain aspects of the new leases standard. The clarifications address the rate implicit in the lease, impairment of the net investment in the lease, lessee reassessment of lease classification, lessor reassessment of lease term and purchase options, variable payments that depend on an index or rate and certain transition adjustments. These amendments have the same effective date and transition requirements as the new leases standard, as such the Company adopted the new ASU and the impact of adopting this standard was not material to its financial statements with respect to leases where the Company is the lessee. Upon the adoption of Topic 842, the Company's Customer Agreements are accounted for under Topic 606 due to changes in the definition of a lease under Topic 842 when the Company was considered a lessor. For operating leases in which the Company is the lessee, the Company concluded that all existing operating leases under Accounting Standards Codification Topic 840 ("Topic 840"), Leases , continue to be classified as operating leases under Topic 842, and all existing capital leases under Topic 840 are classified as finance leases under Topic 842. The Company has lease agreements with lease and non-lease components, which are generally accounted for as a single lease component. The Company accounts for short-term leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Under Topic 606, total consideration for Customer Agreements, including price escalators and performance guarantees, is estimated and recognized over the term of the Customer Agreement. This accounting for price escalators creates an unbilled receivable balance for the first half of the Customer Agreement, which is then reduced over the second half. Customer Agreements and SRECs with a prepaid element are deemed to include a significant financing component, as defined under Topic 606, which increases both revenue and interest expense. For pass-through financing obligation funds that report investment tax credit revenue, the ITC revenue is now recognized in full at PTO. SREC revenue is estimated net of any variable consideration related to possible liquidated damages, and recognized upon delivery of SRECs to the counterparty. The accounting did not materially differ for revenue currently recognized as solar energy systems and product sales. The adoption of Topic 606 also resulted in an adjustment to the Company's deferred tax liabilities, and impacted the analysis of the realizability of deferred tax assets, resulting in the release of valuation allowance related to state deferred tax assets. In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows ("Topic 230"), Restricted Cash, which requires a statement of cash flows to present the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents and amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents. The Company adopted Topic 230 effective January 1, 2018, using the retrospective transition method, which required the Company to recast each prior reporting period presented. As a result, the Company no longer presents transfers between cash and restricted cash in the consolidated cash flow statements. In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging, Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities, which expands an entity's ability to hedge nonfinancial and financial risk components, eliminates the requirement to separately measure and report hedge ineffectiveness, and aligned the recognition and presentation of the effects of hedging instruments in the financial statements. The Company adopted ASU 2017-12 effective October 1, 2018, with the retrospective adjustment applicable to prior periods included as a cumulative-effect adjustment to accumulated other comprehensive loss and retained earnings. The adoption of ASU 2017-12 did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In October 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-16, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815) , Inclusion of the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") Overnight Index Swap ("OIS") Rate as a Benchmark Interest Rate for Hedge Accounting Purposes, which adds the OIS rate based on the SOFR as a benchmark interest rate for hedge accounting purposes. The Company adopted ASU 2018-16 on a prospective basis for qualifying new or redesignated hedging relationships entered into on or after October 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2018-16 did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. Adjustments to Previously Reported Financial Statements from the Adoption of Accounting Standards The primary impact of adopting Topic 606 and Topic 842 is on the recognition of revenue from Customer Agreements, and certain incentives revenue, namely SRECs and ITCs. Previously, under Topic 840, the Company recognized revenue related to certain Customer Agreements as contingent rent. Under Topic 606, because the Company has a continuous obligation to provide fully functional systems that provide electricity over the term of the Customer Agreement, it recognizes revenue evenly over the term of the Customer Agreements taking into account price escalators and performance guarantees when estimating variable consideration. Previously, the Company recognized revenue