Ian Smart got his start in solar energy when he volunteered for SunWatt, a U.S.-based non-governmental solar energy company, assembling solar chargers for communities in Haiti. After this experience and since 2004, Smart has been Managing Director of Smart Energy Limited. He is actively involved in designing and installing solar powered systems for buildings, assembling and installing solar street lighting for public spaces, conducting energy audits and teaching and consulting in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Ian previously lent his electrical engineering talents to the electronics sector in Japan, the energy sector of Trinidad and Tobago (British Gas and PowerGen), and the renewable energy sector internationally (Australia, USA, British Virgin Islands and Germany). Smart holds a Masters in Electrical Engineering, specializing in Photovoltaics (MEngSci) from the University of New South Wales. Smart is also a lecturer at the University of

Trinidad and Tobago.