ABOUT THE SPEAKER
William Kamkwamba - Inventor
To power his family's home, young William Kamkwamba built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap -- starting him on a journey detailed in the book and film "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind."

Why you should listen

William Kamkwamba, from Malawi, is a born inventor. When he was 14, he built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap, working from rough plans he found in a library book called Using Energy and modifying them to fit his needs. The windmill he built powers four lights and two radios in his family home.

After reading about Kamkwamba on Mike McKay's blog Hactivate (which picked up the story from a local Malawi newspaper), TEDGlobal Conference Director Emeka Okafor spent several weeks tracking him down at his home in Masitala Village, Wimbe, and invited him to attend TEDGlobal on a fellowship. Onstage, Kamkwamba talked about his invention and shared his dreams: to build a larger windmill to help with irrigation for his entire village, and to go back to school.

Following Kamkwamba's moving talk, there was an outpouring of support for him and his promising work. Members of the TED community got together to help him improve his power system (by incorporating solar energy), and further his education through school and mentorships. Subsequent projects have included clean water, malaria prevention, solar power and lighting for the six homes in his family compound; a deep-water well with a solar-powered pump for clean water; and a drip irrigation system. Kamkwamba himself returned to school, and is now attending the African Leadership Academy, a new pan-African prep school outside Johannesburg, South Africa.

Kamkwamba's story is documented in his autobiography, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope. A  documentary about Kamkwamba, called William and the Windmill, won the Documentary Feature Grand Jury award at SXSW in 2013 (watch a trailer ). You can support his work and other young inventors at MovingWindmills.org.


More profile about the speaker
William Kamkwamba | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2007

