Scientists from the University of Southampton have teamed up with Nokia in order to find out how lightning can be used to a charge a mobile phone.

The investigation is looking into how nature’s vast energy reserves, this time in the form of lightning, can be tapped into and used for commercial purposes in new and unexplored ways.

Scientists have set up an experiment in which a 200kV charge is sent across an air gap, discharged down through a transformer and into a Nokia Lumia 925, successfully charging the phone’s battery.

Download the new Independent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

“This is the first step into understanding the power of natural lightning and being able to harness its energy” said Neil Palmer, a scientist at Southampton Uni’s Tony Davies High Voltage Laboratory.

This isn’t the first time that Nokia have joined forces with a university in order to engage in open innovation. Universities from around the world – from Finland to China – have collaborated with the telecommunications giant in the past.