New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 69 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Suffolk County

Suffolk County has a population of 1,523,170. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 316,289 cases in the county.

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

Federal monitoring recorded 235 days of good air quality and 76 moderate days in the county over the most recent year, with 3 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

Brentwood Solar is one of 567 solar plants in its category in New York, and by 2024 electricity produced, it ranks #539 of 567. It sits on South Suffolk Avenue in Brentwood, Suffolk County, and began operating in 2011.

The plant uses solar photovoltaic technology, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity. Its capacity is 1.0 MW, which is the most power it can send out at a single moment. Over the year it produced 0.7 gigawatt-hours, a unit for measuring large amounts of electricity, or about 69 homes’ worth of yearly use. The power goes to PSEG Long Island’s grid.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 260 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year compared with producing the same electricity from the national mix of power sources — about the same as not burning about 270,000 pounds of coal.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Brentwood sits in the middle of Suffolk County, a short drive from Long Island’s East End, where the Hamptons, Montauk Point, and the North Fork wine country draw visitors. Fire Island’s beaches are also in the county, as is Stony Brook University.

Local school district

Brentwood Union Free 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.