William Kamkwamba: How I built a windmill

William Kamkwamba räägib tuuliku ehitamisest

Filmed:
2,952,899 views

William Kamkwamba oli vaid neljateistaastane, kui ehitas oma pere jaoks tuulegeneraatori. Noor Malawi leiutaja tegi tuuliku valmis raamatust leitud lihtsate jooniste järgi, kasutades materjaliks äravisatud ja ülejäänud masinaosi. Intervjueerija Chris Anderson.
- Inventor
To power his family's home, young William Kamkwamba built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap -- starting him on a journey detailed in the book and film "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind." Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:29
ChrisChris AndersonAnderson: WilliamWilliam, hiTere. Good to see you.
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Chris Anderson: Tere, William. Kena sind siin näha.
00:31
WilliamWilliam KamkwambaKamkwamba: ThanksTänud.
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William Kamkwamba: Tänan.
00:32
CACA: So, we'veme oleme got a picturepilt, I think? Where is this?
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CA: Nõnda, ma arvan, et meil peaks olema pilt? Kuskohas see paik asub?
00:37
WKWK: This is my home. This is where I liveelus.
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WK: See on mu kodu. Ma elan seal.
00:41
CACA: Where? What countryriik?
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CA: Kus? Mis maal?
00:43
WKWK: In MalawiMalawi, KasunguKasungu. In KasunguKasungu. Yeah, MalaMala.
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WK: Malawi, Kasungu. Kasungus. Jah. Mala.
00:46
CACA: OK. Now, you're 19 now?
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CA: Sa oled 19 aastane.
00:49
WKWK: Yeah. I'm 19 yearsaastaid now.
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WK: Jaa. Ma olen nüüd 19 aastat vana.
00:51
CACA: FiveViis yearsaastaid agotagasi you had an ideaidee. What was that?
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CA: Viie aasta eest tuli sinule üks mõte. Mis see oli?
00:54
WKWK: I wanted to make a windmilltuuleveski.
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WK: Ma tahtsin tuulikut ehitada.
00:56
CACA: A windmilltuuleveski?
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CA. Tuulikut?
00:57
WKWK: Yeah.
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WK: Just nii.
00:58
CACA: What, to powervõimsus -- for lightingvalgustus and stuffasjad?
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CA: Ja milleks - valgustuse ja muude asjade jaoks?
01:02
WKWK: Yeah.
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WK: Jah.
01:04
CACA: So what did you do? How did you realizemõistma that?
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CA: Mida sa siis tegid? Kuidas sa sellele tulid?
01:07
WKWK: After I droppedlanges out of schoolkooli, I wentläksin to libraryraamatukogu,
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WK: Pärast koolist väljakukkumist, ma läksin raamatukokku
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and I readloe a bookraamat that would -- "UsingKasutades EnergyEnergia,"
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ja lugesin raamatut - "Using Energy"
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and I get informationteave about doing the millmill.
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ja sain sealt infot tuulikute ehitamise kohta.
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And I triedproovis, and I madetehtud it.
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Ma proovisin teha ja tegin ära.
01:20
(ApplauseAplaus)
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(Aplaus)
01:30
CACA: So you copiedkopeeritud -- you exactlytäpselt copiedkopeeritud the designdisain in the bookraamat.
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CA: Nõnda, et sa tegid koopia - täpse koopia raamatu projektist.
01:34
WKWK: AhAh, no. I just --
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WK: Aa, ei. Ma tegelikult -
01:36
CACA: What happenedjuhtus?
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CA: Mis tegelikult toimus?
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WKWK: In factfakt, a designdisain of the windmilltuuleveski that was in the bookraamat,
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WK: Raamatus oli tegelikult tuuliku mudel,
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it has got fourneli -- ahah -- threekolm bladesterad,
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millel oli neli - ei - kolm laba,
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and minemine has got fourneli bladesterad.
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minu omal oli neli laba.
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CACA: The bookraamat had threekolm, yourssinu oma had fourneli.
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CA: Raamatus oli kolm, sinul oli neli.
01:51
WKWK: Yeah.
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WK: Jaa.
01:52
CACA: And you madetehtud it out of what?
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CA: Ja millest sa selle tegid?
01:54
WKWK: I madetehtud fourneli bladesterad, just because I want to increasesuurendama powervõimsus.
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WK: Ma tegin nelja labaga, lihtsalt sellepärast, et saada suuremat võimsust.
01:59
CACA: OK.
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CA: OK.
02:00
WKWK: Yeah.
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WK: Jaa.
02:01
CACA: You testedtestitud threekolm, and foundleitud that fourneli workedtöötanud better?
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CA: Proovisid kolmega ja leidsid, et neljaga töötab paremini?
02:03
WKWK: Yeah. I testtest.
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WK: Jaa. Ma proovisin.
02:05
CACA: And what did you make the windmilltuuleveski out of?
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CA: Ja millest sa tegid oma tuuliku?
02:08
What materialsmaterjalid did you use?
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Milliseid materjale sa kasutasid?
02:10
WKWK: I use a bicyclejalgratas frameraam, and a pulleyrihmaratas, and plasticplastist pipetoru, what then pullstõmbab --
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WK: Ma kasutasin jalgrattaraami, rihmaratast ja plasttorusid, mis siis omakorda tõmbab -
02:16
CACA: Do we have a picturepilt of that? Can we have the nextjärgmine slidelibisema?
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CA: Kas meil on sellest pilt? Saaksime järgmise slaidi?
02:19
WKWK: Yeah. The windmilltuuleveski.
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WK: Jaa. Tuulik.
02:21
CACA: And so, and that windmilltuuleveski, what -- it workedtöötanud?
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CA: See tuulik, tähendab - kas see töötas?
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WKWK: When the windtuul blowspuhub, it rotatespöörleb and generatesgenereerib.
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WK: Kui tuul puhub, siis ta pöörleb ja toodab elektrit.
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CACA: How much electricityelektrit?
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CA: Kui palju elektrit?
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WKWK: 12 wattsvatti.
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WK: 12 vatti.
02:33
CACA: And so, that litvalgustatud a lightvalgus for the housemaja? How manypalju lightsvalgus?
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CA: Ja see paneb majas lambi põlema? Mitu lampi?
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WKWK: FourNeli bulbsPirnid and two radiosRaadiod.
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WK: Neli lampi ja kaks raadiot.
02:40
CACA: WowWow.
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CA: Vau.
02:41
WKWK: Yeah.
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WK: Jaa.
02:42
(ApplauseAplaus) CACA: NextJärgmise slidelibisema --
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CA: Ja - (Aplaus) - järgmine slaid -
02:52
so who'skes on that?
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Kes need on?
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WKWK: This is my parentsvanemad, holdinghoidmine the radioraadio.
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WK: Need on mu vanemad, siis kui nad raadio ostsid.
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CACA: So what did they make of -- that you were 14, 15 at the time --
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CA: Mis nad sellest arvasid - sa olid siis 14-, 15-aastat vana -
03:01
what did they make of this? They were impressedmuljet avaldatud?
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mis nad arvasid? See avaldas muljet?
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WKWK: Yeah.
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WK: Jaa
03:05
CACA: And so what's your -- what are you going to do with this?
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CA: Ja mis on sinu - mis sa kavatsed nüüd edasi teha?
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WKWK: UmUmm --
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WK: Am -
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CACA: What do you -- I mean -- do you want to buildehitama anotherteine one?
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CA: Mida sa - tähendab - kas sa tahad veel ühe ehitada?
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WKWK: Yeah, I want to buildehitama anotherteine one --
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Jah, tahan veel ühe ehitada -
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to pumppump watervesi and irrigationniisutus for cropspõllukultuurid.
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niisutusvee pumpamiseks - põldude niisutuseks.
03:21
CACA: So this one would have to be biggersuurem?
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CA: See peab siis suurem olema?
03:23
WKWK: Yeah.
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WK: Jaa.
03:24
CACA: How bigsuur?
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CA: Kui suur?
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WKWK: I think it will producetoota more than 20 the wattsvatti.
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WK: Ma arvan, et see võiks toota üle 20 vati.
03:31
CACA: So that would producetoota irrigationniisutus for the entireterve villageküla?
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CA: See varustaks siis kogu küla niisutussüsteemi?
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WKWK: Yeah.
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WK: Jaa.
03:37
CACA: WowWow. And so you're talkingräägime to people here at TEDTED
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CA: Vau. Sa räägid praegu siin TEDil inimestega,
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to get people who mightvõib-olla be ablevõimeline to help in some way
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et leida kedagi, kes võiksid mingil moel kaasa aidata
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to realizemõistma this dreamunistus?
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selle unistuse täitumisele?
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WKWK: Yeah, if they can help me with materialsmaterjalid, yeah.
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WK: Jah, kui nad saaksid mind aidata - materjalidega, jaa.
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CACA: And as you think of your life going forwardettepoole,
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CA: Kui sa mõtled oma elus edaspidi,
03:53
you're 19 now,
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sa oled praegu 19 aastane, kas sa -
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do you picturepilt continuingjätkub with this dreamunistus of workingtöötav in energyenergia?
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kas kavatsed jätkata seda unistust, energia valdkonnas töötamisest?
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WKWK: Yeah. I'm still thinkingmõtlesin to work on energyenergia.
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WK: Jaa. Ma kavatsen küll töötada energia alal.
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CACA: WowWow. WilliamWilliam, it's a realreaalne honorau to have you at the TEDTED conferencekonverents.
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CA: Vau. William, on tõeliselt hea meel, et sa osalesid TED konverentsil.
04:09
Thank you so much for comingtulemas.
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Suur tänu, et sa tulid.
04:11
WKWK: Thank you.
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WK: Aitäh.
04:13
(ApplauseAplaus)
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(Aplaus)
Translated by Jaan Paaver
Reviewed by Margus Martsepp

