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 om att bygga ett vindkraftverk

Filmed:
2,952,899 views

När han var endast 14 år gammal byggde den Malawiske uppfinnaren William Kamkwamba ett vindkraftverk till sin familj av reservdelar, utifrån enkla skisser han hittade i en biblioteksbok.
- 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, hiHej. Good to see you.
0
4000
2000
Chris Anderson: Hej William. Trevligt se dig.
00:31
WilliamWilliam KamkwambaKamkwamba: ThanksTack.
1
6000
1000
William Kamkwamba: Tack.
00:32
CACA: So, we'vevi har got a picturebild, I think? Where is this?
2
7000
5000
CA: Så, jag tror vi har en bild? Var är detta?
00:37
WKWK: This is my home. This is where I liveleva.
3
12000
4000
WK: Detta är mitt hem. Detta är där jag bor.
00:41
CACA: Where? What countryland?
4
16000
2000
CA: Var? Vilket land?
00:43
WKWK: In MalawiMalawi, KasunguKasungu. In KasunguKasungu. Yeah, MalaMala.
5
18000
3000
WK: I Malawi, Kasungu. I Kasungu. Ja. Mala.
00:46
CACA: OK. Now, you're 19 now?
6
21000
3000
CA: OK. Du är 19 nu?
00:49
WKWK: Yeah. I'm 19 yearsår now.
7
24000
2000
WK: Ja. Jag är 19 år nu.
00:51
CACA: FiveFem yearsår agosedan you had an ideaaning. What was that?
8
26000
3000
CA: För fem år sedan fick du en idé. Vad var det?
00:54
WKWK: I wanted to make a windmillWindmill.
9
29000
2000
WK: Jag ville bygga ett vindkraftverk.
00:56
CACA: A windmillWindmill?
10
31000
1000
CA: Ett vindkraftverk?
00:57
WKWK: Yeah.
11
32000
1000
WK: Ja.
00:58
CACA: What, to powerkraft -- for lightingbelysning and stuffgrejer?
12
33000
4000
CA: Och - vad - för att driva - belysning och saker?
01:02
WKWK: Yeah.
13
37000
2000
WK: Ja.
01:04
CACA: So what did you do? How did you realizeinse that?
14
39000
3000
CA: Så vad gjorde du? Hur förverkligade du det?
01:07
WKWK: After I droppedtappade out of schoolskola, I wentåkte to librarybibliotek,
15
42000
4000
WK: När jag lämnat skolan så gick jag till biblioteket.
01:11
and I readläsa a bookbok that would -- "UsingMed hjälp av EnergyEnergi,"
16
46000
4000
och läste en bok som skulle -- "Använda energi,"
01:15
and I get informationinformation about doing the millkvarn.
17
50000
3000
och jag fick information om att göra vindkraftverket.
01:18
And I triedförsökte, and I madegjord it.
18
53000
2000
Och jag försökte och jag gjorde det.
01:20
(ApplauseApplåder)
19
55000
10000
(Applåder)
01:30
CACA: So you copiedkopierade -- you exactlyexakt copiedkopierade the designdesign in the bookbok.
20
65000
4000
CA: Så du kopierade - du kopierade designen exakt från boken.
01:34
WKWK: AhAh, no. I just --
21
69000
2000
WK: Äh, nä. Jag bara -
01:36
CACA: What happenedhände?
22
71000
2000
CA: Vad hände?
01:38
WKWK: In factfaktum, a designdesign of the windmillWindmill that was in the bookbok,
23
73000
4000
WK: Egentligen, designen av kraftverket i boken,
01:42
it has got fourfyra -- ahah -- threetre bladesblad,
24
77000
4000
det har fyra - äh - tre blad,
01:46
and minemina has got fourfyra bladesblad.
25
81000
3000
och mitt har fyra blad.
01:49
CACA: The bookbok had threetre, yoursdin had fourfyra.
26
84000
2000
CA: Boken hade tre, ditt hade fyra.
01:51
WKWK: Yeah.
27
86000
1000
WK: Ja.
01:52
CACA: And you madegjord it out of what?
28
87000
2000
CA: Och vad byggde du det av?
01:54
WKWK: I madegjord fourfyra bladesblad, just because I want to increaseöka powerkraft.
29
89000
5000
WK: Jag gjorde fyra blad, bara för jag ville öka kraften
01:59
CACA: OK.
30
94000
1000
CA: OK.
02:00
WKWK: Yeah.
31
95000
1000
WK: Ja.
02:01
CACA: You testedtestade threetre, and foundhittades that fourfyra workedarbetade better?
32
96000
2000
CA: Du provade tre, och upptäckte att fyra fungerade bättre?
02:03
WKWK: Yeah. I testtesta.
33
98000
2000
WK: Ja, jag testade.
02:05
CACA: And what did you make the windmillWindmill out of?
34
100000
3000
CA: Och vad byggde du vindkraftverket av?
02:08
What materialsmaterial did you use?
35
103000
2000
Vad gjorde - vilka material använde du?
02:10
WKWK: I use a bicyclecykel frameram, and a pulleyremskiva, and plasticplast piperör, what then pullsdrar --
36
105000
6000
WK: Jag använde en cykelram, en remskiva, ett plaströr, som sen drar --
02:16
CACA: Do we have a picturebild of that? Can we have the nextNästa slideglida?
