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 offer an item that will conserve our neighborhood up to 60% on their energy bills is transformative.
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced communities budget friendly access to local community solar and to assist business properties with energy performance. When I first moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was launched, and I desired to make sure city residents were receiving the same amount of investment as the county. Renewable energy has historically been a middle-class concern because Black neighborhoods have actually had to live in survival mode, however Reverend Mason and Reverend Dewitt brought me into the circle and connected me with the people I required to connect with in order to make this partnership effective.

By Constance ThompsonAugust 27, 2021
The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is pleased to share the very first installation in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog series. Each installment will include industry leaders and subjects connected to accelerating a fair and just transition to a renewable resource economy. In acknowledgment of National Black Business Month, our August blog is the first in a series highlighting how Black-owned member companies are flourishing in the renewable resource sector.
Kristal Hansley is the Founder & & CEO of WeSolar, Inc and is the countrys very first Black woman CEO in the neighborhood solar industry. Under her leadership, WeSolar is growing rapidly, providing consumers across Maryland and the District of Columbia access to inexpensive solar power, regardless of home type, and assisting hard-working households lower monthly expenses.
What inspired you to start your company?
I was at a community conference with 50 Black women organizers who were not invested in the neighborhood solar motion. 36% of Black households experience a high energy problem, indicating they invest over 6% of their earnings on home energy costs. To be able to use an item that will conserve our neighborhood up to 60% on their energy costs is transformative.
Tell us about your company?
WeSolars objective is to bring under-resourced neighborhoods economical access to regional community solar and to help commercial properties with energy effectiveness. In Maryland, legislators passed legislation that specifies 50 percent of its electrical power should come from renewable energy sources by 2030.
What obstacles do you face? Why?
To a community that is currently dealing with so lots of pressing challenges, convincing them that there is another one just as essential is very difficult. I keep in mind attempting to discuss community solar to my friends and the discussion rapidly pivoting to housing.
Please share with us a recent company 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 stitched into my extremely being. When I first relocated to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was introduced, and I wanted to guarantee city locals were getting the same quantity of investment as the county. It was the church that took me in, and the church that then supported my vision– bringing everything cycle. Renewable resource has historically been a middle-class concern because Black neighborhoods have had to reside in survival mode, but Reverend Mason and Reverend Dewitt brought me into the circle and connected me with individuals I required to get in touch with in order to make this partnership effective.
To find out more about WeSolar, go to wesolar.energy
###