New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 270 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Dutchess County

Dutchess County has a population of 297,150. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 62,789 cases in the county.

Federal monitoring recorded 252 days of good air quality and 17 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 567 solar plants in this category, and this one, on NY-376 in Wappinger Falls, ranks #405 of 567 by electricity produced in 2024. It is a solar photovoltaic system, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity. Tesla Inc. owns it, and it began operating in 2020.

With 1.8 MW of capacity, the most it can produce at any moment, the plant generated 2.7 gigawatt-hours in 2024. A gigawatt-hour is a way of counting electricity over time, and that amount is about 270 homes’ worth. It feeds the Central Hudson system, and like all sunlight-driven power, it makes no electricity at night.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 1,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year compared with producing the same electricity from the national mix of power sources — about the same as keeping about 400 tons of waste out of a landfill.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Wappinger Falls sits in the Hudson Valley, close to Poughkeepsie, home to Vassar College and Marist College. The Walkway Over the Hudson pedestrian bridge is also nearby, and Beacon, with its Dia Beacon art museum, sits along the river.

Local school district

Wappingers 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.