Malawian teenager William Kamkwamba took action into his own hands in order to bring electricity to his village by building windmills from junk. After being unable to continue his education because of the high cost, he frequented the local library where he taught himself how to construct a windmill to generate electricity and pump water.
Kamkwamba – now 22 years old – created a turbine from spare bicycle parts, a tractor fan blade, and an old shock absorber. He made blades from plastic pipes that he flattened by holding over fire. Finally, he attached a car light bulb to the turbine and the blades began spinning, creating a 12-watt windmill. Soon villagers began powering their cell phones by Kankwamba’s invention.
He later installed a solar-powered mechanical pump, donated by well-wishers, above a borehole, adding water storage tanks and bringing the first potable water source to the entire region around his village.
He upgraded his original windmill to 48-volts and anchored it in concrete after its wooden base was chewed away by termites. Then he built a new windmill, dubbed the Green Machine, which turned a water pump to irrigate his family’s field.
This is a story of inspiration to all Africans seeking a method to combat the ongoing energy crisis. The local hero aims to bring power to all Malawians where only 2% of the population has access to electricity.
"I want to help my country and apply the knowledge I’ve learned," he says. "I feel there’s lots of work to be done."
Help follow and support Kankwamba’s work at https://williamkamkwamba.typepad.com.