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

I was at a community meeting with 50 Black females organizers who were not invested in the community solar motion. To be able to provide a product that will save our community up to 60% on their energy costs is transformative.
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced neighborhoods budget friendly access to regional community solar and to assist industrial homes with energy effectiveness. When I initially moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was introduced, and I wanted to make sure city locals were getting the exact same quantity of investment as the county. Eco-friendly energy has actually historically been a middle-class problem due to the fact that 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 individuals I needed to link 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 first installment in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog site series. Each installation will include market leaders and subjects associated with speeding up an equitable 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 business are flourishing in the renewable resource sector.
Kristal Hansley is the Founder & & CEO of WeSolar, Inc and is the nations very first Black lady CEO in the community solar industry. Under her management, WeSolar is growing quickly, supplying consumers across Maryland and the District of Columbia access to inexpensive solar energy, no matter home type, and helping hard-working households lower regular monthly expenses.
What inspired you to start your company?
The plain reality that most of families who were receiving renewable resource rewards were higher earnings. I keep in mind learning this and believing there needed to be a method to resolve this gap. I saw there was a problem. I had my own ideas on how to fix it, and I wished to have agency over my own choices. I was at a neighborhood meeting with 50 Black women organizers who were not invested in the neighborhood solar movement. It felt like a lightbulb had turned on for me as soon as I started to discuss how crucial and urgent it was for us to be a part of the solar motion. I started revealing how higher-income communities and people in the suburbs were benefiting from renewable tax rewards and had gotten a heap of assistance. The fact is, energy usage impacts Black family budgets significantly. 36% of Black households experience a high energy problem, implying they spend over 6% of their income on house energy expenses. Thats an enormous portion. To be able to use a product that will conserve our neighborhood as much as 60% on their energy expenses is transformative.
Tell us about your business?
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced communities economical access to local neighborhood solar and to help commercial homes with energy effectiveness. WeSolar launched in Baltimore and will expand to other cities in the future. Through WeSolar, electrical energy customers can buy shared solar from a regional project without having to install any devices in their homes. In turn, homeowners conserve hundreds on their electrical energy costs. In Maryland, legislators passed legislation that mentions 50 percent of its electrical power need to originate from eco-friendly energy sources by 2030.
What obstacles do you face? Why?
To a neighborhood that is currently dealing with so many pressing obstacles, encouraging them that there is another one just as crucial is very hard. I remember trying to describe community solar to my friends and the conversation quickly pivoting to real estate. The truth of the matter is, institutional racism and oppression are larger than we understand, and it drowns our neighborhood. Where Black people are not being bought, we are being asked to focus on constantly for our survival.
Please share with us a recent business success story.
When I first moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was released, and I wanted to ensure city residents were getting the same amount of investment as the county. Eco-friendly 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 linked me with the individuals I needed to connect with in order to make this partnership successful.
To find out more about WeSolar, visit wesolar.energy
###