New York power

Generates renewable electricity from the Raquette River, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 1,300 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in St. Lawrence County

St. Lawrence County has a population of 106,940. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 22,121 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

Norwood is one of New York’s 142 hydropower plants, ranking #81 of 142 by electricity produced in 2024. It sits on the Raquette River, using flowing water to turn a conventional hydroelectric turbine, a wheel spun by moving water that drives a generator. Erie Boulevard Hydropower LP owns it, and it has operated since 1928.

Its single generator has a capacity of 2.0 MW, meaning the most power it can deliver at one moment, and it produced 13.1 gigawatt-hours in 2024, a gigawatt-hour being a large unit for measuring electricity over time. That is enough for about 1,300 homes. The water-driven process involves no combustion, which makes the power carbon-free.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 5,000 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 2,000 tons of waste out of a landfill.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Norwood sits in St. Lawrence County, where the St. Lawrence River and the Adirondack foothills frame the landscape. The nearby college towns of Canton, home to St. Lawrence University and SUNY Canton, and Potsdam, home to Clarkson University and SUNY Potsdam, are both a short drive away.

Local school district

Norwood-Norfolk 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.