Renewable Power Perspectives Q&A with Kristal Hansley, Founder & CEO of WeSolar, Inc.
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A really personal 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 mom was an organizer– community was stitched into my very being. When I first moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was launched and I desired 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. Renewable resource has historically been a middle class problem because Black communities have needed to live in survival mode, however Reverend Mason and Reverend Dewitt brought me into the circle and linked me with the individuals I required to link with in order to make this collaboration successful
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I was at a neighborhood meeting with 50 Black women organizers who were not invested in the neighborhood solar motion. To be able to offer an item that will conserve our neighborhood up to 60% on their energy costs is transformative
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WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced neighborhoods cost effective access to local community solar and to help industrial properties with energy performance. When I first moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was released and I wanted to ensure city locals were receiving the very same amount of financial investment as the county. Renewable energy has historically been a middle class issue since 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 effective
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By Constance ThompsonAugust 27, 2021
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The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is enjoyed share the very first installment in our “Ask an Accelerate Member” blog series. Each installation will include among ACOREs Accelerate member companies. August is National Black Business Month, so this month we are concentrated on Black-owned renewable energy companies
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Kristal Hansley is the Founder & & CEO of WeSolar, Inc. and is the countrys first Black Woman CEO in the neighborhood solar industry. Under her leadership, WeSolar is growing quickly, offering customers across Maryland access to affordable solar power, no matter house type and assisting hard-working families lower regular monthly expenses
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What inspired you to start your company?
I was at a community meeting with 50 Black ladies organizers who were not invested in the community solar motion. I began showing how higher income communities and people in the suburban areas were taking advantage of this and got a ton of assistance. To be able to provide an item that will save our neighborhood up to 60% on their energy bills is transformative
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Tell us about your company? (mission, partners, regions you run in, main consumers, etc.).
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced neighborhoods affordable access to local neighborhood solar and to help industrial homes with energy efficiency. WeSolar launched in Baltimore and will expand to other cities in the future. Through WeSolar, electrical energy customers can purchase shared solar from a regional job without needing to install any equipment in their houses. In turn, residents conserve hundreds on their electrical energy bills. In Maryland, lawmakers passed legislation that states 50 percent of its electrical power need to originate from renewable resource sources by 2030
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What challenges do you deal with? Why?
To a community that is already dealing with so many pushing challenges, persuading them that there is another one just as essential is very tough. I remember trying to describe neighborhood solar to my buddies and the conversation rapidly rotating to real estate.