BOULDER, Colo (KDVR) — Inside Fairview High School, class was in session Saturday morning.

But this wasn’t detention or even a high school class for that matter. Instead, it is an all-ages class on how to give old solar panels a new life. 

The panels are destined for war-torn Ukraine, where people will be able to charge cell phones during power blackouts.

“To have one of these things is like gold,” Andy Lenec said.

So far, Lenec has sent 27 panels to villages across the country and said the response has been incredible. 

“I’ve had my Ukrainian friends tell me this is my lifeline,” he said. “When my power goes out, I will not know if there is an invasion coming.”

Lenec has been working with Rich Stromberg and Equitable Solutions to repurpose the old panels. 

Traditionally, older solar panels lose about 1% of their use every year, but even 30-year-old panels can still charge small electronics with ease. 

“If there’s a village that has no electricity, this could be your common charging port,” said Lenec. 

The process is quite simple, according to Stromberg, and relatively cheap if you have an old panel.

The group is planning to put together an instructional video, which will be posted in this article when available. 

If you have old panels you’d like to donate, you can reach Lenec at alenec@optonline.net.