New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 220 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

New York has 567 solar plants in this category, and the Calabro Airport South Solar Project in Shirley, Suffolk County, ranks #456 of 567 by the electricity it produced in 2024. It uses solar photovoltaic technology, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity with no fuel burned.

It began operating in 2019 and has a capacity of 1.2 MW, which is the most power it can deliver at any one moment. Over the year it produced 2.2 gigawatt-hours, a way of counting total energy delivered over time, which is about 220 homes’ worth of electricity. It is owned by CVI Renewables Holdings, LLC.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 840 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 180 cars off the road for a year.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Shirley sits on the south shore of Long Island in Suffolk County, a part of the island known for its beaches and bays. Fire Island’s beaches are a short trip away, and Stony Brook University is also in the county. Farther east, the Hamptons, Montauk Point, and the North Fork wine country draw visitors across the seasons.

Local school district

William Floyd 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.