New York power

Generates renewable electricity from sunlight, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 330 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Dutchess County

Dutchess County has a population of 297,150. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 62,789 cases in the county.

Federal monitoring recorded 252 days of good air quality and 17 moderate days in the county over the most recent year, with 3 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

Wappinger 9D Solar is one of 567 solar plants in New York, and it ranks #311 of 567 by 2024 electricity produced. Sitting along Route 9D in Wappinger, it began operating in 2019 and uses solar photovoltaic technology, which means panels that turn sunlight directly into electricity with no fuel burned.

In 2024 it generated 3.3 gigawatt-hours, a gigawatt-hour being a way of counting a very large amount of electricity, which is enough to power about 330 homes. Its capacity is 2.0 MW, a megawatt being a measure of the most power a plant can deliver at one moment. The electricity flows into the grid run by Central Hudson.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 1,300 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 burning about 1,300,000 pounds of coal.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Wappinger sits in the Hudson Valley, close to Poughkeepsie, home of Vassar College and Marist College. The Walkway Over the Hudson, a pedestrian bridge across the river, is nearby as well. Farther along the river, Beacon is known for the Dia Beacon art museum.

Local school district

Wappingers 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.