Our President's call is timely.Reliable renewable energy systems can be provided by multiple source integration. A system with hydroelectric power as a major integrating technology can be designed using the storage provided by the water dammed behind the turbine. Wind and/or solar systems can be used to complement the hydroelectric plant in periods of low water storage.
In summer, ample amounts of wind and sunlight exist in several sites so that wind/solar power is used to pump back the limited water flow, thereby increasing the turbine output or to electrically augment the low hydroelectric generator output, resulting from reduced flows. This will stabilize the output power to the grid. A combination in the rest of the year will provide dependable electric power generation for base load on a year round basis.
Countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany (where the ambient temperature hardly reaches 25 degrees Celsius) have successfully established power generating biogas plants. R & D efforts should concentrate on using abundant water hyacinth weed(which has become a menace) along with animal dung in power generation.
