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

I was at a community meeting with 50 Black women organizers who were not invested in the community solar motion. To be able to use an item that will save our community up to 60% on their energy expenses is transformative.
WeSolars objective is to bring under-resourced communities affordable access to regional community solar and to assist commercial properties with energy performance. When I initially moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was introduced, and I wanted to guarantee city residents were receiving the exact same amount of investment as the county. Sustainable energy has actually 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 needed to connect with in order to make this collaboration successful.

By Constance ThompsonAugust 27, 2021
The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is delighted to share the first installation in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog site series. Each installation will include market leaders and subjects connected to speeding up a fair and just transition to a renewable resource economy. In acknowledgment of National Black Business Month, our August blog site is the first in a series highlighting how Black-owned member business are thriving in the renewable resource 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 leadership, WeSolar is growing rapidly, offering consumers throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia access to inexpensive solar energy, despite home type, and assisting hard-working families decrease month-to-month costs.
What inspired you to start your business?
I was at a neighborhood conference with 50 Black ladies organizers who were not invested in the community solar movement. 36% of Black homes experience a high energy burden, indicating they invest over 6% of their income on house energy costs. To be able to provide 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 cost effective access to local neighborhood solar and to assist business properties with energy effectiveness. WeSolar introduced in Baltimore and will expand to other cities in the future. Through WeSolar, electrical power customers can purchase shared solar from a local task without needing to set up any devices in their homes. In turn, locals save hundreds on their electrical energy bills. In Maryland, lawmakers passed legislation that states 50 percent of its electrical energy need to come from renewable energy sources by 2030.
What difficulties do you face? Why?
To a community that is already dealing with many pressing challenges, encouraging them that there is another one just as essential is very challenging. I keep in mind attempting to describe community solar to my friends and the discussion quickly pivoting to housing. The fact of the matter is, institutional bigotry and oppression are bigger than we understand, and it drowns our neighborhood. Where Black individuals are not being purchased, we are being asked to prioritize constantly for our survival.
Please show us a recent business success story.
A very individual success story for me is cultivating a partnership with Maryland United Baptist Missionary Convention, Inc. I grew up in a Baptist church in Brooklyn where my cousin was the pastor, and my mommy was an organizer– community was stitched into my very being. When I first relocated to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was introduced, and I wished to ensure city locals were getting the very same quantity of financial investment as the county. It was the church that took me in, and the church that then supported my vision– bringing everything complete circle. Eco-friendly energy has traditionally been a middle-class issue since Black neighborhoods have needed to reside in survival mode, but Reverend Mason and Reverend Dewitt brought me into the circle and linked me with individuals I needed to link with in order to make this collaboration successful.
To discover more about WeSolar, check out wesolar.energy
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