New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 130 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Oswego County

Oswego County has a population of 118,162. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 24,364 cases in the county.

The county received a grade of B for ozone pollution. No particle pollution grade is available.

Federal monitoring recorded 256 days of good air quality and 8 moderate days in the county over the most recent year, with 0 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

Out of 567 solar plants in New York, the Source Power Company – Richland plant ranks #516 by the electricity it produced in 2024. It sits at 55 Lehigh Rd in Richland, Oswego County, and began operating in 2021. It pairs solar photovoltaic panels, which turn sunlight directly into electricity, with batteries that store power for later use.

Its two generators have a capacity of 4.5 MW, a megawatt being a measure of the most power a plant can deliver at once. In 2024 it produced 1.3 gigawatt-hours, a unit of electricity over time, which is enough to supply about 130 homes. The plant is owned by Distributed Solar Development, LLC, and connects to the National Grid network.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 510 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 200 tons of waste out of a landfill.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Richland is a short drive from Oswego, home to SUNY Oswego on the shore of Lake Ontario, where Fort Ontario overlooks the harbor. Selkirk Shores State Park and the Salmon River draw anglers and campers to the area.

Local school district

Pulaski 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.