San Miguel Solar Project
A crew of installation specialists with Positive Energy Solar weigh down and install solar panel brackets with cinder blocks on the roof of San Miguel Chapel. Known as the ‘oldest church,’ the 400-year-old chapel is owned by St. Michael’s High School.
San Miguel Chapel Solar Project
Santa Fe’s San Miguel Chapel, the one of the country’s oldest churches, took a step into the future with the implementation of the San Miguel Solar Project. This 5-year project was concluded in August 2023, though Cornerstones has been working with Saint Michaels High School and 500+ volunteers to restore the church’s walls since the early 2000s. In partnership with Positive Energy Solar, 20 solar panels were installed on the church’s roof.
The very first effort was feasibility study accomplished by electrical engineer, Mars DeLapp, and US/ICOMOS intern architect, Georgina Solana, in 2018.
The feasibility study was funded equally by The Richard and Julia Moe Family Fund through the National Trust for Historic Preservation, who recognized the importance of this action to the American preservation community, Remy’s Good Day Fund, which promotes sustainability for local non-profits and communities with a solar energy focus, and St. Michaels High School, who has the responsibility of operating and maintaining the Chapel including its continued use as a place of worship.
Funding for the project as well as the follow up public outreach plan was provided by Thornburg Investment Management, an anonymous gift through the Catholic Foundation, Remy’s Good Day Fund and the Richard and Julia Moe Family Fund of the National Trust for Historic preservation. St Michaels High School paid for a new roof and electrical upgrades to support the solar equipment.
Years of research were conducted to assure the building’s ability to support additional weight. In interviews with the Albuquerque Journal, Santa Fe New Mexican, and KRQE News 13, Cornerstones’ Program Director Jake Barrow said the school’s board of trustees required a feasibility study before making decisions on the solar panels. “It continues to be a live building,” he said. “Sustainability and renewable energy is a positive thing, so making the chapel sustainable and continuing it in its original use is very important.”
Maintaining the historic integrity of the Church was also a main priority for Cornerstones and project partners. Jake Barrows emphasizes this in asking, “Could the panels be concealed, necessary because the chapel is right in the historic district.” With this in mind, a plan was implemented, ensuring that the construction and installation of the solar pannels would not threaten the historic structure.
This $80,000 project was funded entirely by grants and donations, and we would like to give a big “thank you!” to all of our project partners, volunteers, and donors who worked together and supported us in this step towards finding sustainable solutions in our historic places.
