Ideas change everything

How I built a windmill

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William Kamkwamba |

TEDGlobal 2007

• June 2007

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.

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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.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

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About the speaker

William Kamkwamba

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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."

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.