Barren County Engineering Foundation received $1,500 donation from solar energy company

By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1

The solar developer Geenex, which “have been actively developing solar projects in the Midwest and Southeast, including Kentucky since 2017,” donated $1,500 to the Barren County Engineering Foundation that will enable them to continue working on numerous projects aimed at helping the community. 

Carl Owens, one time CAD and drafting teacher at the Barren County Area Technology Center, said the donation will go to their Engineering Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization, that funds the “passion projects” of the students that fall “outside the normal classroom expenses.”

“Rather than pulling money out of parent’s pockets for an idea that could help the community we have this [foundation],” Owens said.

“They have directed us to use it for more projects to help the community,” Owens added.

One of these “passion projects” is the high water alarm system L.E.A.H.S. Alarm, which uses solar panels and high water sensors in remote areas throughout the county. Owen said he was invited to give a presentation on the alarm at a Western Kentucky University solar symposium where it piqued the interest of a couple of representatives from Geenex for its real-world usefulness and its community impact.

“Geenex became aware of the Leah’s Alarm Project, which is a perfect example of how renewable energy is contributing to new and innovative solutions that make our lives better.”

L.E.A.H.S. Alarm — which stands for Lifesaving, Alert, Highwater, Safety — was created in 2019 after a teenager, Leah Carter, attempted to cross a low water bridge on Lyon Road in Monroe County on New Year’s Eve. She was found on the banks of Barren River Lake a few days later.

This unfortunate series of events lead to several career pathways including the engineering, electrical, carpentry and computer science to team up to create the alarm that activates with flashing lights and that “automatically sends a text message or email to road crew management and first responders” when the water level reached five inches to the water sensor.

“We just want it to impact communities so no one else is impacted with a loss like this,” said Scott Harper, director of secondary instruction, assessment and technology.

Owens said the plan for the alarm is completely “open source” with the links to purchase all the items necessary to build one readily available with the cost to build one being roughly $210.

“Everything to build a fully functioning alarm is completely open,” Owens said. “People can email me and I’ll send them the information and they can piece them together.”

Currently, Owens said, they have built five working models, of which four are in the possession of the county government that will “put them out on county roads in the near future.”

Harper said this was an example of a good cross pathway solution to a real-world issue and that this donation speaks to the success they have seen at the district.

“Today is a great example of a partnership where our different programs we have here at school have caught the eye of industry as they’re looking for workers in the future,” Harper said.