New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 680 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Erie County

Erie County has a population of 946,147. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 196,802 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 C.

Federal monitoring recorded 168 days of good air quality and 97 moderate days in the county over the most recent year, with 9 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 Millersport GM 1 in Amherst, Erie County, ranks #153 of 567 by 2024 electricity produced. It’s a solar photovoltaic plant, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity, with a capacity of 5.0 MW (a megawatt is a measure of how much power a plant can deliver at its best moment).

Over the year it generated 6.8 gigawatt-hours, a gigawatt-hour being a very large amount of electricity, which is enough for about 680 homes. The plant began operating in 2023 and is owned by Greenbacker Renewable Energy Corporation. Because it runs on sunlight, it produces electricity without burning anything.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 2,600 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 1,000 tons of waste out of a landfill.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Amherst sits just outside Buffalo, where the Canalside waterfront on Lake Erie, the Buffalo Zoo, and the University at Buffalo are all popular stops. Niagara Falls is a short drive north.

Local school district

Sweet Home 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.