Tomasita’s Restaurant has maintained a commitment to the recipes and ingredients of New Mexico since Georgia Maryol founded it in 1974: Hatch chiles, pinto beans, corn, and fruit cultivated under the warm rays of the sun. Later this month, this beloved local favorite will begin adding a new ingredient to the mix: renewable electricity generated by its own solar array. For the last few months, passersby have marveled at the structure rising from the parking lot next to the restaurant. A shelter for train passengers? A cover for street festivals? Instead, the impressive structure is a 68.67 kW grid-tied solar carport with 210 SunPower® high efficiency solar panels that does double-duty as shaded parking for 24 cars. It also includes a charging station for one electric car. George Gundrey, Maryol’s son and second-generation owner and manager of Tomasita’s Restaurant in the Railyard, is justifiably proud of the solar array, which he calls an “investment in New Mexico’s future.” “Solar makes so much sense in New Mexico,” explained Gundrey. “As a long-standing family-owned business in Santa Fe, we are not only committed to supporting our local culinary tradition, but also to being a role model as a socially responsible business. Our solar array will help us control our energy costs, but most importantly, it will mean cleaner air, decrease emissions of toxic chemicals and reduce our impact on climate change. By installing the solar array, we are renewing our commitment to be a family-run business in Santa Fe for decades to come.”
