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

By Constance ThompsonAugust 27, 2021
The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is happy to share the very first installment in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog site series. Each installment will include market leaders and topics associated with accelerating a fair and just shift to a renewable energy economy. In recognition 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 first Black woman CEO in the community solar industry. Under her leadership, WeSolar is growing quickly, offering customers throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia access to inexpensive solar energy, regardless of house type, and helping hard-working households decrease month-to-month expenses.
What inspired you to start your business?
The plain fact that most of homes who were receiving eco-friendly energy incentives were greater income. I remember discovering this and thinking there needed to be a method to resolve this space. I saw there was a problem. I had my own concepts on how to fix it, and I desired to have agency over my own decisions. I was at a neighborhood meeting with 50 Black ladies organizers who were not invested in the neighborhood solar movement. It felt like a lightbulb had actually turned on for me once I started to describe how crucial and urgent it was for us to be a part of the solar motion. I started showing how higher-income communities and individuals in the suburbs were making the most of renewable tax incentives and had actually received a lots of assistance. The fact is, energy use impacts Black family budget plans significantly. 36% of Black families experience a high energy concern, indicating they spend over 6% of their earnings on house energy bills. Thats a massive percentage. To be able to provide a product that will conserve our community approximately 60% on their energy costs is transformative.
Tell us about your business?
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced communities affordable access to regional community solar and to assist business residential or commercial properties with energy performance. WeSolar released in Baltimore and will expand to other cities in the future. Through WeSolar, electrical energy customers can buy shared solar from a local task without needing to set up any equipment in their homes. In turn, citizens save hundreds on their electrical energy bills. In Maryland, lawmakers passed legislation that mentions 50 percent of its electricity should originate from sustainable energy sources by 2030.
What challenges do you deal with? Why?
To a neighborhood that is currently dealing with so lots of pushing obstacles, persuading them that there is another one just as essential is extremely tough. I keep in mind attempting to explain community solar to my pals and the conversation quickly rotating to housing. The reality of the matter is, institutional bigotry and oppression are bigger than we understand, and it drowns our community. Where Black people are not being invested in, we are being asked to prioritize continuously for our survival.
Please share with us a current company success story.
When I first moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was released, and I desired to ensure city residents were receiving the exact same amount of financial investment as the county. Renewable energy has actually traditionally been a middle-class problem 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 individuals I needed to link with in order to make this partnership successful.
To read more about WeSolar, see wesolar.energy
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I was at a community meeting with 50 Black women organizers who were not invested in the community solar movement. To be able to offer an item that will save our neighborhood up to 60% on their energy bills is transformative.
WeSolars objective is to bring under-resourced communities affordable access to local neighborhood solar and to help industrial properties with energy effectiveness. When I first moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was introduced, and I desired to ensure city locals were receiving the very same quantity of financial investment as the county. Renewable energy has traditionally been a middle-class concern because Black communities 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 successful.