Renewable Power Perspectives Q&A with Kristal Hansley, Founder & CEO of WeSolar, Inc.
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WeSolars objective is to bring under-resourced communities cost effective access to local community solar and to help industrial residential or commercial properties with energy effectiveness. When I first moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was released, and I desired to make sure city citizens were receiving the same quantity of investment as the county. Eco-friendly energy has historically been a middle-class issue due to the fact that Black neighborhoods have had to live in survival mode, however Reverend Mason and Reverend Dewitt brought me into the circle and linked me with the people I required to link with in order to make this partnership effective.
By Constance ThompsonAugust 27, 2021
The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is pleased to share the very first installment in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog site series. Each installment will feature market leaders and topics connected to accelerating a fair and just transition to a renewable resource economy. In recognition of National Black Business Month, our August blog site is the first in a series highlighting how Black-owned member companies are prospering in the eco-friendly energy sector.
Kristal Hansley is the Founder & & CEO of WeSolar, Inc and is the nations first Black female CEO in the neighborhood solar industry. Under her management, WeSolar is growing quickly, supplying customers throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia access to inexpensive solar power, despite house type, and assisting hard-working households reduce monthly expenses.
What inspired you to begin your business?
I was at a community conference with 50 Black women organizers who were not invested in the neighborhood solar movement. 36% of Black families experience a high energy burden, meaning they invest over 6% of their earnings on house energy bills. To be able to offer a product that will save our neighborhood up to 60% on their energy expenses is transformative.
Inform us about your business?
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced neighborhoods budget-friendly access to regional community solar and to help industrial properties with energy efficiency. WeSolar introduced in Baltimore and will broaden to other cities in the future. Through WeSolar, electricity customers can acquire shared solar from a regional job without needing to install any devices in their houses. In turn, locals save hundreds on their electricity expenses. In Maryland, lawmakers passed legislation that states 50 percent of its electricity must come from sustainable energy sources by 2030.
What challenges do you face? Why?
To a neighborhood that is currently dealing with numerous pressing challenges, convincing them that there is another one simply as essential is really hard. I keep in mind attempting to describe neighborhood solar to my buddies and the conversation rapidly pivoting to housing. The fact of the matter is, institutional racism and oppression are bigger than we understand, and it drowns our neighborhood. Where Black individuals are not being invested in, we are being asked to prioritize constantly for our survival.
Please show us a recent company success story.
A very personal success story for me is cultivating a collaboration with Maryland United Baptist Missionary Convention, Inc. I matured in a Baptist church in Brooklyn where my cousin was the pastor, and my mommy was an organizer– neighborhood was sewn into my extremely being. When I initially moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was released, and I wished to ensure city locals were getting the exact same amount of investment as the county. It was the church that took me in, and the church that then supported my vision– bringing whatever cycle. Eco-friendly energy has actually traditionally been a middle-class problem because 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 individuals I required to link with in order to make this partnership effective.
For more information about WeSolar, visit wesolar.energy
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