New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 150 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Saratoga County

Saratoga County has a population of 238,711. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 51,023 cases in the county.

The county received a grade of B for ozone pollution. No particle pollution grade is available.

Federal monitoring recorded 233 days of good air quality and 10 moderate days in the county over the most recent year, with 0 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 567 solar plants in this category, and the Town of Halfmoon plant in Waterford ranks #507 of 567 by 2024 electricity produced. It’s a solar photovoltaic plant, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity, owned by Tesla Inc. and serving the National Grid system.

The plant began operating in 2017 and has a capacity of 1.0 MW, a megawatt being a measure of the most power it can deliver at one moment. In 2024 it produced 1.5 gigawatt-hours of electricity, a unit of energy equal to about 150 homes. That output is carbon-free, since sunlight is the only fuel.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 560 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 65,000 gallons of gasoline.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Waterford sits in Saratoga County, a short drive from Saratoga Springs, home to the Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and Saratoga Spa State Park. Saratoga Lake is just outside the city, a familiar spot for boating and lakeside afternoons.

Local school district

Waterford-Halfmoon 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.