Renewable Power Perspectives Q&A with Kristal Hansley, Founder & CEO of WeSolar, Inc.

By Constance ThompsonAugust 27, 2021
The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is delighted to share the very first installation in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog series. Each installation will feature market leaders and topics associated with accelerating an equitable and simply transition to a renewable resource economy. In recognition of National Black Business Month, our August blog site is the first in a series highlighting how Black-owned member companies are growing in the sustainable energy sector.
Kristal Hansley is the Founder & & CEO of WeSolar, Inc and is the countrys first Black lady CEO in the community solar industry. Under her leadership, WeSolar is growing quickly, providing customers across Maryland and the District of Columbia access to affordable solar power, despite home type, and assisting hard-working families minimize regular monthly costs.
What inspired you to start your business?
I was at a community meeting with 50 Black females organizers who were not invested in the neighborhood solar motion. 36% of Black homes experience a high energy concern, implying they invest over 6% of their income on house energy expenses. To be able to use a product that will conserve our community up to 60% on their energy costs is transformative.
Tell us about your business?
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced communities economical access to regional community solar and to assist industrial residential or commercial properties with energy effectiveness. In Maryland, legislators passed legislation that mentions 50 percent of its electricity must come from renewable energy sources by 2030.
What difficulties do you face? Why?
To a community that is already dealing with numerous pushing challenges, convincing them that there is another one just as essential is really tough. I remember attempting to discuss neighborhood solar to my good friends and the discussion rapidly rotating to housing. The fact of the matter is, institutional bigotry and injustice are bigger than we understand, and it drowns our neighborhood. Where Black people are not being bought, we are being asked to prioritize continuously for our survival.
Please share with us a current business success story.
A really 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– neighborhood was sewn into my really being. When I initially transferred to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was introduced, and I wished to guarantee city citizens were getting the very same quantity of financial investment as the county. It was the church that took me in, and the church that then supported my vision– bringing whatever complete circle. Eco-friendly energy has traditionally been a middle-class problem due to the fact that Black communities have had to reside in survival mode, however Reverend Mason and Reverend Dewitt brought me into the circle and connected me with the people I needed to connect with in order to make this collaboration effective.
To read more about WeSolar, check out wesolar.energy
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I was at a community conference with 50 Black ladies organizers who were not invested in the community solar movement. To be able to provide an item that will conserve our community up to 60% on their energy costs is transformative.
WeSolars objective is to bring under-resourced neighborhoods budget friendly access to regional community solar and to assist industrial properties with energy performance. When I initially moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was introduced, and I desired to ensure city locals were getting the same quantity of investment as the county. Sustainable energy has traditionally been a middle-class concern since Black communities have actually had to live in survival mode, but Reverend Mason and Reverend Dewitt brought me into the circle and linked me with the individuals I required to connect with in order to make this collaboration successful.