Renewable Power Perspectives Q&A with Kristal Hansley, Founder & CEO of WeSolar, Inc.
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12% OffI was at a neighborhood conference with 50 Black women organizers who were not invested in the neighborhood solar motion. To be able to use an item that will conserve our community up to 60% on their energy costs is transformative.
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced communities budget-friendly access to local neighborhood solar and to help commercial properties with energy efficiency. When I initially moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was introduced, and I wanted to guarantee city residents were getting the very same amount of investment as the county. Sustainable energy has historically been a middle-class issue since Black neighborhoods have had to live in survival mode, but Reverend Mason and Reverend Dewitt brought me into the circle and connected me with the individuals I required to link with in order to make this partnership effective.
By Constance ThompsonAugust 27, 2021
The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is delighted to share the very first installment in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog series. Each installation will feature market leaders and topics associated with accelerating an equitable and simply shift to a renewable resource economy. In recognition of National Black Business Month, our August blog is the first in a series highlighting how Black-owned member business are thriving in the renewable energy sector.
Kristal Hansley is the Founder & & CEO of WeSolar, Inc and is the countrys first Black female CEO in the community solar industry. Under her leadership, WeSolar is growing quickly, offering consumers throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia access to economical solar power, regardless of house type, and assisting hard-working households decrease regular monthly costs.
What inspired you to begin your company?
I was at a neighborhood conference with 50 Black women organizers who were not invested in the neighborhood solar movement. 36% of Black families experience a high energy problem, indicating they spend over 6% of their income on home energy bills. To be able to offer a product that will conserve our neighborhood up to 60% on their energy bills is transformative.
Tell us about your business?
WeSolars objective is to bring under-resourced communities budget friendly access to regional neighborhood solar and to assist industrial residential or commercial properties with energy performance. In Maryland, legislators passed legislation that specifies 50 percent of its electricity should come from eco-friendly energy sources by 2030.
What challenges do you deal with? Why?
To a neighborhood that is already facing so many pushing challenges, persuading them that there is another one simply as important is extremely hard. I keep in mind trying to explain neighborhood solar to my pals and the discussion rapidly pivoting to housing.
Please share with us a recent business success story.
An extremely personal success story for me is cultivating a collaboration with Maryland United Baptist Missionary Convention, Inc. I matured in a Baptist church in Brooklyn where my cousin was the pastor, and my mama was an organizer– community was sewn into my very being. When I initially relocated to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was introduced, and I desired to make sure city citizens were getting the very same amount of financial investment as the county. It was the church that took me in, and the church that then supported my vision– bringing whatever cycle. Renewable energy has actually historically been a middle-class concern due to the fact that Black communities have had to reside in survival mode, but Reverend Mason and Reverend Dewitt brought me into the circle and linked me with individuals I needed to get in touch with in order to make this partnership effective.
To find out more about WeSolar, visit wesolar.energy
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