New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 550 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 Lightstar Renewables – Project 1001 in Hyde Park, Dutchess County, ranks #219 of 567 by 2024 electricity produced. It began operating in 2021 and uses solar photovoltaic technology, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity.

In 2024 it produced 5.5 gigawatt-hours (a gigawatt-hour is a way of counting a large amount of electricity), which is about 550 homes’ worth of power for a year. Its capacity, the most it can generate at any moment, is 3.9 MW, and the electricity flows onto the Central Hudson system.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 2,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year compared with producing the same electricity from the national mix of power sources — about the same as keeping about 830 tons of waste out of a landfill.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Hyde Park is in the Hudson Valley, a short drive from Poughkeepsie, home to Vassar College and Marist College, and the Walkway Over the Hudson pedestrian bridge. Beacon, with the Dia Beacon art museum, sits farther along the river.

Local school district

Hyde Park 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.