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Bloomberg Green executive reporter Zahra Hirji led a dynamic dialogue on the latest developments in solar power across urban and rural communities. She was joined by Nancy Bechtol, who leads the greening of the Smithsonian’s twenty-one museums—many right here on the National Mall!—along with other experts and community leaders championing solar-power infrastructure.

About the Participants

Zahra Hirja is an executive reporter for Bloomberg Green.

Nancy J. Bechtol serves as director of Smithsonian Facilities at the Smithsonian Institution and since 2012 manages all facilities planning, design, construction, engineering, operations, and maintenance needs within the nineteen museums, nine research centers, the National Zoo and Smithsonian Gardens, largely in Washington, D.C., New York, and Panama. She also oversees the Office of Safety, Health and Environmental Management, Smithsonian Gardens, and Office of Emergency Management. She serves as the Smithsonian’s senior sustainability and climate change adaptation officer.

Kristal Hansley is the founder and CEO of WeSolar, Inc., and is the nation’s first Black woman CEO in the community solar industry. She was honored as the 2010 Howard University Legislative Fellow, which led to her tenure in the U.S. Senate on the staff of Majority Leader Harry Reid. In addition to serving as program manager for the Senate Democratic Diversity Initiative, she was Reid’s liaison to local, state, and federal officials, and national organizations.

Alexandra Wyatt is the policy director and counsel for GRID Alternatives.