Cornerstones envisions a significant portion of its work in twenty-first-century heritage preservation as deploying renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies on heritage sites. Following that vision will ensure our treasured historical and cultural sites adapt to changing energy needs and become more self-sufficient.

Four years ago, in collaboration with Remy’s Good Day Fund, we launched The Solar Initiative to award grants for solar projects proposed by New Mexican communities seeking to address shared collective needs. Many Solar Initiative-supported projects are on Tribal Lands; all have been grassroots projects. 

In 2022, Cornerstones is moving its solar engagement to the next level with our new Solar Heritage Preservation program, which will closely intertwine renewable energy projects with our work of preserving historic buildings and local cultures. 

Solar arrays sometimes challenge the integrity of a heritage site and are hard to install on older buildings; knowledgeable planning and design crucially minimize negative impacts. Cornerstones is drawing on its expertise in adobe construction, its relationships with Tribal Nations and heritage communities, and its collaborations with solar companies to carry out solar projects that complement historic landscapes and culturally-specific architectures.

Photo from the Bureau of Land Management

San Miguel Chapel Solar Installation 

New Mexico is poised to be a leader in renewable energy. Our San Miguel solar project will play a major role in further integrating solar into the culture and heritage of New Mexico.

As the prototype project of our Solar Heritage Preservation program, the installation of a solar array on the roof of the 17th-century San Miguel Mission Church will allow us to hone our evaluations of possible solar projects on treasured historic sites. San Miguel presents an amazing opportunity for this ground-breaking work. The Chapel is believed to be the oldest church in the US, and, since 2001, we have collaborated with several organizations to carry out ambitious restoration projects which thoroughly restored the church to its historic aesthetics.

We are now managing the installation of twenty 370W panels. That's enough panels to power much or all of the Chapel’s needs, depending on seasonal daylight. Installed on the flat area of the roof and on racks only thirteen inches high, the panels won't impact the beauty of San Miguel. The rack is also designed to put minimal pressure on the roof without putting holes in it.

These design choices, and the solar array overall, will help sustainably preserve San Miguel, its place in New Mexican culture, and in American history. San Miguel Chapel is a tangible representation of New Mexico’s many-layered history, a gathering space for artistic expression, and it will soon exemplify a sensitive approach to adapting historic structures to modern times.

Photo by Tracey Enright, Cornerstones Executive Director.

Funding through our grants made possible three semesters of UNM Taos’ solar curriculum. These courses prepared students for the solar workforce, furthering the colleges’ success with underprepared, non-traditional students, for which it has won national recognition. The Initiative also provided funds for scholarships for Taos Pueblo members.

The Solar Initiative provided funds to the Hahn Center, a building used by the Pueblo to provide social services and host community events. This grant improved their capacity to serve their community by lowering their operating costs by over $7000 in the first year. Plans are now in place to fund the solarization of a children’s learning center. 

With Gallup Solar, we have organized four multi-week classes, each with ten students, held annually. The classes taught the mechanics and maintenance of solar systems to Navajos living off-grid in the Gallup area. These classes also provide graduates opportunities to mentor the succeeding class members and act as community ambassadors.