Grassroots Inventors Are Building Their Own Wind Turbines — and Teaching the World to Follow
A growing movement of renewable-energy enthusiasts is constructing homemade wind turbines from scratch, empowering communities to achieve energy independence.
Lina Petrov·Monday, February 16, 2026·
technologyrenewable-energywind-powerdiysustainability
Jonathan Schreiber was just 14 years old when he first cracked open a book on building a wind turbine from old car parts. Encouraged by his DIY-loving grandfather, the Austrian teenager had always been fascinated by the idea of creating his own energy. Today, he leads a global movement.
Through his nonprofit PureSelfMade, Schreiber teaches people around the world how to build their own wind turbines from scratch. What started as a solo passion project has grown into a network of workshops spanning Europe and beyond, tapping into a growing demand for decentralized, community-owned renewable energy.
The journey began with a pilgrimage. As a young man, Schreiber traveled to the remote Scottish peninsula of Scoraig to meet Hugh Piggott, a pioneer who had been developing plans for DIY wind turbines since the 1970s. Despite a 30-year age gap, the two bonded over their shared passion for invention. Schreiber extended his five-day visit to a full month.
"Everyone in Scoraig was confident in their own ability to do things themselves," Schreiber recalls. "Being so remote, they had to."
Back home in Austria, Schreiber held his first turbine-building workshop the following year. The response was overwhelming. In the context of volatile energy prices, the urgent need to shift to renewable power, and the limitations of centralized electricity grids, communities around the world are hungry for energy self-sufficiency.
"Instead of big industry, I prefer the more grassroots way," Schreiber says. "I like the idea of decentralization. With a lot of chaos in the world, it's better to be self-sufficient, to have a reliable energy system at home."
The International Energy Agency has noted that community-based energy projects show "clear benefits across the globe" by deploying renewable technologies, improving efficiency, reducing bills, and generating local jobs, while establishing "more inclusive, equitable and resilient" energy systems.
Engineering professor Ken Visser, an aerodynamics and small wind specialist at the University of Calvin in Michigan, agrees that distributed energy is the path forward. "Distributed energy is the way to go, whether that is on a community level or that of individuals," he says.
While solar energy has surged in popularity, not all communities can rely on it. During winter in northern Europe, some areas receive only a few hours of sunlight per day. Wind, by contrast, tends to pick up precisely when the sun is weakest, making small wind turbines an ideal complement to solar panels.
PureSelfMade's workshops are designed to be accessible. Participants learn to construct functional turbines using locally available materials, keeping costs low and repair simple. The designs are open source, meaning anyone can access the plans and adapt them to their own needs.
The movement is part of a broader trend toward what energy experts call "energy democracy" — the idea that communities, not just corporations, should control their power supply. From rural villages in Africa to urban neighborhoods in Europe, grassroots energy projects are proving that the clean energy transition doesn't have to be top-down.
For Schreiber, every new turbine spinning in the wind represents something greater than kilowatt-hours. It represents freedom, resilience, and the quiet power of people taking their future into their own hands.
Through his nonprofit PureSelfMade, Schreiber teaches people around the world how to build their own wind turbines from scratch. What started as a solo passion project has grown into a network of workshops spanning Europe and beyond, tapping into a growing demand for decentralized, community-owned renewable energy.
The journey began with a pilgrimage. As a young man, Schreiber traveled to the remote Scottish peninsula of Scoraig to meet Hugh Piggott, a pioneer who had been developing plans for DIY wind turbines since the 1970s. Despite a 30-year age gap, the two bonded over their shared passion for invention. Schreiber extended his five-day visit to a full month.
"Everyone in Scoraig was confident in their own ability to do things themselves," Schreiber recalls. "Being so remote, they had to."
Back home in Austria, Schreiber held his first turbine-building workshop the following year. The response was overwhelming. In the context of volatile energy prices, the urgent need to shift to renewable power, and the limitations of centralized electricity grids, communities around the world are hungry for energy self-sufficiency.
"Instead of big industry, I prefer the more grassroots way," Schreiber says. "I like the idea of decentralization. With a lot of chaos in the world, it's better to be self-sufficient, to have a reliable energy system at home."
The International Energy Agency has noted that community-based energy projects show "clear benefits across the globe" by deploying renewable technologies, improving efficiency, reducing bills, and generating local jobs, while establishing "more inclusive, equitable and resilient" energy systems.
Engineering professor Ken Visser, an aerodynamics and small wind specialist at the University of Calvin in Michigan, agrees that distributed energy is the path forward. "Distributed energy is the way to go, whether that is on a community level or that of individuals," he says.
While solar energy has surged in popularity, not all communities can rely on it. During winter in northern Europe, some areas receive only a few hours of sunlight per day. Wind, by contrast, tends to pick up precisely when the sun is weakest, making small wind turbines an ideal complement to solar panels.
PureSelfMade's workshops are designed to be accessible. Participants learn to construct functional turbines using locally available materials, keeping costs low and repair simple. The designs are open source, meaning anyone can access the plans and adapt them to their own needs.
The movement is part of a broader trend toward what energy experts call "energy democracy" — the idea that communities, not just corporations, should control their power supply. From rural villages in Africa to urban neighborhoods in Europe, grassroots energy projects are proving that the clean energy transition doesn't have to be top-down.
For Schreiber, every new turbine spinning in the wind represents something greater than kilowatt-hours. It represents freedom, resilience, and the quiet power of people taking their future into their own hands.
