New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 360 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Orange County

Orange County has a population of 407,470. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 78,693 cases in the county.

No ozone grade is available for the county in the most recent report. For particle pollution — the fine soot and dust that can be breathed deep into the lungs — it received a grade of B.

Federal monitoring recorded 228 days of good air quality and 38 moderate days in the county over the most recent year, with 1 day 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

Of the 567 solar plants in New York, Columbia University – Minisink ranks #282 by electricity produced in 2024, right around the middle of the pack. It sits on State Line Road in Minisink, in Orange County, and began operating in 2018. It’s owned by AES Distributed Energy.

The site uses solar photovoltaic technology, which means panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity. Its capacity is 2.0 MW, a measure of the most power it can deliver at once. In 2024 it produced 3.6 gigawatt-hours, a unit for large amounts of electricity, which is about 360 homes’ worth for a year. Like all solar, it generates without burning fuel.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 1,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year compared with producing the same electricity from the national mix of power sources — about the same as taking about 300 cars off the road for a year.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Minisink sits in the Hudson Valley, a region known for West Point, Storm King Art Center, and Bear Mountain and Harriman state parks. Closer by, Middletown serves as Orange County’s commercial hub. It’s an area that mixes small towns with plenty of open green space.

Local school district

Minisink Valley Central 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.