related to the sale of SRECs to the extent the cumulative value of delivered SRECs per contract exceeded any possible liquidated damages for non-delivery, if any. Under Topic 606, the Company estimates revenue net of any variable consideration related to possible liquidated damages, and recognizes revenue upon delivery of SRECs to the counterparty. Under Topic 605 and Topic 840, the Company previously reported ITC revenue over five years: following the point at which the related solar system was granted PTO, with one-fifth of the monetized ITCs recognized on each anniversary of the solar energy systems' PTO date. Under Topic 606, the Company recognizes ITC revenue in full at PTO. Previously, under Topic 840, the Company capitalized direct and incremental costs as a component of Solar energy systems, net on the consolidated balance sheets. Under Topic 606, the Company capitalizes incremental costs incurred to obtain a contract in Other Assets in the consolidated balance sheets. These amounts are amortized on a straight-line basis over the term of the Customer Agreements, and are included in Sales and marketing in the consolidated statements of operations. In addition to the impact of revenue recognition related to Customer Agreements, the impact of adopting Topic 842 includes a change in accounting for leases when the Company is the lessee, primarily the inclusion of right-of use ("ROU") assets included in other assets on the consolidated balance sheets, and operating lease liabilities included in accrued expenses and other liabilities and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets. The income tax impact as a result of the adoption of Topic 842 was immaterial. The following table presents the effect of the adoption of Topic 606 and Topic 842 on the Company's condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2017 (in thousands): December 31, 2017 As Reported Adoption Impact As Recast Accounts receivable, net of allowances for doubtful accounts $ 76,198 $ (15,839 ) $ 60,359 Solar energy systems, net 3,319,708 (158,138 ) 3,161,570 Other assets 37,225 209,239 246,464 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 85,639 11,591 97,230 Deferred revenue, current portion 77,310 (34,701 ) 42,609 Deferred grants, current portion 8,269 (76 ) 8,193 Pass-through financing obligation, current portion 6,087 (700 ) 5,387 Deferred revenue, net of current portion 584,427 (62,184 ) 522,243 Deferred grants, net of current portion 228,603 (1,084 ) 227,519 Pass-through financing obligation, net of current portion 138,124 (5,301 ) 132,823 Other liabilities 13,520 29,223 42,743 Deferred tax liabilities 59,131 23,988 83,119 Redeemable noncontrolling interests 123,737 64 123,801 Additional paid-in capital 684,141 (1,191 ) 682,950 Retained earnings 131,959 70,775 202,734 Noncontrolling interests 354,076 4,858 358,934 The following table presents the effect of the adoption of Topic 606 and Topic 842 on the Company's condensed consolidated statement of operations for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands except per share amounts): December 31, 2017 December 31, 2016 As Reported Adoption Impact As Recast As Reported Adoption Impact As Recast Revenue: Customer agreements and incentives $ 231,433 $ 2,843 $ 234,276 $ 168,417 $ 23,209 $ 191,626 Cost of customer agreements and incentives 193,954 (7,519 ) 186,435 159,858 (5,614 ) 154,244 Sales and marketing 137,115 9,311 146,426 162,781 5,956 168,737 General and administrative 107,420 (20 ) 107,400 92,377 39 92,416 Interest expense, net 70,518 21,737 92,255 53,244 20,096 73,340 Income tax expense 32,138 (19,785 ) 12,353 35,993 20,270 56,263 Net loss (286,734 ) (881 ) (287,615 ) (303,301 ) (17,538 ) (320,839 ) Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests (411,259 ) (1,845 ) (413,104 ) (394,988 ) (980 ) (395,968 ) Net income attributable to common stockholders 124,525 964 125,489 91,687 (16,558 ) 75,129 Basic net income per share attributable to common stockholders 1.18 0.01 1.19 0.90 (0.17 ) 0.73 Diluted net income per share attributable to common stockholders 1.15 0.01 1.16 0.87 (0.15 ) 0.72 The following table presents the effect of the adoption of Topic 230, Topic 606 and Topic 842 on the Company's condensed consolidated statement of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands): December 31, 2017 December 31, 2016 As Reported Adoption Impact As Recast As Reported Adoption Impact As Recast Net loss $ (286,734 ) $ (881 ) $ (287,615 ) $ (303,301 ) $ (17,538 ) $ (320,839 ) Net cash used in operating activities (61,011 ) (35,092 ) (96,103 ) (150,580 ) (49,561 ) (200,141 ) Net cash used in investing activities (812,327 ) 35,008 (777,319 ) (745,112 ) 49,310 (695,802 ) Net cash provided by financing activities 869,499 21,350 890,849 898,192 953 899,145 Net change in cash and restricted cash (1) (3,839 ) 21,266 17,427 2,500 702 3,202 Cash and restricted cash, beginning of period (1) 206,364 17,999 224,363 203,864 17,297 221,161 Cash and restricted cash, end of period (1) 202,525 39,265 241,790 206,364 17,999 224,363 (1) Pursuant to Topic 230, restricted cash is included in the recasted balances in the statement of cash flows, as described above. The amounts in the previously reported column include only cash. Accounting standards to be adopted: In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments , which replaces the current incurred loss impairment methodology with a current expected credit losses model. The amendment applies to entities which hold financial assets and net investment in leases that are not accounted for at fair value through net income as well as loans, debt securities, trade receivables, net investments in leases, off-balance sheet credit exposures, reinsurance receivables and any other financial assets not excluded from the scope that have the contractual right to receive cash. