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 installation in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog site series. Each installment will include industry leaders and topics connected to accelerating an equitable and simply shift to a sustainable energy economy. In acknowledgment of National Black Business Month, our August blog site is the very first in a series highlighting how Black-owned member companies are thriving in the renewable resource sector.
Kristal Hansley is the Founder & & CEO of WeSolar, Inc and is the countrys first Black female CEO in the community solar industry. Under her management, WeSolar is growing rapidly, supplying customers across Maryland and the District of Columbia access to budget-friendly solar power, no matter home type, and helping hard-working households reduce month-to-month costs.
What inspired you to begin your business?
I was at a neighborhood conference with 50 Black females organizers who were not invested in the community solar motion. 36% of Black families experience a high energy problem, meaning they invest over 6% of their earnings on home energy costs. To be able to use an item that will save our neighborhood up to 60% on their energy expenses is transformative.
Tell us about your business?
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced neighborhoods budget friendly access to regional community solar and to assist commercial homes with energy performance. In Maryland, lawmakers passed legislation that mentions 50 percent of its electrical energy should come from sustainable energy sources by 2030.
What obstacles do you deal with? Why?
To a community that is already dealing with numerous pressing challenges, encouraging them that there is another one simply as important is extremely tough. I remember trying to describe community solar to my friends and the conversation rapidly rotating to housing. The reality of the matter is, institutional racism and injustice are bigger than we understand, and it drowns our neighborhood. Where Black individuals are not being purchased, 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 introduced, and I desired to ensure city citizens were receiving the very same amount of investment as the county. Sustainable energy has historically 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 connected me with the people I required to link with in order to make this collaboration effective.
To read more about WeSolar, visit wesolar.energy
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I was at a community conference with 50 Black ladies organizers who were not invested in the community solar motion. To be able to provide a product that will save our neighborhood up to 60% on their energy costs is transformative.
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced neighborhoods budget-friendly access to regional neighborhood solar and to help industrial residential or commercial properties with energy performance. When I initially moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was released, and I desired to guarantee city residents were getting the same quantity of investment as the county. Eco-friendly energy has traditionally been a middle-class concern since 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 people I needed to connect with in order to make this collaboration successful.