37
111000
3000
CA: Har vi en bild av det? Kan vi ta nästa bild?
02:19
WKWK: Yeah. The windmillWindmill.
38
114000
2000
WK: Ja. Vindkraftverket.
02:21
CACA: And so, and that windmillWindmill, what -- it workedarbetade?
39
116000
4000
CA: Och så, och vindkraftverket, vad - det fungerade?
02:25
WKWK: When the windvind blowsslag, it rotatesroterar and generatesgenererar.
40
120000
5000
WK: När vinden blåser, roterar det och genererar.
02:30
CACA: How much electricityelektricitet?
41
125000
1000
CA: Hur mycket elektricitet?
02:31
WKWK: 12 wattswatt.
42
126000
2000
WK: 12 watt.
02:33
CACA: And so, that litbelyst a lightljus for the househus? How manymånga lightslampor?
43
128000
5000
CA: Och, så det tände en lampa för huset? Hur många lampor?
02:38
WKWK: FourFyra bulbsglödlampor and two radiosradioapparater.
44
133000
2000
WK: Fyra glödlampor och två radioapparater.
02:40
CACA: WowWow.
45
135000
1000
Ca: Wow.
02:41
WKWK: Yeah.
46
136000
1000
WK: Ja.
02:42
(ApplauseApplåder) CACA: NextNästa slideglida --
47
137000
10000
CA: Och så - (Applåder) - nästa bild -
02:52
so who'ssom är that?
48
147000
2000
så vilka är det?
02:54
WKWK: This is my parentsföräldrar, holdinginnehav the radioradio.
49
149000
3000
WK: Det är mina föräldrar, med radion.
02:57
CACA: So what did they make of -- that you were 14, 15 at the time --
50
152000
4000
CA: Så vad tyckte de om - att du var 14, 15 vid denna tid -
03:01
what did they make of this? They were impressedimponerad?
51
156000
3000
vad tyckte de om detta? Var de imponerade?
03:04
WKWK: Yeah.
52
159000
1000
WK: Ja.
03:05
CACA: And so what's your -- what are you going to do with this?
53
160000
2000
CA: Och så vad är din - vad tänker du göra med detta?
03:07
WKWK: UmUM --
54
162000
2000
WK: Öh -
03:09
CACA: What do you -- I mean -- do you want to buildbygga anotherannan one?
55
164000
4000
CA: Vad tänker du - jag menar - vill du bygga ett till?
03:13
WKWK: Yeah, I want to buildbygga anotherannan one --
56
168000
3000
WK: Ja, jag vill bygga ett till -
03:16
to pumppump watervatten and irrigationbevattning for cropsgröda.
57
171000
5000
för att pumpa vatten och bevattna - bevattning för odlingar.
03:21
CACA: So this one would have to be biggerstörre?
58
176000
2000
CA: Så denna måste bli större?
03:23
WKWK: Yeah.
59
178000
1000
WK: Ja.
03:24
CACA: How bigstor?
60
179000
1000
CA: Hur stor?
03:25
WKWK: I think it will produceproducera more than 20 the wattswatt.
61
180000
5000
WK: Jag tror det kommer att ge mer än 20 watt.
03:31
CACA: So that would produceproducera irrigationbevattning for the entirehel villageby?
62
186000
4000
CA: Så det skulle kunna bevattna hela byn?
03:35
WKWK: Yeah.
63
190000
2000
WK: Ja.
03:37
CACA: WowWow. And so you're talkingtalande to people here at TEDTED
64
192000
3000
CA: Wow. Och nu talar du till folk här vid TED
03:40
to get people who mightmakt be ablestånd to help in some way
65
195000
4000
för att få folk som kanske har möjlighet att hjälpa på något vis att -
03:44
to realizeinse this dreamdröm?
66
199000
2000
att realisera denna dröm?
03:46
WKWK: Yeah, if they can help me with materialsmaterial, yeah.
67
201000
4000
WK: Ja, om de kan hjälpa mig - med material. Ja.
03:50
CACA: And as you think of your life going forwardfram-,
68
205000
3000
CA: Och när du tänker på ditt liv framöver,
03:53
you're 19 now,
69
208000
3000
du är 19 nu, tänker du
03:56
do you picturebild continuingfortlöpande with this dreamdröm of workingarbetssätt in energyenergi?
70
211000
4000
tänker du fortsätta med denna dröm, att arbeta med energi?
04:00
WKWK: Yeah. I'm still thinkingtänkande to work on energyenergi.
71
215000
5000
WK: Ja. Jag tänker fortsätta att arbeta med energi.
04:05
CACA: WowWow. WilliamWilliam, it's a realverklig honorära to have you at the TEDTED conferencekonferens.
72
220000
4000
CA: Wow. William, det är en verklig ära att ha dig här vid TED konferensen.
04:09
Thank you so much for comingkommande.
73
224000
2000
Tack så mycket för att du kom.
04:11
WKWK: Thank you.
74
226000
2000
WK: Tack.
04:13
(ApplauseApplåder)
75
228000
5000
(Applåder)
Translated by Åke Karlsson
Reviewed by Lisbeth Pekkari

▲Back to top

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