Why do we fear studying technologies that may help us achieve our clean energy future?
Hawaii cannot achieve independence from fossil fuels without clean, always-available electricity. A recent report by the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) and Sustainable Energy Hawai‘i (SEH) finds that Oahu’s power consumption alone could reasonably triple by mid-century, exceeding 22 terawatt-hours annually.
Solar, wind and batteries are indispensable, but they alone cannot deliver that demand capacity reliably. Available land is insufficient, large-scale renewable projects face community opposition (massive overbuild of solar and wind would be required), and enormous battery systems would be required. For context, meeting that level of backup energy with batteries would require nearly 3,000 Kapolei Energy Storage facilities!
If Hawaii is serious about energy self-sufficiency and resilience, we must invest in technologies that deliver reliable, fossil-free energy 24/7. Only two options can provide this at the scale and within a compact footprint: geothermal and advanced nuclear. Both are controversial. However, ruling them out without research means blindly eliminating the only two nonfossil fuel options for our energy self-sufficiency.
Geothermal can provide clean, firm power with minimal land requirements. However, environmental, political and cultural concerns have blocked funding for geothermal studies for decades, leaving Hawaii in the dark about the viability of this energy resource. Drilling dozens of test wells across the state would confirm usable resources. This, however, requires a meaningful commitment from the state, as private investors expect basic resource viability assessments to be available. We cannot move forward unless we, the state of Hawaii, invest in our future.
Advanced nuclear power is even more controversial. It’s important to understand that today’s technologies bear little resemblance to those of the past. The latest Generation III and Generation IV reactors are designed with automated safety controls, produce much less waste, have a much smaller footprint, are much less expensive, and are quicker to build.
Research is not deployment. Studying geothermal and advanced nuclear does not commit us to building them — it gives us the facts we need to make smart, well-informed decisions.
Unfortunately, there has been resistance to simply studying these technologies. In the last session, eight legislative proposals were introduced to support geothermal and nuclear research. Not one passed. Only two resolutions — HCR58 and SCR136 — made it through, and they merely call for creating voluntary working groups. That’s not enough.
The path to a sustainable, self-reliant Hawaii must be grounded in evidence, not assumptions. That means understanding our future energy needs, assessing the limitations of current solutions, and investing in serious research regarding clean firm power. It means confronting the reality that solar, wind and batteries alone will not get us to a fossil-free future.
Our leaders must act in the 2026 legislative session. We must fund geothermal exploration and support feasibility studies for advanced nuclear. It is in the public interest that we do so.
The GTK-SEH report, available at sustainableenergyhawaii.org, offers credible reference data to jump-start these critical discussions. Let’s use it and build the knowledge needed to ensure that Hawaii’s clean energy future is not just aspirational, but realized.
Climate/resiliency advocate Noel Morin is board chair of Sustainable Energy Hawai‘i; Peter Sternlicht is a founding board member of the group and a leader of Geothermal Rising’s Hawaiʻi Regional Interest Group.
