New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 750 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Genesee County

Genesee County has a population of 57,529. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 12,203 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

Townline Community Solar is one of 567 solar plants in New York, and it ranks #118 of 567 by how much electricity it produced in 2024. It sits on Town Line Road in Batavia, Genesee County, and began operating in 2022. The plant is owned by AES Distributed Energy.

It uses solar photovoltaic technology, which means panels turn sunlight directly into electricity with no fuel burned. Last year it produced 7.5 gigawatt-hours, a gigawatt-hour being a very large unit of electricity, which is about 750 homes’ worth for a year. Its capacity is 5.0 MW, a megawatt being the most power it can deliver at one moment, and its output came to a capacity factor of 17 percent, meaning the share of that maximum it actually averaged over the year.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 2,900 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 7,100 barrels of oil.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Batavia sits roughly midway between Buffalo and Rochester, in the western New York farm country that makes up much of Genesee County. Darien Lake amusement park is a short drive away. The area’s open fields and small towns give the region a distinctly rural feel.

Local school district

Elba 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.