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 neighborhood solar motion. To be able to use a product that will conserve our community up to 60% on their energy costs is transformative.
WeSolars objective is to bring under-resourced communities economical access to local neighborhood solar and to assist business homes with energy efficiency. When I initially moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was released, and I desired to make sure city homeowners were getting the very same amount of financial investment as the county. Eco-friendly energy has traditionally 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 linked me with the individuals I needed to link with in order to make this collaboration successful.

By Constance ThompsonAugust 27, 2021
The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is happy to share the very first installment in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog series. Each installation will feature industry leaders and topics connected to speeding up a fair and simply transition to a sustainable energy economy. In acknowledgment of National Black Business Month, our August blog site is the first in a series highlighting how Black-owned member companies are flourishing in the renewable energy sector.
Kristal Hansley is the Founder & & CEO of WeSolar, Inc and is the nations very first Black lady CEO in the community solar industry. Under her management, WeSolar is growing quickly, offering consumers throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia access to inexpensive solar energy, despite home type, and helping hard-working households decrease regular monthly costs.
What inspired you to start your business?
I was at a neighborhood meeting with 50 Black women organizers who were not invested in the community solar movement. 36% of Black families experience a high energy problem, indicating they spend over 6% of their income on house energy bills. To be able to use an item that will conserve our community up to 60% on their energy bills is transformative.
Tell us about your business?
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced communities inexpensive access to local community solar and to assist commercial properties with energy effectiveness. In Maryland, lawmakers passed legislation that states 50 percent of its electrical energy need to come from eco-friendly energy sources by 2030.
What challenges do you face? Why?
To a community that is currently dealing with so numerous pressing difficulties, convincing them that there is another one simply as crucial is extremely tough. I keep in mind trying to describe neighborhood solar to my good friends and the discussion quickly pivoting to housing.
Please show us a current business success story.
An extremely personal success story for me is cultivating a partnership with Maryland United Baptist Missionary Convention, Inc. I matured in a Baptist church in Brooklyn where my cousin was the pastor, and my mother was an organizer– community was sewn into my very being. When I first transferred to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was introduced, and I wished to make sure city citizens were receiving the very 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 actually historically been a middle-class issue since Black neighborhoods have had to reside in survival mode, however Reverend Mason and Reverend Dewitt brought me into the circle and connected me with the individuals I needed to connect with in order to make this partnership effective.
For more information about WeSolar, see wesolar.energy
###