Solar-Powered Pumped Storage System for Hydropower Generation

With the increase in energy demand and global warming, it becomes necessary to transition from non-renewable to more sustainable and renewable energy sources. India aims to reduce its carbon emissions by 45% by developing renewable energy infrastructure by 2030. Renewable sources like solar, wind, and hydro are highly intermittent and inherently variable; they lack reliability. Integrating various energy sources may increase reliability, creating a hybrid energy system. Besides using the run-of-river hydropower generation, solar-powered pumped storage systems for hydropower deployment opportunities will also be explored to enhance hydropower generation. In most literature-based studies, an off-grid hybrid energy system was optimized without considering uncertainties associated with a hybrid system. The objective of this study is to conduct a techno-economic analysis for an optimal off-grid hybrid energy system to meet the load demand for satisfying the energy demands for operating the water and wastewater facilities along with other energy demands for the remote and rural hilly region in Uttarakhand, India.