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 over het bouwen van een windmolen

Filmed:
2,952,899 views

Toen hij amper 14 jaar oud was bouwde de Malawiaanse uitvinder William Kamkwamba voor zijn familie een elektriciteit-genererende windmolen uit wisselstukken, vertrekkende van ruwe plannen die hij vond in een boek in de bibliotheek.
- 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, hiHoi. Good to see you.
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Chris Anderson: William, goed je te zien.
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WilliamWilliam KamkwambaWilliam Kamkwamba: ThanksBedankt.
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Chris Anderson: William, goed je te zien.
00:32
CACA: So, we'vewij hebben got a pictureafbeelding, I think? Where is this?
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CA: We hebben hier een foto. Waar is dit?
00:37
WKWK: This is my home. This is where I liveleven.
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William Kamkwamba: Dit is mijn thuis. Dit is waar ik leef.
00:41
CACA: Where? What countryland?
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CA: Waar? Welke land?
00:43
WKWK: In MalawiMalawi, KasunguKasungu. In KasunguKasungu. Yeah, MalaMala.
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WK: In Malawi, Kasungu.
00:46
CACA: OK. Now, you're 19 now?
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CA: Je bent nu 19 jaar?
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WKWK: Yeah. I'm 19 yearsjaar now.
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WK: Ja, ik ben 19.
00:51
CACA: FiveVijf yearsjaar agogeleden you had an ideaidee. What was that?
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CA: Vijf jaar geleden had je een idee. Wat was dat?
00:54
WKWK: I wanted to make a windmillwindmolen.
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WK: Ik wilde een windmolen maken.
00:56
CACA: A windmillwindmolen?
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CA: Een windmolen?
00:57
WKWK: Yeah.
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WK: Ja.
00:58
CACA: What, to powermacht -- for lightingverlichting and stuffspul?
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CA: Voor stroom, voor verlichting enzo?
01:02
WKWK: Yeah.
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WK: Yeah.
01:04
CACA: So what did you do? How did you realizerealiseren that?
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CA: Wat deed je dan? Hoe ging je te werk?
01:07
WKWK: After I droppedliet vallen out of schoolschool-, I wentgegaan to librarybibliotheek,
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WK: Toen ik met de school stopte, ging ik naar de bibliotheek.
01:11
and I readlezen a bookboek that would -- "UsingMet behulp van EnergyEnergie,"
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Ik las daar een boek -- "Using Energy",
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and I get informationinformatie about doing the millmolen.
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en ik vond informatie over het maken van de molen.
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And I triedbeproefd, and I madegemaakt it.
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Ik probeerde en het lukte.
01:20
(ApplauseApplaus)
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(Applaus)
01:30
CACA: So you copiedgekopieerd -- you exactlyprecies copiedgekopieerd the designontwerp in the bookboek.
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CA: Dus je kopieerde het exacte ontwerp uit het boek?
01:34
WKWK: AhAh, no. I just --
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WK: Ah, nee. Ik deed --
01:36
CACA: What happenedgebeurd?
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CA: Wat gebeurde er?
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WKWK: In factfeit, a designontwerp of the windmillwindmolen that was in the bookboek,
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WK: Het ontwerp van de windmolen in het boek
01:42
it has got fourvier -- ahAh -- threedrie bladesmessen,
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het had vier -- nee -- drie wieken,
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and minede mijne has got fourvier bladesmessen.
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en de mijne had vier wieken.
01:49
CACA: The bookboek had threedrie, yoursde jouwe had fourvier.
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CA: Het boek had er drie, het jouwe had er vier.
01:51
WKWK: Yeah.
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WK: Ja.
01:52
CACA: And you madegemaakt it out of what?
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CA: Je maakte de molen met wat?
01:54
WKWK: I madegemaakt fourvier bladesmessen, just because I want to increasetoename powermacht.
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WK: Ik maakte vier wieken, gewoon omdat ik meer kracht wou.
01:59
CACA: OK.
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CA: OK.
02:00
WKWK: Yeah.
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CA: Je testte er drie en vond dat vier beter werkte?
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CACA: You testedgetest threedrie, and foundgevonden that fourvier workedwerkte better?
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WK: Ja, ik testte.
02:03
WKWK: Yeah. I testtest.
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CA: En waaruit maakte je de windmolen?
02:05
CACA: And what did you make the windmillwindmolen out of?
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Welke materialen gebruikte je?
02:08
What materialsmaterialen did you use?
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WK: Ik gebruikte een fietsframe, een katrol, een plastic pijp, wat dan trekt --
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WKWK: I use a bicyclefiets framemontuur, and a pulleykatrol, and plasticplastic pipepijp, what then pullstrekt --
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CA: Hebben we hiervan een foto? Kunnen we de volgende dia krijgen?
