New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 620 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Cortland County

Cortland County has a population of 45,752. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 9,243 cases in the county.

No ozone or particle pollution grades are available for this county in the most recent report. The figures above describe how many residents live with conditions sensitive to air quality — not measured pollution levels.

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 Bellisario Solar 2 in Lapeer ranks #186 of 567 by 2024 electricity produced. It began operating in 2021 and uses solar photovoltaic technology, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel.

Its capacity is 5.0 MW, which is the most power it can deliver at any one moment. Over the year it produced 6.2 gigawatt-hours, a gigawatt-hour being a large unit of electricity, or about 620 homes’ worth of power. It runs at about a 14 percent capacity factor, the share of its maximum it actually delivers over a year, since the sun doesn’t shine around the clock. Its output is carbon-free.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 2,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year compared with producing the same electricity from the national mix of power sources — about the same as the carbon absorbed by about 2,500 acres of forest in a year.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Lapeer sits in Cortland County, near the city of Cortland, home to SUNY Cortland. Greek Peak ski resort lies to the south, and the Finger Lakes region begins just to the west.

Local school district

Marathon 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.