Malawi Teenager Uses Junk To Build Turbines
A new book about a boy from Malawi who built wind turbines from junk has been written by a former Associated Press reporter, Bryan Mealer, reports BBC News Online. Mealer spent a year with William Kamkwamba and the book has just been published in the US under the title, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
William Kamkwamba left school at the age of 14 because his parents couldn’t afford the school fees which were the equivalent of £50 a year.
His dream was to bring electricity and running water to his village and so that’s what he set out to do.
He used the local library to keep up with his education and one day he saw a picture of a windmill which he realised could make electricity and pump water.
He managed to make a turbine using rubbish, including spare bicycle parts, a tractor fan blade and an old shock absorber. He made blades from plastic pipes which he flattened over a fire.
Eventually he got the windmill to generate electricity and produced enough to power light bulbs and locals were even using the electricity produced to charge mobile phones. He then built another windmill which turned a water pump which irrigated his family’s field.
He is now on a scholarship at an Academy in South Africa.
Source and further information: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8257153.stm
Related Posts:
Comments
One Comment on Malawi Teenager Uses Junk To Build Turbines
-
Malawi Teenager Uses Junk To Build Turbines | Business Electricity … | malawitoday on
Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 3:33 pm
[...] post: Malawi Teenager Uses Junk To Build Turbines | Business Electricity … Share and [...]