I'd argue for micro hydro. Same simplicity on the turbine side but you replace complex steam generators with fixed concrete sluice systems. Micro because it removes the need for massive dams and the issues they bring. Also no ongoing smog externality.

Also you are thinking about large scale system wide solutions. As a local that forces them to wait for plants to be built by someone else and hope like hell infrastructure between you and the plant gets built and is reliable. Meanwhile they can throw up a few solar panels and batteries in a week or so and have energy now without the risks of those externalities.

On site small scale wind seems like a more unreliable choice for most since it has the least reliable generation properties.

If there is no grid or an extremely unreliable grid the economics long term will reward people who generate their own power on site over those who wait for someone else to solve their problems.

I know we'll burn gasoline and diesel building those things. I'm a pragmatist trying to find the best solution for a personal problem not a cult member. I also know that access to energy is positively correlated to human well-being. We want the most energy for the least cost, including externalities ideally.

For us, the existing power plants and the sunk cost of building them create a local optimum that is not the optimum for people without that existing infrastructure as part of their equation.