New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 560 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Ulster County

Ulster County has a population of 182,333. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 39,586 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 this one in Saugerties, Ulster County, ranks #214 of 567 by 2024 electricity produced. It began operating in 2022 and uses solar photovoltaic technology, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity. The site has one generator and is rated at 3.5 MW, which is the most power it can deliver at any one moment.

In 2024 it produced 5.6 gigawatt-hours, a unit of energy equal to about 560 homes’ electricity use over a year. Like all solar plants, it makes power only while the sun shines, so its output rises and falls with daylight and weather. It is owned by Distributed Solar Development, LLC, and serves the Central Hudson area.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 2,100 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 250,000 gallons of gasoline.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Saugerties sits in the Hudson Valley, a short drive from the town of Woodstock and the Kingston waterfront. Farther south, New Paltz is home to SUNY New Paltz and sits near the Mohonk Preserve and Minnewaska State Park in the Shawangunk Mountains.

Local school district

Saugerties 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.