New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 840 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Yates County

Yates County has a population of 24,472. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 5,228 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

Of the 567 solar plants in New York in this category, NSF Torrey Site 3 ranks #52 by electricity produced in 2024. It sits on Hansen Point Road in Torrey, in Yates County, and began operating in 2023. It uses solar photovoltaic technology, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity with no fuel burned.

The plant has a capacity of 5.0 MW, which is the most power it can deliver at one moment (about as much as a small group of neighborhoods might draw on a busy afternoon). Over a year it produced 8.4 gigawatt-hours, a gigawatt-hour being a measure of electricity delivered over time, enough to power about 840 homes. NYSEG is the local utility.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 3,200 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 8,000 barrels of oil.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Torrey sits in the Finger Lakes region. Penn Yan, on Keuka Lake, is in the heart of Finger Lakes wine country, and Keuka Lake State Park lies on the lake’s western shore.

Local school district

Penn Yan 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.