New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 830 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Albany County

Albany County has a population of 316,659. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 64,742 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 184 days of good air quality and 84 moderate days in the county over the most recent year, with 5 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

Among New York’s 567 solar plants in this category, RT32 Westerlo Solar 1 ranks #59 by the electricity it produced in 2024. It sits on State Route 32 in Westerlo, Albany County, and began operating in 2020.

It uses solar photovoltaic technology, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity with no fuel burned. The plant has a capacity of 5.0 MW, a megawatt being a measure of the most power it can deliver at once. In 2024 it produced 8.3 gigawatt-hours, a gigawatt-hour being a large unit of electricity, roughly enough to power about 830 homes.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 3,200 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 370,000 gallons of gasoline.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Westerlo sits in the Helderberg hills of Albany County, with Thacher State Park close by for views and hiking. Albany, the state capital, is home to the Empire State Plaza and the University at Albany, and the Hudson River waterfront is also a short drive away.

Local school district

Greenville 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.