New York power

Converts landfill gas into renewable electricity, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 1,000 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Albany County

Albany County has a population of 316,659. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 64,742 cases in the county.

The county received a grade of B for ozone pollution. For particle pollution — the fine soot and dust that can be breathed deep into the lungs — it received a grade of D.

Federal monitoring recorded 184 days of good air quality and 84 moderate days in the county over the most recent year, with 5 days rated unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Long-term exposure to air pollution has been linked to certain health conditions, particularly for children and older adults. Where electricity comes from affects how much combustion pollution is produced on the grid.

These figures describe the county as a whole and are not specific to this facility. Sources: American Lung Association – State of the Air (New York); U.S. EPA Air Quality Index.

The story behind this New York renewable energy facility

New York has 17 biofuel plants in this category, and MM Albany Energy, on Junction Road in Albany, ranks #16 of 17 by 2024 electricity produced. It runs on landfill gas, which is the methane that forms naturally as buried waste breaks down, captured and used as fuel.

The plant began operating in 1998 and has five generators with a combined capacity of 5.9 MW, a megawatt being a measure of how much power a plant can deliver at one moment. In 2024 it produced 10.1 gigawatt-hours, a unit of energy equal to a million kilowatt-hours, which is about 1,000 homes’ worth of electricity for the year. It sends that power into the National Grid system.

Environmental profile

Captures methane released by decomposing landfill waste and burns it to make electricity. Methane traps more heat in the atmosphere than the carbon dioxide produced by burning it, so the gas is collected rather than left to escape.

Nearby places worth exploring

Albany is the state capital, home to the Empire State Plaza and the University at Albany. The Hudson River waterfront is close by, and Thacher State Park sits in the Helderberg hills nearby.

Local school district

Albany City School District

Common questions

* Homes-powered and emissions comparisons are annual estimates based on national averages from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. “Homes powered” describes a quantity of electricity, not direct service to specific households. How we calculate this.