New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 72 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Westchester County

Westchester County has a population of 990,817. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 205,615 cases in the county.

The county received a grade of D for ozone pollution. No particle pollution grade is available.

Federal monitoring recorded 215 days of good air quality and 53 moderate days in the county over the most recent year, with 5 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 the Mt Pleasant Community Center plant in Valhalla ranks #537 of 567 by 2024 electricity produced. Owned by Consolidated Edison Solutions Inc., it began operating in 2022 and pairs solar photovoltaic panels (panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity) with batteries (which store power for use later). Its capacity is 1.2 MW, a megawatt being a measure of the most power a plant can deliver at once.

In 2024 it produced 0.7 gigawatt-hours, a unit for large amounts of electricity, which is about 72 homes’ worth of yearly use. Like all solar, it makes carbon-free power without burning fuel.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 280 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 680 barrels of oil.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Valhalla sits in Westchester County, close to the Hudson River towns of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow. White Plains and Yonkers are the nearby urban centers. Rockefeller State Park Preserve and Playland amusement park in Rye are popular county destinations.

Local school district

Mount Pleasant 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.