New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 240 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Fulton County

Fulton County has a population of 52,234. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 11,205 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 the Kearsarge Johnstown 1 CSG plant, on West State Street in Johnstown, ranks #439 of 567 by 2024 electricity produced. It uses solar photovoltaic technology, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity, and has been operating since 2018.

Its capacity is 1.5 MW, a megawatt being a measure of the most power a plant can deliver at once. Last year it produced 2.4 gigawatt-hours of electricity, a gigawatt-hour being a very large unit of energy, and that’s roughly the amount used by about 240 homes. The plant sends that power into the National Grid system, and it generates electricity without burning anything.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 910 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 350 tons of waste out of a landfill.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Johnstown sits next to Gloversville in Fulton County, with the Great Sacandaga Lake and the southern Adirondacks close at hand. It’s an easy base for lake days, hiking, and exploring the small towns of the Mohawk Valley.

Local school district

Gloversville City 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.