However, some have suggested that Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) might better fulfill our green transportation future.

So, let’s explore the realities of our transportation needs and their impact on our community. We face two paths: one of environmental degradation and the other heralding unprecedented growth and prosperity.

To begin this discussion, I‘ll define, in simple terms, the four basic acronyms commonly used in the new revolution of ground transportation: ICE, EV, FCEV, and BEV. In the future, I will add details about the coming hydrogen and other sustainable fuels revolution in aviation and marine transportation.

The two main categories of vehicle transportation are ICE, the Internal Combustion Engines and EV or Electric Vehicles. The EV category can be subdivided into FCEV — Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles — or BEV – Battery Electric Vehicles.

An ICE vehicle is powered by fuel detonation, generating reciprocating motion of a piston converted to rotational force. The fuel used in ICE could be petroleum based, biofuel, hydrogen, or a blended combination sustainable fuels. EVs use electricity to power electric motors. The electricity can be stored in a battery, i.e. BEV or in a gas tank filled with hydrogen in the case of FCEV. The latter coverts the stored hydrogen to electricity through fuel cell technology. Hybrids are typically some combination of the technologies described above.

Despite the popularity of BEVs in the passenger vehicle market, their limitations in heavy and freight transportation have proven to be substantial. Major U.S. cities, including Fresno, depend crucially on robust heavy transportation systems. Unfortunately, BEVs will not meet California’s ambitious green energy goals for such applications, not just due to the practical challenges brought by the excessive weight and other limitations of batteries, but even more so due to the lack of infrastructure upon which we depend to support the projected electrical demand of going green via BEVs.

Hydrogen Superior for Freight Transportation

Hydrogen fuel, in contrast, offers a powerful alternative for heavy-duty transportation, promising more efficient and sustainable practices by utilizing FCEV or hydrogen blending options with existing fuels in current ICE applications. The use of hydrogen fuels will responsibly ease the transition as we advance the technology, increasing efficiency and driving down the cost under what users pay at the pump.

There are significant issues that arise with the widespread adoption of BEVs in heavy transport across Central California. Being significantly heavier than other vehicles, BEVs will exacerbate wear on our already strained roads, and the electricity required to power them could debilitate Fresno and surrounding areas by limiting power for our current uses.

As an example, charging a fleet of merely 50 semitrucks or Class 8 trucks would be equivalent of the electricity usage of over 700 homes. The average power use per home in California is 24kWh per day as opposed to 350kWh to charge a BEV Class 8 truck one time. California Air Resources Board staff estimates there are 1.8 million medium and heavy-duty vehicles in California. This demand would severely strain if not cripple our power grids, especially during peak hours, leading to higher costs as well as frequent power outages.

BEV advocates propose blanketing our fertile Central Valley with solar panels to meet this soaring electricity demand. However, such a plan would not only fail to yield sufficient power for a significant portion of our transportation needs but would also devastate our agricultural land. Moreover, the long-term disposal of solar infrastructure remains unaddressed, likely leading to abandoned environmental hazards as cheaper options prevail over proper cleanup for the developers of these installations.

Electric Batteries Offer Only Short-Lived Gains

The debate between BEVs and agriculturally produced hydrogen encapsulates two visions for Fresno’s future: one that sacrifices our heritage for short-term minor gains and another that revitalizes our agricultural base, creating enduring jobs and industries. Hydrogen not only supports our agricultural economy but also ties together our national goals of food and energy security, with our valley being the only region capable of supplying both.

The natural resources here in Central California bless us with the position of a national powerhouse for renewable energy, not from our sunlight alone but through our agricultural prowess. Our rich soils and experienced farming communities are poised to drive forward green energy solutions that are both sustainable and beneficial for local and national needs.

Hydrogen excels in heavy transportation due to its high energy density and efficiency. It supports larger vehicles effectively, without taxing our limited electrical supplies or roadways and tires with the increased weight of batteries. Additionally, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can refuel in about five minutes — a critical advantage over BEVs for maintaining workflow efficiency in California’s extensive transport networks. Hydrogen also offers superior range, with vehicles capable of exceeding 550 miles per refill, thus eliminating range anxiety and supporting extensive commutes and long-distance travel across the state.

