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

I was at a neighborhood meeting with 50 Black ladies organizers who were not invested in the community solar movement. To be able to use a product that will conserve our community up to 60% on their energy costs is transformative.
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced neighborhoods economical access to local neighborhood solar and to assist commercial properties with energy effectiveness. When I first moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was introduced, and I desired to guarantee city residents were getting the same quantity of financial investment as the county. Sustainable energy has historically been a middle-class problem due to the fact that Black communities have had to live in survival mode, however Reverend Mason and Reverend Dewitt brought me into the circle and connected me with the individuals 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 happy to share the first installation in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog series. Each installment will feature industry leaders and topics connected to speeding up an equitable and simply transition to an eco-friendly energy 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 sustainable energy 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 quickly, providing customers throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia access to budget-friendly solar energy, regardless of house type, and helping hard-working households reduce monthly expenses.
What inspired you to begin your company?
I was at a community meeting with 50 Black ladies organizers who were not invested in the neighborhood solar movement. 36% of Black families experience a high energy concern, meaning they invest over 6% of their earnings on home energy bills. To be able to offer a product that will conserve our neighborhood up to 60% on their energy costs is transformative.
Inform us about your company?
WeSolars objective is to bring under-resourced communities cost effective access to regional community solar and to help business homes with energy efficiency. In Maryland, lawmakers passed legislation that specifies 50 percent of its electrical energy must come from eco-friendly energy sources by 2030.
What difficulties do you face? Why?
To a community that is currently facing numerous pushing obstacles, persuading them that there is another one just as essential is extremely hard. I remember attempting to discuss community solar to my friends and the discussion rapidly rotating 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 bought, we are being asked to focus on continuously for our survival.
Please share with us a current business success story.
A really 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– neighborhood was sewn into my really being. When I first moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was released, and I desired to guarantee city homeowners 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 everything cycle. Renewable resource 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 connected me with the individuals I required to link with in order to make this collaboration successful.
To find out more about WeSolar, check out wesolar.energy
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