12. Share-Based Compensation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2025	Mar. 31, 2024
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense	$ 2,584	$ 6,791
Restricted Stock and Performance Units
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense, unrecognized, unvested restricted stock and performance units	$ 29,500
Share-based compensation expense, unrecognized, unvested weighted average period of recognition (in years)	1 year 3 months 18 days
Cost of sales [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense	$ 344	1,027
Selling, general and administrative [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense	1,885	4,869
Research and development [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense	355	920
Production start-up [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense	$ 0	$ (25)

Amount of expense for award under share-based payment arrangement. Excludes amount capitalized.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SAB Topic 14.F)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147479830/718-10-S99-1

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (h)(1)(i)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147480429/718-10-50-2

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationAllocationOfRecognizedPeriodCostsLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of cost not yet recognized for nonvested award under share-based payment arrangement.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (i)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147480429/718-10-50-2

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognized
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Weighted-average period over which cost not yet recognized is expected to be recognized for award under share-based payment arrangement, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognizedPeriodForRecognition1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=fslr_RestrictedStockAndPerformanceUnitsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis=us-gaap_CostOfSalesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis=us-gaap_SellingGeneralAndAdministrativeExpensesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis=us-gaap_ResearchAndDevelopmentExpenseMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis=fslr_ProductionStartUpMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: