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Profile
New York power
Produced 45.6 gigawatt-hours of electricity in 2024 — enough electricity for about 4,600 homes for a year.*
Air quality & health in Suffolk County
Suffolk County has a population of 1,523,170. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 316,289 cases in the county.
The county received a grade of F for ozone pollution. For particle pollution — the fine soot and dust that can be breathed deep into the lungs — it received a grade of A.
Federal monitoring recorded 235 days of good air quality and 76 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 power plant
New York has 100 natural gas plants in this category, and the Orbit Bloom Fuel Cell in Medford sits right in the middle of the pack at #49 by 2024 electricity produced. It is owned by DG Fuel Cell, LLC, and its power flows to customers of PSEG Long Island.
A fuel cell makes electricity through a chemical reaction rather than by burning fuel to spin a turbine; this one runs on natural gas. It began operating in 2020 and has one generator rated at 6.0 MW, which is its maximum output at any moment. Last year it produced 45.6 gigawatt-hours, a unit of electricity equal to about 4,600 homes’ yearly use.
Generation profile
The plant can produce 6 megawatts of electricity at once, across 1 generating unit. In 2024 it produced 45.6 gigawatt-hours in total, which works out to about 87% of what it could have produced running flat out all year — the pattern of a plant that runs through much of the year.
Nearby places worth exploring
Medford sits in central Suffolk County, a short drive from Long Island’s South Shore. Fire Island’s beaches are a popular day trip, and Stony Brook University is also in the county. Farther east, the Hamptons, Montauk Point, and the North Fork wine country draw visitors across the island.
Local school district
Patchogue-Medford Union Free School District
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* 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.
