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

I was at a neighborhood conference with 50 Black females organizers who were not invested in the community solar movement. To be able to provide an item that will save our community up to 60% on their energy bills is transformative.
WeSolars objective is to bring under-resourced communities inexpensive access to local neighborhood solar and to assist commercial residential or commercial properties with energy effectiveness. When I initially moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was launched, and I desired to guarantee city homeowners were getting the exact same amount of investment as the county. Sustainable energy has historically 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 connected me with the individuals I required to connect with in order to make this collaboration effective.

By Constance ThompsonAugust 27, 2021
The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is happy to share the very first installation in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog series. Each installment will feature market leaders and subjects connected to accelerating a fair and simply shift to a sustainable energy economy. In recognition of National Black Business Month, our August blog site is the very first in a series highlighting how Black-owned member business are prospering in the eco-friendly energy sector.
Kristal Hansley is the Founder & & CEO of WeSolar, Inc and is the countrys first Black woman CEO in the neighborhood solar industry. Under her management, WeSolar is growing quickly, supplying customers across Maryland and the District of Columbia access to economical solar energy, despite house type, and assisting hard-working households lower regular monthly expenses.
What inspired you to begin your company?
I was at a community conference with 50 Black females organizers who were not invested in the neighborhood solar movement. 36% of Black homes experience a high energy problem, indicating they invest over 6% of their earnings on home energy costs. To be able to provide an item that will conserve our neighborhood up to 60% on their energy expenses is transformative.
Tell us about your company?
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced communities budget-friendly access to local community solar and to help industrial homes with energy performance. WeSolar introduced in Baltimore and will expand to other cities in the future. Through WeSolar, electrical energy consumers can purchase shared solar from a regional task without needing to install any devices in their houses. In turn, homeowners conserve hundreds on their electricity bills. In Maryland, lawmakers passed legislation that specifies 50 percent of its electrical energy need to originate from renewable energy sources by 2030.
What obstacles do you face? Why?
To a community that is currently facing so many pressing obstacles, persuading them that there is another one simply as important is extremely tough. I keep in mind attempting to describe neighborhood solar to my good friends and the discussion quickly pivoting to housing.
Please show us a current company success story.
An extremely individual success story for me is cultivating a collaboration with Maryland United Baptist Missionary Convention, Inc. I grew up in a Baptist church in Brooklyn where my cousin was the pastor, and my mom was an organizer– neighborhood was stitched into my extremely being. When I first relocated to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was introduced, and I wished to make sure city citizens were getting the exact same quantity of investment as the county. It was the church that took me in, and the church that then supported my vision– bringing whatever complete circle. Sustainable energy has actually historically been a middle-class issue because Black communities have actually needed to live in survival mode, however Reverend Mason and Reverend Dewitt brought me into the circle and connected me with the people I needed to link with in order to make this collaboration successful.
For more information about WeSolar, go to wesolar.energy
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