In a future op-ed, I will delve deeper into the practical applications on how new hydrogen technology can deliver energy and fuel today. We will deliver the power and a promising future, moving forward Fresno and our CentralVvalley communities to the prominence and prosperity we deserve.

About the Author

Michael Maher, a U.S. Congressional candidate for CA-21, is committed to establishing Fresno as a leader in green hydrogen, regenerative agriculture, nuclear and advanced energy production. His diverse experience in the Navy, FBI, and private sector, alongside his involvement with TO Viridi Inc., drives his vision to transform the Central Valley into a national beacon for green hydrogen innovation.

Make Your Voice Heard

GV Wire encourages vigorous debate from people and organizations on local, state, and national issues. Submit your op-ed to bmcewen@gvwire.com for consideration.

The post Hydrogen vs. Electric Batteries: A Case For Fresno’s Transportation & Ag Future appeared first on GV Wire.

The hydrogen fuel contract was reportedly selected through an RFP process conducted about eight months ago. Despite the Fresno Transportation Department asserting that this was equivalent to a competitive bidding process, the hydrogen market has shifted significantly since then. In the past eight months alone, the supply of commercially available hydrogen in California has increased by more than 10%, and this trend is expected to continue, almost certainly leading to lower prices for buyers. Unfortunately, the current contract lacks the flexibility to adjust pricing to reflect these changes, preventing Fresno from capitalizing on potential savings and locking taxpayers into a costly agreement.

I specialized in nuclear energy in the U.S. Navy, where I served on a fast attack submarine and was responsible for the nuclear power plant. Underwater we made the air we breathed using electrolysis to separate purified water to oxygen and hydrogen. As the candidate for U.S. Congress, my professional experience and post-military service in industrial electrical construction and power systems, sustainable biofuels, and advanced energy systems, I understand the challenges facing our environment and represent a new generation of leadership committed to utilizing this knowledge to transform Fresno and its surrounding communities into a model of sustainability and prosperity.

Powering Fresno and the Valley

Our community faces a decision on how we power the future of Fresno and the Valley. There are multiple paths we may choose to go down, but for simplicity I will contrast the divergence of two paths. One path is based in new current technology utilizing regenerative ag practices and requiring zero external electrical supply, providing truly carbon negative sustainable energy. These new technologies are manufactured and sourced here in North America, supporting indigenous communities providing ongoing and future employment opportunities for farm workers and labor. The other path is based on updates to older technology requiring external electrical power input heavily dependent on overseas components manufactured in countries with ongoing serious human rights violations, and complete dependence on our Valley’s most precious resource, water.

The new path I am working toward and see for the future of my children and future generations here in our Valley will be sustaining and utilizing the natural beauty of our Central Valley’s abundance of rich agricultural resources. It will utilize almond and pistachio shells, prunings, fruits, livestock manure, and other ag waste to generate green energy and fuels. This path leads to growing and maintaining jobs and increased economic development. We can’t afford another Bitwise boondoggle and blunder stripping reputation and value from our Valley.

The first and better path promotes an expansion of our agricultural industry the likes of which we have not seen for decades. We’ll succeed by introducing innovative crop varieties that enhance and regenerate our soils, and by incorporating advanced desalination technologies to access the largest body of water on our planet, our neighboring Pacific Ocean. We’ll further secure our food supply and expand our water resources. This method connects food security with national energy security in a winning combination of interests to protect and grow our ag industry. Additionally, our proposed agriculture-driven energy strategy aims to create thousands of sustainable jobs in farming, energy production, and distribution. This initiative will support clean, safe, and abundant energy production throughout Fresno, using environmentally friendly practices that respect our community’s needs.

