New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 270 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Erie County

Erie County has a population of 946,147. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 196,802 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 C.

Federal monitoring recorded 168 days of good air quality and 97 moderate days in the county over the most recent year, with 9 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 Chambers 3 solar farm in Alden, Erie County, ranks #402 of 567 by electricity produced in 2024. It uses solar photovoltaic technology, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity. The plant began operating in 2018 and is owned by MN8 Energy LLC, with power delivered through NYSEG.

Its capacity is 2.0 MW, a megawatt being a measure of the most power a plant can produce at one moment. Over the year it produced 2.7 gigawatt-hours, a unit of electricity over time, roughly what about 270 homes use in a year.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 1,000 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 burning about 120,000 gallons of gasoline.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Alden sits in Erie County, not far from Buffalo, where Canalside on the Lake Erie waterfront, the Buffalo Zoo, and the University at Buffalo are all well-known stops. Niagara Falls is a short drive north.

Local school district

Alden 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.