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

I was at a neighborhood conference with 50 Black women organizers who were not invested in the neighborhood solar motion. To be able to provide a product that will conserve our community up to 60% on their energy costs is transformative.
WeSolars objective is to bring under-resourced communities affordable access to regional community solar and to assist business homes with energy performance. When I first moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was launched, and I wanted to make sure city residents were receiving the very same amount of investment as the county. Sustainable energy has historically been a middle-class concern due to the fact that Black neighborhoods have had to live in survival mode, but Reverend Mason and Reverend Dewitt brought me into the circle and linked me with the people I required to connect with in order to make this collaboration successful.

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 related to accelerating an equitable and just transition to an eco-friendly energy economy. In acknowledgment of National Black Business Month, our August blog is the first in a series highlighting how Black-owned member business are flourishing in the renewable energy sector.
Kristal Hansley is the Founder & & CEO of WeSolar, Inc and is the countrys very first Black female CEO in the community solar market. Under her leadership, WeSolar is growing rapidly, supplying consumers across Maryland and the District of Columbia access to budget-friendly solar energy, regardless of house type, and helping hard-working families minimize monthly costs.
What inspired you to start your business?
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 burden, meaning they spend over 6% of their income on home energy bills. To be able to provide a product that will conserve our community up to 60% on their energy costs is transformative.
Inform us about your business?
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced communities cost effective access to local community solar and to assist commercial properties with energy performance. In Maryland, lawmakers passed legislation that states 50 percent of its electrical power must come from eco-friendly energy sources by 2030.
What challenges do you deal with? Why?
To a neighborhood that is currently facing numerous pushing difficulties, encouraging them that there is another one simply as important is extremely hard. I keep in mind attempting to explain neighborhood solar to my buddies and the conversation rapidly rotating to real estate. The truth of the matter is, institutional bigotry and oppression are bigger than we understand, and it drowns our community. Where Black people are not being purchased, we are being asked to focus on continuously for our survival.
Please share with us a recent company success story.
When I first moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was introduced, and I desired to guarantee city locals were getting the exact same amount of financial investment as the county. Renewable energy has traditionally been a middle-class concern due to the fact that Black neighborhoods have actually had to live in survival mode, but Reverend Mason and Reverend Dewitt brought me into the circle and linked me with the people I required to link with in order to make this collaboration successful.
To discover more about WeSolar, see wesolar.energy
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