Page 137 - ISES SWC50

Scott Sklar
Country: United States
Year joined industry: Mid 1970’s
Company first worked for: Aide to a US Senator
Technology area: All Renewable Energy
Still active in the industry: Yes

Scott Sklar began his energy career as an aide to Senator Jacob K. Javits (NY) (1970-79) where he focused on energy
and military matters for nine years. During his Senate tenure, he cofounded the Congressional Solar Caucus that led
many of the innovative legislation promoting renewable energy in the 1970’s. From 1980-1983 he was Washington
Director and Acting Research Director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), founded by
Mike Mansfield and EF Shumacher. From 1983 to 1984 he was Political Director of The Solar Lobby (1983-1984),
a renewable energy advocacy organization founded by the nine major national environmental organizations. From
1985 to 2000 Scott simultaneously ran two Washington, DC-based trade associations, as Executive Director of
both the Solar Energy Industries Association(SEIA) and the National Bio Energy Industries Association (BEIA). In
1995 Scott founded the Stella Group, Ltd and has been its President since 2000.The Stella Group is a strategic policy
and clean technology optimization firm facilitating clean distributed energy utilization which includes advanced
batteries and controls, energy efficiency, fuel cells, geoexchange, heat engines, microhydropower (and freeflow,
tidal, wave), modular biomass, photovoltaics, small wind, and solar thermal (including daylighting, water heating,
industrial preheat, building air-conditioning, and electric power generation. The Stella Group, Ltd. Is one of the very
few companies that blends distributed energy technologies, aggregates financing (including leasing), with a focus
on system standardization. Scott is also an Adjunct Professor at The George Washington University teaching two
unique interdisciplinary courses on sustainable energy, and an Affiliated Professor with CATIE, an international
graduate university located in Costa Rica focused on sustainability for Latin America. He serves as Energy Lead
of GWU’s Environmental and Energy Management Institute (EEMI) and serves as Acting Director of GWU’s Solar
Institute. Sklar is also the co-author of two books, “The Forbidden Fuel” and “Consumer Guide to Solar Energy”.

Guy Smekens
Country: Belgium
Year joined industry: 1976
Company first worked for: Energies Nouvelles et Environnement (ENE)
Technology area: PV
Still active in the industry: Yes

In 1976 Guy Smekens started Energies Nouvelles et Environnement (ENE) with two other friend , Spigniew
Szawlowsky and Rene Grosjean. They manufactured cells/modules and in the 70’s and 80’s focussed on the markets
in Asia and Africa. Smekens invested in HCT Shaping Systems and was one of first manufacturers to acquire one of
the wire saws from Shaping Systems. In 1990 the company entered the space cell business and slowly withdrew
from the terrestrial market. Guy was one of the founding directors of EPIA in 1985 where he served as treasurer for
many years. At one stage he sold the business but then bought it back from the liquidators within a year.

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