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 Madison County

Madison County has a population of 66,921. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 14,322 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

Owlville Creek Solar in Canastota is one of 567 solar plants in New York, and it ranks #51 of 567 by the electricity it produced in 2024. It began operating in 2020 and uses solar photovoltaic technology, meaning panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity, paired with batteries that store power for later.

Last year it produced 8.4 gigawatt-hours, a unit of electricity equal to about 840 homes’ yearly use. Its capacity is 8.0 MW, a measure of the most power it can deliver at one moment, again roughly what about 840 homes use in a year of typical demand. Solar is carbon-free electricity, and this plant’s power flows into the National Grid system.

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 keeping about 1,300 tons of waste out of a landfill.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Canastota sits in Madison County, a pleasant corner of central New York. Nearby, Cazenovia and its lake make an easy day out, and Chittenango Falls State Park centers on a tall waterfall. Colgate University is a bit farther off in the village of Hamilton.

Local school district

Canastota 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.