New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 240 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Monroe County

Monroe County has a population of 748,482. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 154,303 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 195 days of good air quality and 72 moderate days in the county over the most recent year, with 7 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 RIT Henrietta Solar 1 ranks #433 of 567 by 2024 electricity produced. It sits at 1 Lomb Memorial Drive in Rochester, in Monroe County, and has operated since 2018.

It uses solar photovoltaic technology, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity with no fuel burned. In 2024 it produced 2.4 gigawatt-hours (a gigawatt-hour is a very large unit of electrical energy), which is about 240 homes’ worth of electricity. Its capacity is 1.6 MW, a megawatt being the most power it can deliver at one moment. SolRiver Capital LLC owns it.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 940 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 using about 2,300 barrels of oil.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Rochester is home to the University of Rochester and RIT, along with Highland Park and the Lake Ontario shoreline. Erie Canal villages such as Pittsford and Fairport line the canal path, which many people enjoy for walking and biking.

Local school district

Rush-Henrietta 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.