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

I was at a community conference with 50 Black women organizers who were not invested in the neighborhood solar motion. To be able to offer a product that will conserve our community up to 60% on their energy costs is transformative.
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced communities budget-friendly access to local neighborhood solar and to help commercial residential or commercial properties with energy efficiency. When I initially moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was introduced, and I wanted to ensure city citizens were getting the same amount of investment as the county. Renewable energy has actually traditionally been a middle-class problem because Black communities have actually had to live in survival mode, however Reverend Mason and Reverend Dewitt brought me into the circle and connected me with the people I needed to connect with in order to make this partnership successful.

By Constance ThompsonAugust 27, 2021
The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is pleased to share the very first installation in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog series. Each installment will feature market leaders and topics connected to accelerating an equitable and just shift 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 flourishing in the renewable resource sector.
Kristal Hansley is the Founder & & CEO of WeSolar, Inc and is the countrys first Black Woman CEO in the neighborhood solar industry. Under her management, WeSolar is growing quickly, providing consumers throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia access to inexpensive solar power, despite home type, and assisting hard-working families reduce month-to-month expenses.
What inspired you to begin your company?
The stark fact that most of households who were getting renewable resource incentives were greater income. I keep in mind learning this and thinking there needed to be a method to address this space. I discovered there was an issue. I had my own concepts on how to resolve it, and I wanted to have company over my own decisions. I was at a community conference with 50 Black women organizers who were not purchased the community solar movement. As soon as I began to describe how vital and immediate it was for us to be a part of the solar motion, it felt like a lightbulb had actually switched on for me. I started demonstrating how higher-income neighborhoods and people in the suburbs were benefiting from eco-friendly tax incentives and had gotten a heap of support. The truth is, energy use effects Black home budgets significantly. 36% of Black households experience a high energy concern, implying they spend over 6% of their earnings on home energy bills. Thats an enormous percentage. To be able to offer an item that will conserve our neighborhood up to 60% on their energy bills is transformative.
Tell us about your company?
WeSolars mission is to bring under-resourced neighborhoods budget-friendly access to regional community solar and to assist business homes with energy efficiency. WeSolar launched in Baltimore and will broaden to other cities in the future. Through WeSolar, electrical energy consumers can purchase shared solar from a regional task without needing to install any devices in their homes. In turn, homeowners conserve hundreds on their electricity bills. In Maryland, lawmakers passed legislation that specifies 50 percent of its electricity need to originate from sustainable energy sources by 2030.
What challenges do you deal with? Why?
To a neighborhood that is currently facing so numerous pressing difficulties, persuading them that there is another one just as crucial is really difficult. I remember attempting to describe neighborhood solar to my friends and the discussion quickly rotating to real estate.
Please show us a recent business success story.
When I first moved to Baltimore, the Community Solar Pilot Program was released, and I wanted to ensure city locals were getting the same quantity of financial investment as the county. Eco-friendly energy has actually historically been a middle-class problem due to the fact that Black neighborhoods have had to live in survival mode, but 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 successful.
To find out more about WeSolar go to wesolar.energy
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