While Hawaii has an ambitious renewable energy portfolio (100% of electricity from renewables by 2045), the state's mix is still 70% fossil fuels. Puerto Rico examined the option of small nuclear energy and found it would benefit the reliability and resilience of their grid at a reasonable cost. Hawaii would likewise benefit from such a study.  Even with significant growth in renewable energy and cost reductions, it will still be difficult to balance the grid without a low-carbon baseload such as nuclear energy.  New nuclear designs are smaller, and factory fabrication could make them faster and cheaper, making them an attractive option for a balanced clean energy grid.

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