Jakob Baungaard

Hvem har ikke altid haft lyst til at bygge sin egen vindmølle? Nok ikke så mange af os her i den vestlige verden, men i den tredie verden, hvor elektricitet ikke er en selvfølge er behovet der – BIG times! Hvis man bare har viljen til det kan man faktisk selv bygge en vindmølle ud af reservedele og skrot. Willian Kamkwamba bygge en vindmølle til sin familie som 14-årig, hvilket har vagt opmærksomhed i visse kredse.

When he was just 14 years old, Malawian inventor William Kamkwamba built his family an electricity-generating windmill from spare parts, working from rough plans he found in a library book.

Why you should listen to him:

19-year-old 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 a blog (which picked up the story from a local Malawi newspaper), TEDGlobal Conference Director Emeka Okafor spent several weeks tracking him down (though his home has electricity, William’s family had neither a phone nor email access) and invited him to attend TEDGlobal on a fellowship. Invited to the stage, 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 modest but hugely 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. You can read the ongoing details on his blog (which he keeps with help from his mentor).