New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 550 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Onondaga County

Onondaga County has a population of 467,873. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 96,258 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 217 days of good air quality and 52 moderate days in the county over the most recent year, with 4 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 the Source Power II – Taft CSG in East Syracuse ranks #223 of 567 by 2024 electricity produced. It uses solar photovoltaic technology, which means panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity. The plant began operating in 2023 and has a capacity of 3.7 MW (a megawatt is a unit of power, and this size matches the most the plant can send out at once).

In 2024 it produced 5.5 gigawatt-hours of electricity, a gigawatt-hour being a large amount of energy, enough to power about 550 homes. Its owner is Distributed Solar Development, LLC, and it connects to the grid of National Grid, which delivers the power to customers in the area.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 2,100 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 5,200 barrels of oil.*

Nearby places worth exploring

East Syracuse sits just outside Syracuse, home to Syracuse University and Onondaga Lake Park along the lakeshore. A bit farther out, Green Lakes State Park is known for its glacial lakes and walking trails.

Local school district

East Syracuse-Minoa 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.