Michael McQueen gets all his electricity from a micro-hydro turbine he has set up in a nearby creek.From Herald Sun in Australia:
Happy hermit Michael McQueen has a creek powering his flat-screen TV in his self-sufficient bush paradise.
A self-confessed reclusive greenie, Mr McQueen has set up his retreat from suburbia in northeast Victoria.
He runs a host of mod-cons, including hot water, electric stove, radio, washing machine, refrigerator and flat-screen TV, from his micro-hydro turbine running off a nearby creek.
He has even built a three-wheeled electric vehicle that reaches speeds of 60km/h. He drives it 15km to town for supplies.
He has been squatting on the privately owned rural oasis for four years and says he does not disturb anyone and no one troubles him.
"For several years the turbine has provided all the power I've needed to live very comfortably in my caravan," Mr McQueen, 46, said. "The turbine powers most domestic appliances and my design even heats the van."
The resourceful recluse said his self-built three-wheeler could reach speeds of up to 60km/h and travel 30km.
He built his chariot using bicycle wheels, chains and rudimentary tools, and runs on a battery he charges with the hydro turbine.
"I think the result is unconventional but I am pleased with its final performance," he said.Mr McQueen - who has Asperger's syndrome - said his back-to-nature lifestyle was sometimes difficult.
"The vehicle and hydro engineering challenges have been quite stimulating," he said.
"If a disabled person can do it, perhaps it will inspire other people to give it a try too.
"But I should admit that without my girlfriend, Ruth, with her love and insight into Asperger's, I may not have stuck to the often arduous vehicle project.
"As a sufferer of Asperger's syndrome I find social problems like sourcing parts and feeling isolated much more challenging."
