This paper investigates the feasibility of a hydraulically coupled pumped solar hydro system as a supplemental energy resource for a potential remote community hydropower installation in Canada. The proposed architecture converts photovoltaic (PV) electricity directly into hydraulic energy through solar-powered pumping, thereby avoiding the need for conventional electrical energy storage and power conversion systems.

The system is designed with an emphasis on simplicity, modularity, and robustness to suit the constraints of the isolated community. An initial modular pumping concept is developed and its hydraulic performance evaluated based on representative component characteristics. A system-level energy modelling approach is then implemented to assess the required solar capacity and reservoir storage as a function of increasing community load.

Results indicate that the proposed approach can effectively augment seasonal water inflows and enable significant load growth while maintaining a fully renewable energy supply. The analysis highlights key design trade-offs, including PV oversizing and pump technology selection, and identifies areas requiring further investigation.