Mireille Steinhage

Solar-powered products for sustainable, self-sufficient living.

If we want to realise a more sustainable future, being sustainable should be accessible to everyone. Nowadays, making sustainable choices is only possible for a small group of people that can afford it. This project provides an inclusive way to make your home a more sustainable and more comfortable space by providing a product that is powered by the sun.

The emphasis on personal responsibility when it comes to sustainability is big. However, it’s not so simple for the reported 14.5 million people living in relative poverty in the UK. These people might not be able to make sustainability a personal priority, even if they wanted to.

The proposed product is a heated blanket that uses solar power to generate electricity. This ‘Solar Blanket’ saves energy by directing heat toward the user. It isolates the warmth in their immediate periphery and avoids wasting energy on heating up an entire space. 

The solar panel, which works in most weather conditions, is designed to be placed in front of a window. It can be used to charge a portable power bank which can be used to power the blanket, along with other objects in the home. Portability gives the blanket the advantage of not being location bound, and the ability to expand its use.