Piet Willem Chevalier poses in his workshop in the Netherlands.

One day Mr. Chevalier found himself driving off the road while staring at some wind turbines. As a mechanical engineer he was transfixed by the turbines and he soon started working for Siemens as a mechanical engineer.

However, this desk intensive position didn’t satisfy Mr. Chevalier’s desire to work with his hands. Around this same time that he became aware of a design by Hugh Piggot to create affordable, self made turbines. Learning how to build these turbines has changed his life.

His organization, I Love Windpower, is using the open source technology to bring power to Mali. In Africa, where the poorest often pay the most for electricity, Mr Chevalier’s vision, workshops and hard work are providing knowledge and skills for cheap, reliable clean energy that is transforming communities. The technology is simple, easy and made from local materials, making it a perfect solution for small communities in Africa.