Nature of the Business and Operations and Liquidity	9 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Nature of the Business and Operations and Liquidity	1. Nature of the Business and Operations and Liquidity Nature of the Business and Operations American Superconductor Corporation (“AMSC” or the “Company”) was founded on April 9, 1987. The Company is a leading provider of megawatt-scale solutions that lower the cost of wind power and enhance the performance of the power grid. In the wind power market, the Company enables manufacturers to field wind turbines through its advanced engineering, support services and power electronics products. In the power grid market, the Company enables electric utilities and renewable energy project developers to connect, transmit and distribute power through its transmission planning services and power electronics and superconductor-based products. The Company’s wind and power grid products and services provide exceptional reliability, security, efficiency and affordability to its customers. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared on a going concern basis in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) instructions to Form 10-Q. The going concern basis of presentation assumes that the Company will continue operations and will be able to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to those instructions. The year-end condensed balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 and the financial position at December 31, 2015. On March 24, 2015, the Company effected a 1-for-10 reverse stock split of its common stock. Trading of the Company’s common stock reflected the reverse stock split beginning on March 25, 2015. Unless otherwise indicated, all historical references to shares of common stock, shares of restricted stock, restricted stock units, shares underlying options, warrants or calculations that use common stock for per share financial reporting have been adjusted for comparative purposes to reflect the impact of the 1-for-10 reverse stock split as if it had occurred at the beginning of the earliest period presented. Liquidity The Company has experienced recurring operating losses and as of December 31, 2015, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $924.8 million. In addition, the Company has experienced recurring negative operating cash flows. At December 31, 2015, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $36.4 million. Cash used in operations for the nine months ended December 31, 2015 was $7.8 million. From April 1, 2011 through the date of this filing, the Company has reduced its global workforce substantially. The Company has taken actions to consolidate certain business operations to reduce facility costs. As of December 31, 2015, the Company had a global workforce of 339 persons. The Company plans to closely monitor its expenses and, if required, expects to further reduce operating costs and capital spending to enhance liquidity. Over the last several years, the Company has entered into several debt and equity financing arrangements in order to enhance liquidity. Since April 1, 2012, the Company has generated aggregate cash flows from financing activities of $72.0 million. This amount includes proceeds from an April 2015 equity offering, which generated net proceeds of approximately $22.3 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company. See Note 10, “Debt”, and Note 12 “Stockholders Equity” for further discussion of these financing arrangements. The Company believes that it is in compliance with the covenants and restrictions included in the agreements governing its debt arrangements as of December 31, 2015. The Company believes it has sufficient liquidity to fund its operations, capital expenditures and scheduled cash payments under its debt obligations for the next twelve months. The Company’s liquidity is highly dependent on its ability to increase revenues, its ability to control its operating costs, its ability to maintain compliance with the covenants and restrictions on its debt obligations (or obtain waivers from its lender in the event of non-compliance), and its ability to raise additional capital, if necessary. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to continue to raise additional capital from other sources or execute on any other means of improving liquidity described above. On October 6, 2015, 100% of the outstanding common stock of Blade Dynamics Limited (“Blade Dynamics”) was acquired by a subsidiary of General Electric Company. After deducting transaction expenses, the Company received net proceeds of $2.5 million from the sale, which was recorded as a gain in the third fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2015. Additionally, under the terms of the purchase agreement, the Company may be entitled to receive up to an additional $1.6 million in proceeds, upon the successful achievement of certain milestones by Blade Dynamics over the next three years. The Company had recorded a charge of $3.5 million during the nine months ended December 31, 2014 to fully impair its investment in Blade Dynamics. The Company no longer believes its investment in Tres Amigas, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Tres Amigas”) is recoverable. The Company fully impaired its remaining investment, recording a charge of $0.7 million during the nine months ended December 31, 2015. (See Note 14, “Minority Investments”, for further information about such investment).

1. Nature of the Business and Operations and Liquidity

Nature of the Business and Operations

American Superconductor Corporation (“AMSC” or the “Company”) was founded on April 9, 1987. The Company is a leading provider of megawatt-scale solutions that lower the cost of wind power and enhance the performance of the power grid. In the wind power market, the Company enables manufacturers to field wind turbines through its advanced engineering, support services and power electronics products. In the power grid market, the Company enables electric utilities and renewable energy project developers to connect, transmit and distribute power through its transmission planning services and power electronics and superconductor-based products. The Company’s wind and power grid products and services provide exceptional reliability, security, efficiency and affordability to its customers.

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared on a going concern basis in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) instructions to Form 10-Q. The going concern basis of presentation assumes that the Company will continue operations and will be able to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to those instructions. The year-end condensed balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 and the financial position at December 31, 2015.

On March 24, 2015, the Company effected a 1-for-10 reverse stock split of its common stock. Trading of the Company’s common stock reflected the reverse stock split beginning on March 25, 2015. Unless otherwise indicated, all historical references to shares of common stock, shares of restricted stock, restricted stock units, shares underlying options, warrants or calculations that use common stock for per share financial reporting have been adjusted for comparative purposes to reflect the impact of the 1-for-10 reverse stock split as if it had occurred at the beginning of the earliest period presented.

Liquidity

The Company has experienced recurring operating losses and as of December 31, 2015, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $924.8 million. In addition, the Company has experienced recurring negative operating cash flows. At December 31, 2015, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $36.4 million. Cash used in operations for the nine months ended December 31, 2015 was $7.8 million.

From April 1, 2011 through the date of this filing, the Company has reduced its global workforce substantially. The Company has taken actions to consolidate certain business operations to reduce facility costs. As of December 31, 2015, the Company had a global workforce of 339 persons. The Company plans to closely monitor its expenses and, if required, expects to further reduce operating costs and capital spending to enhance liquidity.

Over the last several years, the Company has entered into several debt and equity financing arrangements in order to enhance liquidity. Since April 1, 2012, the Company has generated aggregate cash flows from financing activities of $72.0 million. This amount includes proceeds from an April 2015 equity offering, which generated net proceeds of approximately $22.3 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company. See Note 10, “Debt”, and Note 12 “Stockholders Equity” for further discussion of these financing arrangements. The Company believes that it is in compliance with the covenants and restrictions included in the agreements governing its debt arrangements as of December 31, 2015.

The Company believes it has sufficient liquidity to fund its operations, capital expenditures and scheduled cash payments under its debt obligations for the next twelve months. The Company’s liquidity is highly dependent on its ability to increase revenues, its ability to control its operating costs, its ability to maintain compliance with the covenants and restrictions on its debt obligations (or obtain waivers from its lender in the event of non-compliance), and its ability to raise additional capital, if necessary. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to continue to raise additional capital from other sources or execute on any other means of improving liquidity described above.

On October 6, 2015, 100% of the outstanding common stock of Blade Dynamics Limited (“Blade Dynamics”) was acquired by a subsidiary of General Electric Company. After deducting transaction expenses, the Company received net proceeds of $2.5 million from the sale, which was recorded as a gain in the third fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2015. Additionally, under the terms of the purchase agreement, the Company may be entitled to receive up to an additional $1.6 million in proceeds, upon the successful achievement of certain milestones by Blade Dynamics over the next three years. The Company had recorded a charge of $3.5 million during the nine months ended December 31, 2014 to fully impair its investment in Blade Dynamics.

The Company no longer believes its investment in Tres Amigas, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Tres Amigas”) is recoverable. The Company fully impaired its remaining investment, recording a charge of $0.7 million during the nine months ended December 31, 2015. (See Note 14, “Minority Investments”, for further information about such investment).