New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 1,700 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Suffolk County

Suffolk County has a population of 1,523,170. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 316,289 cases in the county.

The county received a grade of F for ozone pollution. For particle pollution — the fine soot and dust that can be breathed deep into the lungs — it received a grade of A.

Federal monitoring recorded 235 days of good air quality and 76 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

Of the 567 solar plants in New York, Leavenworth Greenworks in Calverton ranks #20 by electricity produced in 2024. It uses solar photovoltaic technology, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity, and has run since 2016 under AES Distributed Energy.

Its capacity is 9.5 MW, a measure of the most power it can deliver at one moment. Over 2024 it produced 16.9 gigawatt-hours, a unit of electricity, which is enough for about 1,700 homes. The power goes to the Long Island grid through PSEG Long Island.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 6,500 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 16,000 barrels of oil.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Calverton sits in Suffolk County on Long Island’s East End, within reach of the North Fork wine country and the Hamptons. Montauk Point lies farther east, and Fire Island’s beaches and Stony Brook University are also in the county.

Local school district

Riverhead 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.