New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 770 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

Out of 567 solar plants in New York, Amherst Community Solar ranks #104 by electricity produced in 2024. It sits at 595 Schoelles Rd. in Amherst, Erie County, and began operating in 2023. It uses solar photovoltaic technology, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity, with a capacity of 5.0 MW (the most power it can deliver at one moment).

The plant produced 7.7 gigawatt-hours of electricity (a gigawatt-hour is a way of counting a large amount of energy over time), enough for about 770 homes. It ran at an 18% capacity factor, which compares its actual output with what it would make if it ran at full power all year.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 3,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year compared with producing the same electricity from the national mix of power sources — about the same as taking about 640 cars off the road for a year.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Amherst is a suburb just northeast of Buffalo, home to the Williamsville Central School District. Buffalo offers its Canalside waterfront on Lake Erie, the Buffalo Zoo, and the University at Buffalo. Niagara Falls is a short drive north.

Local school district

Williamsville 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.