William Kamkwamba is a Malawian inventor, engineer, and author, born on August 5, 1987. He gained prominence in 2001 when he built a wind turbine using blue gum trees, bicycle parts, and materials collected from a local scrapyard to power electrical appliances in his family's home in Wimbe, located 23 kilometres east of Kasungu.

Furthering his innovations, Kamkwamba constructed a solar-powered water pump that supplies drinking water to his village and built two additional wind turbines, the tallest standing at 12 meters. He has also built windmills, including one in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi.

Despite facing challenges, such as dropping out of school due to financial constraints, Kamkwamba continued his education by borrowing books from a community library. This self-driven education led to his creation of the wind turbines, inspired by an American textbook.