New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 270 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Albany County

Albany County has a population of 316,659. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 64,742 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 D.

Federal monitoring recorded 184 days of good air quality and 84 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 Owens Corning at Bethlehem, in Albany County, ranks #400 of 567 by 2024 electricity produced. It is a solar photovoltaic plant, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity, and it has been operating since 2013. It is owned by Luminace Solar Holding, LLC and sends power into the National Grid system.

The plant has a capacity of 2.0 MW. A megawatt (MW) is a measure of the most power a plant can deliver at one moment. In 2024 it generated 2.7 gigawatt-hours, a unit of electricity over time, which is about 270 homes’ worth of power for a year. Solar plants run only while the sun shines, so they produce well below their top capacity across a full year.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 1,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year compared with producing the same electricity from the national mix of power sources — about the same as not using about 2,600 barrels of oil.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Bethlehem sits just south of Albany, the state capital, home to the Empire State Plaza and the University at Albany. The Hudson River waterfront is close by, and Thacher State Park in the Helderberg hills offers wide views over the valley.

Local school district

Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk 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.