By: Krithiga Narayanan

Edited By: Joseph Schneider

Note: All in-text pictures are the author’s.

Can you live completely off traditional electricity grids? Yes! Says Scott Sklar, who lives in Arlington in a two-building home completely self-powered by renewable energy and totally off the electricity grid. At first glance, what appears to be just another ordinary home in the suburbs actually boasts some of the most innovative use of renewable energy technology. Scott Sklar, with nearly 40 years of experience in the renewable energy sector, regularly organizes tours in his home for students and professionals to raise awareness about the use of renewable energy and its various implementations. I was recently part of that tour, along with other Johns Hopkins SAIS students. 

Scott is the Founder of The Stella Group, a clean energy consultancy which has worked on renewable energy projects across the world. Scott is currently working as an Adjunct Professor of sustainable energy at The George Washington University where he is also the Energy Director of GW’s Environment & Energy Management Institute (EEMI) and the Director of GW’s Solar Institute. 

One of the important things to consider before powering a home with renewable energy is to make it as energy-efficient as possible by reducing the amount of energy a building uses, says Scott. In a country like the United States, building heating and cooling systems consume a huge amount of energy. By reducing this energy use, a building can become energy-efficient, says Scott. To achieve energy efficiency, Scott uses insulating windows, ceiling fans, and geothermal heat pumps. Geothermal heat exchange pumps in front of his building transfer heat from out of the depths of the ground and transfers it out. It is then used to regulate heat inside the building. 

Scott also advocates for the use of a combination of renewable energy sources and not just for reliance on solar energy. His home has a hydrogen fuel cell, solar roofing shingles, and a small wind turbine that, together, produce electricity. The excess electricity that is produced is stored in batteries to be used in times of need. The small turbines are safe for bats and birds—says Scott—and can be easily installed in homes. 

In addition to this, there are several other interesting things in Scott’s home. In the entrance of his home is a solar-powered car that looks like it is straight out of the Back to the Future movie. Scott says despite having a permit for it, he has been stopped by police many times. Between his two buildings, there is a small walkway covered by solar films to power LED lights. He also has several small solar instruments like lights, solar films for charging phones, and a wide array of high tech solar equipment in various shapes and sizes. But the most impressive of them all is a huge collection of solar-powered “flamingo lights”—according to kids in the neighborhood—in front of his home. 

Scott Sklar serves as Boards of Directors of many nonprofits, such as the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and The Solar Foundation. He also Chairs the Steering Committee of the Sustainable Energy Coalition. Scott, who started his career by working for the US Senate, recalled an incident when he used to own the old and very large cell phones. He says people then did not believe that such a thing was possible, as he was running around with the huge cell phones, but fast forward to now, even people living in the remotest villages of the world are using cell phones. And he similarly says that a clean energy transition is also possible and achievable.

Author Bio:

Krithiga Narayanan is currently a Masters Student in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Krithiga is also a Social Media Ambassador and Public Service Fellow at SAIS. Previously, Krithiga worked as a Journalist with several international news organizations, including the BBC, DW, and CNN.