Red phone boxes go green into solar-powered charging points

Two London School of Economics graduates want to turn London’s iconic red telephone boxes into solar-powered public charging points for…

Two London School of Economics graduates want to turn London’s iconic red telephone boxes into solar-powered public charging points for handheld gadgets.

Solarbox was co-founded by Kirsty Kenney and Harold Craston who noticed that, despite telephone boxes’ iconic status, their practical use has been in serious decline. Their solution was to retrofit solar-powered charging points to the telephone boxes across London.

The company will offer free charging for mobile gadgets; in return users will be shown tailored advertising while their device is charged.

Solarbox has already secured more than £15,000 of grant funding through various competitions, with the idea finishing runner up in the Mayor’s Low Carbon Entrepreneur of the Year 2014.

BT has offered Solarbox a number of kiosks in central London boroughs and the company will undertake a preliminary trial in Holborn.