This dashboard provides information about the ECLIPSE Community Solar Program, including program participation by municipality, estimated electric-bill savings, average energy-burden reduction, and the amount of solar energy generated on behalf of ECLIPSE subscribers.
All data displayed are presented for informational purposes only. The dashboard does not contain personally identifiable information (PII), individual utility account data, or subscriber-level details. Metrics are intended to illustrate overall program trends and outcomes.
This dashboard was developed collaboratively by Erie County and Buffalo State University to promote transparency, support public understanding, and share the collective impact of the ECLIPSE program across Erie County communities.
Click on the menu below to view each tab. For additional information, please contact us at ECLIPSE@erie.gov.
Community Solar Participation
Energy Burden Reduction
Sustainable Energy
Methods & References
Community Solar Participation (Households): The number of subscribed households that are assigned to active solar projects. Fully enrolled households waiting to be assigned to active solar projects, and have yet to receive bill credits, are not included.
Participants by Municipality (Households): The number of subscribed households within a specific municipality's boundaries. Fully enrolled households waiting to be assigned to active solar projects, and have yet to receive bill credits, are not included.
Total Engagement Over Time (Households): The total cumulative number of subscribed households that are assigned to active solar projects. Fully enrolled households waiting to be assigned to active solar projects, and have yet to receive bill credits, are not included.
Energy Burden (%): The total amount of household income spent on energy. The ECLIPSE project focuses specifically electricity utility costs. Energy burden estimates for Erie County households are detailed and described in the ECLIPSE LMI Energy Burden Report. For this dashboard's purposes, a household's energy burden is estimated by dividing total dollars ($) spent on electric utilities by total income.1
Average Energy Burden Reduction (%): The percent reduction in energy burden for participating Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) households, is an estimate of how many percentage points energy burden has been reduced as a direct result of the ECLIPSE program. Specifically, the energy savings by the average Erie County LMI household income* as the quotient of the energy savings divided by the average Erie County LMI Household Income for each ZIP Code.
Total Subscriber Savings ($): The estimated total amount of savings ($) for ECLIPSE program subscribers, estimated by multiplying the total number of kilowatt-hours (kWh) assigned to subscribers by the average electric utility rate. For the ECLIPSE Dashboard, we use National Grid’s average residential rate of $0.18 per kWh.
Current Monthly Savings ($): The total estimated electric bill savings for all ECLIPSE subscribers across Erie County during the selected month. Savings are calculated by applying the standard 10% ECLIPSE discount to the total value of community solar bill credits issued to subscribers in each municipality. and then adding those savings together for all municipalities for the current reporting month.
Solar Energy Produced (mWh): The total amount of solar energy generated by solar projects participating in NYSERDA's NY-SUN program on behalf of subscribed households in the ECLIPSE Program since program inception.
Monthly Energy Production (mWh): The total amount of solar energy generated by solar projects participating in NYSERDA's NY-SUN program on behalf of subscribed households in the ECLIPSE Program over a period of one month.
Carbon Offset (mte CO2):
- Tree growth estimate: A medium growth coniferous or deciduous tree, planted in an urban setting and allowed to grow for 10 years, sequesters 23.2 and 38.0 lbs of carbon, per year respectively. Sample calculations and assumptions provided by Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator - Calculations and References | US EPA.
- Oil Avoidance estimate: Carbon dioxide emissions per barrel of crude oil are determined by multiplying heat content times the carbon coefficient times the fraction oxidized times the ratio of the molecular weight of carbon dioxide to that of carbon (44/12). The average heat content of crude oil is 5.80 mmbtu per barrel (EPA 2024). The average carbon coefficient of crude oil is 20.31 MMT C/QBtu. The fraction oxidized is assumed to be 100 percent. Sample calculations and assumptions provided by Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator - Calculations and References | US EPA
LMI Households: Low-to-Moderate Income households, as designated by participation in specified assistance programs including but not limited to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Energy Assistance Programs (utility and federal).
Mega Watt Hours (mWH): a unit measuring electrical energy, representing the amount of energy used or produced by 1,000 kilowatts (1 megawatt) of power sustained for one hour. 1 MWh can power an average American home for roughly 50 minutes, depending on usage.
Global Warming Potential (GWP): A measure of how much a given mass of a greenhouse gas is estimated to contribute to global warming relative to the same mass of CO2 over a specific time period (usually 100 years). CO2 is assigned a GWP of 1.
Metric Tons Equivalency (mte) CO2: a standard measure used in environmental reporting to compare the emissions of various greenhouse gases (GHGs) based on their global warming potential (GWP). To calculate the mte CO2 for a given gas, its quantity is multiplied by its GWP: mte CO2 = (Metric Tons of a Gas) × (GWP of that Gas) For example, a metric ton of methane has a GWP of approximately 28 over 100 years. Therefore, one metric ton of methane emissions is equivalent to 28 mte CO2.
*Estimated using data provided in the American Community Survey (ACS) (2019-2023) and the Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) (2020).