London's Famous Phoneboxes Converted Into Solar-Powered Smartphone Charging Stations

London phoneboxes are undergoing a serious makeover, going from red to green, from supplying phones to supplying energy.

The first of these solarboxes was unveiled this week on Tottenham Court Road.

The box is fitted with a solar panel on its roof that collects renewable energy to power a range of phone chargers built for a range of phone models.

It's also equipped with a screen on which advertisements are broadcast, that will ideally be watched by people charging their phones.

It is also a deterrent for vandals, with the city keeping a watchful eye on these installations through regular maintenance and by locking them up at night.

The phoneboxes around London are largely disused, and some have already been turned into makeshift libraries.

This technology, the brainchild of former LSE students Harold Craston and Kirsty Kenny, is a most modern way of utilising public space.

Mr Craston told the BBC: "I lived next to a phone box in my second year at uni and walked past it every day. I thought, 'There are 8,000 of these lying unused in London and we must be able to find a use for them.'"

The solarbox can charge up to 100 phones a day, providing a 20% battery boost in 10 minutes.

A maximum of six people will be served per hour, according to Craston.

As most smartphone holders can attest, battery charge is enduring concern. These devices are used so often that they run out battery throughout the day.

Mr Craston said: "On launch day, my phone ran out of battery and I genuinely had to use the box."

The project came in second place in the Mayor of London's Low Carbon Entrepreneur of the Year Award earlier this year.

The winner was the former award was Crowd Power Plant, an alternative way of purchasing and funding renewable energy.

Five more boxes will be rolled out by April 2015.