02:16
CACA: Do we have a pictureafbeelding of that? Can we have the nextvolgende slideglijbaan?
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WK: Ja. De windmolen.
02:19
WKWK: Yeah. The windmillwindmolen.
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CA: De windmolen, hij werkte?
02:21
CACA: And so, and that windmillwindmolen, what -- it workedwerkte?
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WK: Wanneer de wind waait, draait hij en maakt hij energie..
02:25
WKWK: When the windwind blowsklappen, it rotatesroteert and generatesgenereert.
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CA: Hoeveel electriciteit?
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CACA: How much electricityelektriciteit?
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WK: 12 watt.
02:31
WKWK: 12 wattswatt.
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CA: Dat laat een lamp branden in het huis? Hoeveel lampen?
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CACA: And so, that litlit a lightlicht for the househuis? How manyveel lightslichten?
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WK: Vier lampen en twee radio's.
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WKWK: FourVier bulbsbollen and two radiosRadio 's.
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CA: Wow.
02:40
CACA: WowWow.
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WK: Ja.
02:41
WKWK: Yeah.
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(Applaus) -- En op de volgende dia,
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(ApplauseApplaus) CACA: NextVolgende slideglijbaan --
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wie zijn dat?
02:52
so who'swie is that?
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WK: Dit zijn mijn ouders, die de radio kochten.
02:54
WKWK: This is my parentsouders, holdingbezit the radioradio-.
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CA: Wat dachten zij van jou -- toen amper 14, 15 --
02:57
CACA: So what did they make of -- that you were 14, 15 at the time --
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wat dachten ze hiervan? Waren ze onder de indruk?
03:01
what did they make of this? They were impressedonder de indruk?
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WK: Ja.
03:04
WKWK: Yeah.
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CA: En wil je hiermee verdergaan?
03:05
CACA: And so what's your -- what are you going to do with this?
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WK: Euhm --
03:07
WKWK: UmUm --
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CA: Wil je er nog eentje bouwen?
03:09
CACA: What do you -- I mean -- do you want to buildbouwen anothereen ander one?
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WK: Ja, ik wil er nog een bouwen
03:13
WKWK: Yeah, I want to buildbouwen anothereen ander one --
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om water te pompen en te irrigeren -- irrigatie voor gewassen.
03:16
to pumppomp waterwater and irrigationirrigatie for cropsgewassen.
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CA: Dus deze zal groter moeten zijn?
03:21
CACA: So this one would have to be biggergroter?
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WK: Ja.
03:23
WKWK: Yeah.
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CA: Hoe groot?
03:24
CACA: How biggroot?
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WK: Ik denk dat hij meer dan 20 watt zal moeten produceren.
03:25
WKWK: I think it will produceproduceren more than 20 the wattswatt.
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CA: Om heel het dorp van irrigatie te voorzien?
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CACA: So that would produceproduceren irrigationirrigatie for the entiregeheel villagedorp?
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WK: Ja.
03:35
WKWK: Yeah.
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CA: Wauw. En nu spreek je hier op TED
03:37
CACA: WowWow. And so you're talkingpratend to people here at TEDTED
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om mensen te vinden die misschien kunnen helpen
03:40
to get people who mightmacht be ablein staat to help in some way
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om deze droom te realiseren?
03:44
to realizerealiseren this dreamdroom?
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WK: Ja, als ze me kunnen helpen, met materiaal.
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WKWK: Yeah, if they can help me with materialsmaterialen, yeah.
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CA: En als je nu denkt over je leven,
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CACA: And as you think of your life going forwardvooruit,
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je bent nu 19,
03:53
you're 19 now,
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denk je verder te gaan met deze droom, werken met energie?
03:56
do you pictureafbeelding continuingvoortgezette with this dreamdroom of workingwerkend in energyenergie?
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WK: Ja, ik denk er nog steeds aan om met energie te werken.
04:00
WKWK: Yeah. I'm still thinkinghet denken to work on energyenergie.
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CA: Wauw. William, het is een echte eer om jou hier op TED te hebben.
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CACA: WowWow. WilliamWilliam, it's a realecht honoreer to have you at the TEDTED conferenceconferentie.
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Erg bedankt om te komen.
04:09
Thank you so much for comingkomt eraan.
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WK: Dank u.
04:11
WKWK: Thank you.
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(Applaus)
04:13
(ApplauseApplaus)
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Translated by Elie De Brauwer
Reviewed by Pascal Lacroix

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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