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

I was at a community meeting with 50 Black women organizers who were not invested in the neighborhood solar movement. To be able to use a product that will conserve our community up to 60% on their energy expenses is transformative.
WeSolars objective is to bring under-resourced neighborhoods cost effective 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 desired to make sure city homeowners were receiving the same amount of investment as the county. Eco-friendly energy has actually traditionally been a middle-class issue because Black communities 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 partnership successful.

By Constance ThompsonAugust 27, 2021
The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is pleased to share the first installment in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog series. Each installment will include market leaders and topics related to speeding up a fair and just shift to a sustainable energy economy. In recognition of National Black Business Month, our August blog is the very first in a series highlighting how Black-owned member companies are growing 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 market. Under her management, WeSolar is growing rapidly, providing consumers across Maryland and the District of Columbia access to budget friendly solar energy, despite house type, and assisting hard-working families lower month-to-month expenditures.
What inspired you to begin your company?
The plain fact that most of homes who were getting renewable resource rewards were higher earnings. I remember discovering this and believing there needed to be a method to address this gap. I noticed there was a problem. I had my own ideas on how to solve it, and I wished to have agency over my own decisions. I was at a neighborhood conference with 50 Black females organizers who were not invested in the community solar movement. It felt like a lightbulb had actually turned on for me when I began to discuss how crucial and urgent it was for us to be a part of the solar motion. I began demonstrating how higher-income communities and individuals in the residential areas were benefiting from sustainable tax incentives and had received a ton of support. The reality is, energy use effects Black household budgets considerably. 36% of Black households experience a high energy problem, implying they spend over 6% of their earnings on house energy costs. Thats a massive percentage. To be able to provide a product that will save our neighborhood approximately 60% on their energy costs is transformative.
Inform us about your company?
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced neighborhoods cost effective access to local community solar and to help industrial properties with energy efficiency. WeSolar launched in Baltimore and will broaden to other cities in the future. Through WeSolar, electrical energy consumers can purchase shared solar from a regional job without needing to install any devices in their homes. In turn, citizens save hundreds on their electrical power costs. In Maryland, legislators passed legislation that specifies 50 percent of its electrical energy should originate from renewable resource sources by 2030.
What difficulties do you deal with? Why?
To a community that is currently dealing with so numerous pressing challenges, convincing them that there is another one just as essential is really difficult. I remember trying to describe community solar to my friends and the conversation quickly pivoting to real estate.
Please show us a recent company success story.
When I initially moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was launched, and I wanted to make sure city homeowners were receiving the exact same quantity of financial investment as the county. Renewable energy has actually traditionally been a middle-class issue due to the fact that Black communities 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 link with in order to make this partnership effective.
To read more about WeSolar, go to wesolar.energy
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