Make a Windmill from Bike Parts and an Old Roof

Rural Americans and Africans have something in common: a shared love of the homestead-sized energy-generating wind turbine. While we grab them from the hardware store, however, these four brothers from Kenya solved their windmill needs using old bicycle parts and corrugated iron taken from a roof. Here's an excerpt from the story about them at Farming Solutions:

"In the semi-arid Mwingi District in Eastern Kenya, Joseph Ututu and his three brothers have revolutionized the local water supply by digging wells and constructing a wind-pump. The ingenious pump, constructed from old bicycle parts and roofing materials was designed by Joseph Ututu after spending four years at a technical college. These wells have solved the brother’s water problems and provided substantial additional income. Since they began, more than 30 wells have been dug by neighbours."

The device created is a water-pump, though it operates on much the same principle as a standard electricity-generating mill: exploit sustainable kinetic energy for useful mechanical purpose. Farming Solutions suggests that "stimulating people to solve their own problems may lead to more lasting solutions."

Wind-pump fans family fortune [Farming Solutions via Afrigadget]