New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 380 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Seneca County

Seneca County has a population of 32,349. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 6,937 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 Sangolqui Solar in Seneca Falls ranks #267 of 567 by the electricity it produced in 2024. It began operating in 2021 and uses solar photovoltaic technology, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts.

Its rated capacity is 2.0 MW, a megawatt being the most power the plant can send out at any one moment. Over the year it produced 3.8 gigawatt-hours, a gigawatt-hour being a large block of electricity, roughly what about 380 homes use in a year. Because the sun doesn’t shine around the clock, the plant ran at about a 21 percent capacity factor, which is the share of its maximum output it actually delivers over a year.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 1,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year compared with producing the same electricity from the national mix of power sources — about the same as not burning about 170,000 gallons of gasoline.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Seneca Falls is home to the Women’s Rights National Historical Park and sits between Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, two of the Finger Lakes. To the north, the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge lies at the edge of Seneca County.

Local school district

Seneca Falls 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.