Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
 3 Months Ended 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Sep. 30, 2015
Sep. 30, 2016
Sep. 30, 2015
Revenue:        
Electricity sales $ 89,919 $ 88,256 $ 266,952 $ 235,252
Related party revenue 1,574 955 4,121 2,630
Other revenue 421 486 1,918 1,352
Total revenue 91,914 89,697 272,991 239,234
Cost of revenue:        
Project expense 31,384 28,848 96,989 82,075
Depreciation and accretion 43,693 38,599 130,782 101,997
Total cost of revenue 75,077 67,447 227,771 184,072
Gross profit 16,837 22,250 45,220 55,162
Operating expenses:        
General and administrative 11,191 7,218 31,122 22,309
Related party general and administrative 3,553 1,887 7,381 5,316
Total operating expenses 14,744 9,105 38,503 27,625
Operating income 2,093 13,145 6,717 27,537
Other income (expense):        
Interest expense (19,798) (19,941) (62,134) (56,802)
Gain (loss) on undesignated derivatives, net 1,825 (6,091) (17,685) (5,313)
Realized loss on designated derivatives 0 (11,221) 0 (11,221)
Earnings (loss) in unconsolidated investments, net 4,685 (9,951) 15,755 768
Related party income 1,593 605 3,697 2,029
Early extinguishment of debt 0 (4,113) 0 (4,113)
Net loss on transactions (314) (74) (353) (2,663)
Other income (expense), net 177 128 2,297 (1,280)
Total other expense (11,832) (50,658) (58,423) (78,595)
Net loss before income tax (9,739) (37,513) (51,706) (51,058)
Tax (benefit) provision 1,311 (2,181) 4,038 676
Net loss (11,050) (35,332) (55,744) (51,734)
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest (7,037) (5,927) (24,838) (16,747)
Net loss attributable to Pattern Energy $ (4,013) $ (29,405) $ (30,906) $ (34,987)
Weighted average number of shares:        
Class A common stock - Basic and diluted 81,531,775 72,789,583 76,821,811 69,233,698
Loss per share        
Basic and diluted loss per share $ (0.05) $ (0.40) $ (0.40) $ (0.51)
Dividends declared per Class A common share $ 0.40 $ 0.36 $ 1.17 $ 1.06