New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 820 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Schenectady County

Schenectady County has a population of 159,902. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 32,463 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 Sunnyside 2 Solar in Scotia ranks #74 of 567 by 2024 electricity produced. It is a solar photovoltaic plant, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts. It began operating in 2023 and is owned by Solar DG NY Sunnyside 2, LLC.

Its capacity is 5.0 MW, a megawatt being a measure of the most power it can send out at one moment. Over the year it produced 8.2 gigawatt-hours, a gigawatt-hour being a unit for a large amount of electricity over time, enough for about 820 homes. That works out to a capacity factor of 19 percent, which simply compares what a plant produced with what it could make if it ran at full power all day.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 3,100 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 using about 7,800 barrels of oil.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Scotia sits in Schenectady County, along the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal corridor. Nearby Schenectady is home to Union College and Proctors Theatre, both well-known stops in the Capital Region.

Local school district

Scotia-Glenville 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.