Think about how many times you’ve used electricity today. Maybe you turned on a light. Maybe you warmed up a breakfast burrito in the microwave. Maybe you plugged a laptop into the wall to charge. 

    Without electricity, none of those things would be possible. But where does electricity come from, and how does it get to us? 

    In the United States, most electricity is produced at power plants. These plants create energy by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. That energy is converted into electricity. There are other sources of energy too.  They include windmills and solar panels (see “Fossil Fuels vs. Clean Energy,”).

    Power lines carry electricity from power plants to homes, schools, and businesses in the U.S. This system is known as an electrical grid.

    How have you used electricity today? Did you turn on a light? Heat food in a microwave? Plug a phone in to charge? 

    Without electricity, you couldn’t do any of those things. But where does electricity come from? And how does it get to us? 

    In the United States, most electricity is produced at power plants. These plants create energy by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. That energy is turned into electricity. There are other sources of energy too. They include windmills and solar panels (see “Fossil Fuels vs. Clean Energy,” ).

    Power lines carry electricity from power plants to homes, schools, and businesses. This system is called an electrical grid.

    Think about how many times you’ve used electricity today. Perhaps you turned on a light, warmed up a breakfast burrito in the microwave, or plugged a laptop into the wall to charge. 

    Without electricity, none of those things would be possible—but where does electricity come from, and how does it get to us? 

    In the United States, most electricity is produced at power plants. These plants create energy by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. That energy is converted into electricity. There are other sources of energy too, such as windmills and solar panels (see “Fossil Fuels vs. Clean Energy,”).

    Power lines carry electricity from power plants to homes, schools, and businesses in the U.S. This system is known as an electrical grid.

    Yet nearly 775 million people around the world have limited or no electricity. Most are in rural areas of Africa and South Asia. Many of these people do not live close enough to a power plant. Others face challenges connecting to the electrical grid.

    William’s family was used to living without electricity. Every morning, his sisters walked more than three hours to gather firewood. The family used it to cook and heat bathwater. 

    Then every evening, the family’s home would become dark. To read or study, William would light a small lantern that burned smelly oil. Often it was easier to just go to bed when the sun went down. That’s what most people in his village did.

    Lack of electricity affects almost every aspect of life. Without it, there are no washing machines, vacuums, or electric stoves. Kids—especially girls—often spend a lot of time doing chores. They have little time for school.

    Farmers and business owners struggle without computers. Doctors often treat patients in dark hospitals. And without the internet, people cannot easily connect with the world beyond their villages.

    Yet nearly 775 million people around the world have limited or no electricity. Most are in rural areas of Africa and South Asia. Many don’t live close enough to a power plant. Others have trouble connecting to the grid.

    William’s family was used to life without electricity. Every morning, his sisters walked for hours to get firewood. The family used it to cook and to heat bathwater. 

    Every evening, William’s home would grow dark. To read or study, he would light a small lantern that burned smelly oil. Often he just went to bed when the sun went down. That’s what most people in his village did.

    Lack of electricity affects life in many ways. There are no washing machines, vacuums, or electric stoves. Kids—especially girls—often spend a lot of time doing chores. They have little time for school.

    Farmers and business owners struggle without computers. Doctors treat patients in dark hospitals. Without the internet, it’s hard to connect with the wider world.

    Yet nearly 775 million people around the world—mainly in rural areas of Africa and South Asia—have limited or no access to electricity. Many of these people do not live close enough to a power plant. Others face challenges connecting to the electrical grid.

    William’s family was accustomed to living without electricity. Every morning, his sisters walked more than three hours to gather firewood, which the family used to cook and to heat bathwater. 

    Then every evening, the family’s home would become dark. In order to read or study, William would light a small lantern that burned smelly oil. He often found it easier to simply go to bed when the sun went down. That’s what most people in his village did.

    Lack of electricity affects practically every aspect of life. Without it, there are no washing machines, vacuums, or electric stoves. Children—especially girls—often spend a lot of time doing chores. They have little time for school.

    Farmers and business owners struggle without computers. Doctors often treat patients in dark hospitals. And without internet access, people cannot easily connect with the world beyond their villages.

    William grew up without TV or video games. For fun, he took apart devices like radios. He loved seeing how they worked. He dreamed of becoming a scientist. 

    In the year 2000, William was 13. He was about to start secondary school. (That’s called middle school in the U.S.) He was excited to take science classes with real lab equipment. 

    While he waited for the school year to begin, William helped his dad. Like most people in Malawi, William’s dad was a farmer. He grew mostly maize. In Malawi, this corn is the main part of people’s diets. 

    But a drought caused many maize plants to die. Soon there was a famine in Malawi. Weeks of hunger stretched into months. 

    The famine ended. But after a hard year, William’s parents didn’t have money to send William to school. His dream of being a scientist would have to wait.

    William grew up without TV or video games. He entertained himself by taking apart devices like radios. He loved seeing how they worked and dreamed of becoming a scientist one day. 

    In the year 2000, William was 13 and about to start secondary school. (That’s called middle school in the U.S.) He was excited to take science classes with real lab equipment. 

    While he waited for the school year to begin, William helped his father. Like most people in Malawi, William’s father was a farmer. He grew mostly maize, a type of corn that is the main part of people’s diets in Malawi. 

    But a drought caused most of the maize plants to die, and soon people in Malawi were suffering through a famine. Weeks of hunger stretched into months. 

    Fortunately, the famine eventually ended—but after a difficult year, William’s parents didn’t have enough money to send William to school. 

    His dream of becoming a scientist would have to wait.

    The school year started without William. But he wanted to keep learning. He often visited a public library near his village. 

    One day, a book called Using Energy caught his eye. On the cover was a row of tall white towers. William opened the book and learned that these structures are called windmills. Their spinning blades use energy from wind to produce electricity.

    William was amazed. With a windmill, his family could have bright electric lights. 

    William knew he had to build one.

    The school year started without William. But he still wanted to learn. He visited a public library near his village. 

    One day, a book called Using Energy caught his eye. On the cover was a row of tall white towers. William opened the book. He learned that these structures are called windmills. They use energy from wind to produce electricity.

    With a windmill, William’s family could have electric lights. He decided to build one.

    The school year started without William, but he was determined to continue learning. He often visited a public library near his village. 

    One day, William noticed a book called Using Energy that had a row of tall white towers on its cover. William opened the book and learned that these structures, called windmills, use energy from wind to produce electricity.

    William was fascinated. With a windmill, his family could have bright electric lights in their home. 

    William decided he had to build one.

    Today homes and schools in William’s village glow with electric lights. Now in his 30s, William runs an organization called Moving Windmills. It has brought clean energy and water to communities across Malawi.

    One of the group’s main goals is to inspire young changemakers to come up with solutions to problems in their communities—just like William did.

    His best advice: “When you are starting something new, a problem can seem too big,” he says. “Do not let fear keep you from taking the first step.” 

    Today homes and schools in William’s village glow with electric lights. Now in his 30s, William runs an organization called Moving Windmills. It has brought clean energy and water to more parts of Malawi.

    The group also aims to inspire young people to solve problems in their communities—just like William did.

    “When you are starting something new, a problem can seem too big,” he says. “Do not let fear keep you from taking the first step.” 

    Today homes and schools in William’s village glow with electric lights. Now in his 30s, William runs an organization called Moving Windmills, which has brought clean energy and water to communities across Malawi.

    One of the group’s primary goals is to encourage young changemakers to come up with solutions to problems in their communities—just like William did.

    His best advice: “When you are starting something new, a problem can seem too big,” he says. “Do not let fear keep you from taking the first step.”