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

I was at a neighborhood meeting with 50 Black women 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 expenses is transformative.
WeSolars objective is to bring under-resourced communities economical access to regional neighborhood solar and to assist business homes with energy effectiveness. When I initially moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was introduced, and I desired to guarantee city homeowners were receiving the same quantity of financial investment as the county. Sustainable energy has historically been a middle-class issue because Black neighborhoods have 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 partnership successful.

By Constance ThompsonAugust 27, 2021
The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is pleased to share the first installation in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog site series. Each installment will include market leaders and topics connected to accelerating a fair and just shift to a renewable resource economy. In acknowledgment of National Black Business Month, our August blog is the very first in a series highlighting how Black-owned member business are prospering in the renewable resource sector.
Kristal Hansley is the Founder & & CEO of WeSolar, Inc and is the countrys first Black female CEO in the neighborhood solar market. Under her leadership, WeSolar is growing rapidly, supplying consumers across Maryland and the District of Columbia access to inexpensive solar power, no matter home type, and helping hard-working households lower monthly expenses.
What inspired you to begin your business?
The plain fact that most of households who were getting eco-friendly energy rewards were higher income. I remember discovering this and thinking there had to be a method to address this space. I observed there was a problem. I had my own concepts on how to fix it, and I wished to have agency over my own decisions. I was at a neighborhood meeting with 50 Black women organizers who were not purchased the community solar motion. It felt like a lightbulb had actually turned on for me once I started to discuss how crucial and immediate it was for us to be a part of the solar movement. I started demonstrating how higher-income neighborhoods and individuals in the suburban areas were benefiting from renewable tax incentives and had actually gotten a load of support. The fact is, energy usage effects Black family budget plans considerably. 36% of Black households experience a high energy problem, indicating they spend over 6% of their income on home energy costs. Thats a huge portion. To be able to offer a product that will conserve our community as much as 60% on their energy costs is transformative.
Tell us about your business?
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced communities inexpensive access to local neighborhood solar and to assist industrial properties with energy efficiency. WeSolar released in Baltimore and will expand to other cities in the future. Through WeSolar, electricity customers can buy shared solar from a local job without having to install any devices in their homes. In turn, locals conserve hundreds on their electricity costs. In Maryland, lawmakers passed legislation that states 50 percent of its electricity should come from renewable energy sources by 2030.
What difficulties do you deal with? Why?
To a neighborhood that is already facing so many pressing difficulties, convincing them that there is another one simply as important is very hard. I remember attempting to describe neighborhood solar to my good friends and the conversation rapidly pivoting to real estate.
Please show us a current company success story.
When I first moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was launched, and I wanted to make sure city homeowners were getting the same amount of financial 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 connected me with the individuals I required to connect with in order to make this collaboration effective.
To get more information about WeSolar, go to wesolar.energy
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