Another neat thing about hydro is that it’s a renewable base load

I think it goes even further, you can even use it as a long-term energy store, entirely disconnected from any rivers, possibly entirely underground which also avoids the environmental repercussions of blocking off rivers and creating big artificial lakes. I feel like this is an underresearched/underfunded field, solar power is kinda desperate for energy storage technologies especially in countries closer to the poles.