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. Adoption of this ASU is applied using a modified retrospective approach, with certain aspects requiring a prospective approach. The Company is currently evaluating this guidance and the impact it may have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-19, Codification Improvements to Topic 326 , Financial Instruments- Credit Losses, which clarifies that operating lease receivables are not within the scope of Topic 326, but rather operating lease receivables will be tested for impairment under Topic 842. In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718), Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting , which is intended to align the accounting for share-based payment awards issued to employees and nonemployees, however, this amendment does not apply to instruments issued in a financing transaction nor to equity instruments granted to a customer under a contract in the scope of Topic 606. Currently, performance conditions are recognized once the performance conditions are met. Under this new amendment, equity-classified nonemployee share-based payments will be measured at the grant-date fair value and will be recognized based on the probable outcome of the performance conditions. This ASU is effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating this guidance and the impact it may have on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-09, Codification Improvements . This amendment makes changes to a variety of topics to clarify, correct errors in, or make minor improvements to the Accounting Standards Codification. The majority of the amendments in ASU 2018-09 are effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating this guidance and the impact it may have on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework-Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement , which modifies the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements as part of its disclosure framework project. Under this amendment, entities will no longer be required to disclose the amount of and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. However, for Level 3 fair value measurements, disclosures around the range and weighted average used to develop significant unobservable inputs will be required. This ASU is effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating this guidance and the impact it may have on the Company's consolidated financial statements and disclosures. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract , which requires a customer in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract to follow the internal-use software guidance in Topic 350, Intangibles- Goodwill and Other , to determine which implementation costs to capitalize as assets or expense as incurred. This ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2019, and can be applied either prospectively to implementation costs incurred after the date of adoption or retrospectively to all arrangements. The Company is currently evaluating this guidance and the impact it may have on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a Disclosure Update and Simplification release, which outlines Regulation S-X amendments to eliminate outdated or duplicative disclosure requirements. The final rule also amends the interim financial statement requirements to require a reconciliation of changes in stockholders’ equity in the notes or as a separate statement. These amendments are effective for all filings made 30 days after the amendments are published in the Federal Register, which was on October 4, 2018. The SEC announced that it would not object if the first presentation of the changes in stockholders’ equity for a calendar year end filer were made in the Company’s March 31, 2019 Form 10-Q. The Company plans to use the new presentation beginning in 2019. In October 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-17, Consolidation (Topic 810) , Targeted Improvements to Related Party Guidance for Variable Interest Entities, which aligns the evaluation of decision-making fees under the variable interest entity guidance. Under this new guidance, in order to determine whether decision-making fees represent a variable interest, an entity considers indirect interests held through related parties under common control on a proportionate basis. This ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2019, and must be applied retrospectively with a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings at the beginning of the earliest period presented. The Company is currently evaluating this guidance and the impact it may have on the Company's consolidated financial statements. |
