Disused phone boxes in London are being resurrected – as solar-powered charging stations for mobile phones.
The first of six boxes was unveiled on Tottenham Court Road this week.
The roof-mounted solar panel is able to charge up to 100 phones per day. It can manage a 20 per cent battery boost in 10 minutes, according to the BBC.
Since the boxes launched about 6 people have been using it per hour to charge their phones. While the box is free, adverts are displayed to the person as they wait – this is how the project was paid for. Although 30 per cent of advertising space is reserved for community projects.
Co-creator of the project Harold Cranston, a former geography student, says: “There are 8,000 of these lying unused in London and we must be able to find a use for them.”
Five more boxes will be ready for use by April 2015.