New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 220 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Oneida County

Oneida County has a population of 227,555. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 47,467 cases in the county.

Federal monitoring recorded 211 days of good air quality and 50 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

New York has 567 solar plants in this category, and the Martino solar plant in Rome, Oneida County, ranks #455 of 567 by 2024 electricity produced. It began operating in 2018 and is owned by AES Distributed Energy, with a single generator using solar photovoltaic technology, which means panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity.

In 2024 it produced 2.2 gigawatt-hours, a gigawatt-hour being a large unit of energy, roughly what about 220 homes use in a year. Its capacity is 2.0 MW, a megawatt being the most power it can deliver at one moment, like a top speed rather than a typical pace. It connects to the grid through National Grid.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 840 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 330 tons of waste out of a landfill.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Rome sits in the Mohawk Valley, close to Utica, and is home to Fort Stanwix National Monument. The Erie Canal runs through the region, and the eastern shore of Oneida Lake touches the county, a popular spot for boating and fishing.

Local school district

Westmoreland 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.