In Lebanon's windy northwest governate of Akkar, a literature student taught himself engineering to build a wind turbine on his grandmother's roof.

With government-supplied electricity more of a nice theory than a daily reality, solar panels have become ubiquitous in the region.

However 25-year-old Mohamad Sabsabi used old water drums, steel beams, and a cart wheel to build a wind turbine to take advantage of the wind when the sun is behind the clouds.

A French literature student, Sabsabi dropped out of university when hyperinflation made it impossible for him to continue paying the fees. He used YouTube videos, books, and scientific articles to build the turbine that is working and producing electricity.

He's hoping for a north-Lebanon wind industry to crop up in the wake of his invention, which he says he wants to share with his neighbors.