New York power

Generates renewable electricity from wind, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 20,000 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Steuben County

Steuben County has a population of 92,162. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 19,622 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 F.

Federal monitoring recorded 219 days of good air quality and 51 moderate days in the county over the most recent year, with 3 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

New York has 33 wind plants in this category, and the Cohocton Wind Project ranks #14 of 33 by 2024 electricity produced. It sits along Brown Road in Steuben County and began operating in 2009. Its onshore wind turbines (turbines placed on land rather than in the water) turn the motion of the wind into electricity.

In 2024 the plant produced 203.5 gigawatt-hours, a gigawatt-hour being a very large measure of electricity, which is about 20,000 homes’ worth. Its capacity is 87.5 MW, a megawatt being the most power it can deliver at one moment, and wind doesn’t blow steadily, so the plant ran at about 27 percent of that top level over the year.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 78,000 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 17,000 cars off the road for a year.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Cohocton sits in the Finger Lakes region, with Keuka Lake and Finger Lakes wine country to the north. To the south, the city of Corning is home to the Corning Museum of Glass, a well-known stop for visitors.

Local school district

Wayland-Cohocton 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.