Korean river powers city mobiles

When you recharge your phone you don’t often think about its environmental impact, yet with more than 7 billion mobiles being used around the world, their electricity use soon adds up – and no more so than in the world’s most plugged-in nation, South Korea. There, however, a little reminder of the importance of renewable energy is being built for citizens who need to top up their batteries while they’re out and about.

A series of six mini water turbines are being installed in a man-made river that flows through the centre of Seoul. These tiny power plants – plus a series of solar-powered charging booths – will allow shoppers to recharge their phones and tablets on the go, while hopefully taking a moment to consider where their energy comes from as they wait.