AT&T's solar charging stations invade New York again

Next time you're at a park, beach or high-traffic spot in New York, and your phone battery's running low, look for the contraption in the image above. That's AT&T's Street Charge station, which harnesses the power of the sun so you can continue tweeting and uploading those selfies on the go. Ma Bell is installing 45 of these in several locations around NYC, almost double the charging stations it installed in the summer of 2013 when the initiative first launched. The company's using newer, sturdier, more weather-resistant models this time, though, and they'll be deployed across several places in the five boroughs, which are listed after the break. If you're wondering, yes you're free to use these phone, tablet and general gadget chargers even if you're not an AT&T customer. And yes, the stations are usable even at night (thanks to internal batteries that store the sun's power), but they can only rescue you from total battery depletion until September.

Check out the list below, or a map of the stations on AT&T's website.

Manhattan:

• Central Park

• Marcus Garvey Park

• Coenties Slip

• Old Slip

• Mannahatta

• Pier 15

• East River Esplanade

• Bowling Green Park

• South Street Seaport

• Edgar Plaza

• Union Square

• Governor's Island

Queens:

• Flushing Meadows Corona Park

• Rockaway Beach

The Bronx:

• Orchard Beach

Brooklyn:

• Brooklyn Bridge Park

• Coney Island

• Brighton Beach

Staten Island:

• South Beach

• Midland Beach