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
William Kamkwamba - Inventor
To power his family's home, young William Kamkwamba built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap -- starting him on a journey detailed in the book and film "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind."

Why you should listen

William Kamkwamba, from Malawi, is a born inventor. When he was 14, he built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap, working from rough plans he found in a library book called Using Energy and modifying them to fit his needs. The windmill he built powers four lights and two radios in his family home.

After reading about Kamkwamba on Mike McKay's blog Hactivate (which picked up the story from a local Malawi newspaper), TEDGlobal Conference Director Emeka Okafor spent several weeks tracking him down at his home in Masitala Village, Wimbe, and invited him to attend TEDGlobal on a fellowship. Onstage, Kamkwamba talked about his invention and shared his dreams: to build a larger windmill to help with irrigation for his entire village, and to go back to school.

Following Kamkwamba's moving talk, there was an outpouring of support for him and his promising work. Members of the TED community got together to help him improve his power system (by incorporating solar energy), and further his education through school and mentorships. Subsequent projects have included clean water, malaria prevention, solar power and lighting for the six homes in his family compound; a deep-water well with a solar-powered pump for clean water; and a drip irrigation system. Kamkwamba himself returned to school, and is now attending the African Leadership Academy, a new pan-African prep school outside Johannesburg, South Africa.

Kamkwamba's story is documented in his autobiography, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope. A  documentary about Kamkwamba, called William and the Windmill, won the Documentary Feature Grand Jury award at SXSW in 2013 (watch a trailer ). You can support his work and other young inventors at MovingWindmills.org.


More profile about the speaker
William Kamkwamba | Speaker | TED.com