New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 840 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Columbia County

Columbia County has a population of 60,470. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 14,104 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

Out of 567 solar plants in New York, ELP Kinderhook CSG in Valatie ranks #48 by how much electricity it produced in 2024. It sits along Route 9 in Columbia County and uses solar photovoltaic technology, which means panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity. The plant began operating in 2020 and is owned by Altus Power America Management, LLC.

With a capacity of 5.0 MW (megawatts, a measure of the most power it can deliver at one moment), the plant produced 8.4 gigawatt-hours of electricity (a unit for large amounts of energy) in 2024, enough for about 840 homes. It sends that power into the National Grid system.

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 taking about 700 cars off the road for a year.*

Nearby places worth exploring

The river city of Hudson is a short drive away and is known for its antique shops and galleries. Olana State Historic Site and Taconic State Park are both nearby, and the Berkshires lie just across the state line in Massachusetts.

Local school district

Kinderhook Central School District (Ichabod Crane)

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.