New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 820 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

Of the 567 solar plants in New York’s clean-energy category, the Sugarhill Road – Solitude Solar CSG project in Rexford ranks #70 by how much electricity it produced in 2024. It uses solar photovoltaic technology, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity. It began operating in 2019, with a capacity of 4.7 MW (a megawatt is a measure of the most power a plant can deliver at one moment).

Over the year it generated 8.2 gigawatt-hours, which is a unit of energy, enough to supply about 820 homes. Solar panels make power only while the sun is up, so a plant like this works at about 20 percent of its full capacity over a whole year. Standard Solar owns it, and National Grid, the local utility, delivers the power.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 3,200 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year compared with producing the same electricity from the national mix of power sources — about the same as the carbon absorbed by about 3,300 acres of forest in a year.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Rexford sits in Saratoga County, a short drive from Saratoga Springs, which is known for the Saratoga Race Course, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and Saratoga Spa State Park. Saratoga Lake lies just outside the city and is a popular spot for time on the water.

Local school district

Shenendehowa 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.