A Self-Sustaining Vision for Fresno

I envision Fresno becoming the first self-sustaining and self-renewable green city in the U.S., with a holistic energy system that meets all our electricity and transportation needs. This includes upgrading the Fresno Yosemite International Airport to become the world’s first hydrogen-fueled airport ready to drive the future of hydrogen and electric aviation. Establishing Fresno as a hub for green energy will allow us to market our innovative, agriculture-based energy solutions nationwide and demonstrate our leadership in sustainable practices. The Valley will become the hub where students and graduates want to move to Fresno to take part in the future opportunities in energy, aviation, and ag technologies.

Our skilled, local workforce will be instrumental in rolling out the “Fresno Green Energy Model” across the country, showcasing how agricultural prowess can be harnessed to power a city sustainably. This plan is more than just an energy strategy; it’s a blueprint for economic growth and environmental stewardship.

Community engagement is pivotal in our journey towards sustainability. We will collaborate with international universities and share knowledge, host forums and workshops to gather input, ensuring that our strategy aligns with global future needs while maintaining the values of Fresno residents. By involving the community in a continuing and open process, we will build a stronger base of support and ensure that our initiatives are well-informed, and the people will feel the shared ownership in our success.

In the coming months, through a series of detailed discussions in GV Wire, I will outline how this plan will be realized, inviting community input to refine and enhance our approach. Together, we will ensure Fresno not only leads in the energy transition but sets the standard for California and the rest of the world on implementation of urban sustainability and environmental resilience.

About the Author

Michael Maher, U.S. Congressional candidate (CA-21) in the Nov. 6 election, is committed to making Fresno a national leader in green hydrogen, regenerative ag, and energy production, leveraging extensive experience from his Navy, FBI, and private sector careers to benefit the entire community. His local business interests include TO Viridi Inc., a company dedicated to transforming Fresno and the Central Valley into national leaders in green hydrogen production.

The post A Sustainable Future for Fresno: Rethinking Our Hydrogen Strategy appeared first on GV Wire.

Kill over 14,500 children – that’s what the Israel Defense Forces has done in that timeframe. Unfortunately, the carnage doesn’t stop there and neither do the cries for help.

Famine is setting in as Israel continues its blockade of humanitarian aid to deliberately starve the civilian population. Meanwhile, Israel has announced further illegal settlements in the West Bank, more Palestinian villages have been raided and burned to the ground, and hundreds more Palestinians have been killed by Israeli Settlers. More Journalists and aid workers have been killed in this conflict than any in history.

As Israel actively ignores International Humanitarian laws, Congress passed a bill that includes $26 billion in additional military aid to enable Israel’s actions that President Joe Biden himself has called “over the top.”

It is no surprise that attention is being redirected to the growing number of pro-Palestine protests spreading across university campuses. Coincidentally, the epicenter of these protests has been my alma mater, Columbia University in New York City.

Columbia is the perfect foil for Israeli and U.S. politicians to accomplish a series of goals in one fell swoop. An Ivy League institution, Columbia has the name recognition and clout to focus the nation’s attention. It’s located in New York City, has large Jewish and Middle Eastern communities, and is the media capital of the United States. It plays right into the “Coastal Elites are taking over our country!” narrative the Far-Right pushes continuously, even as many of the main players (Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz, Elise Stefanik) themselves graduated from those same “Coastal Elite” Ivy League schools.

Israel Intentionally Destroys Gaza’s Educational System

Their narrative isn’t new, and neither are their objectives. These same political hypocrites have been attacking U.S. Higher Education for years, and Israel’s intentional destruction of Gaza’s educational system (United Nations experts call it “scholasticide”) and the systematic destruction of every single university in Gaza are just the next step. Israel, with a complicit United States, will do anything it can to prevent discussions of U.S. policy changes regarding Israel and Gaza.

Columbia University has a long history of anti-war demonstrations, and even arrests by the NYPD. Columbia students are known for their activism, and the tactics to fight against it haven’t changed much. In the 1960s, politicians called protestors “Commies,” today they’re being called antisemites.

University administrators are being called antisemites for not defending Jewish students, even though many Jewish students and organizations are part of the pro-Palestinian protests. Some university presidents have been forced to resign (see Harvard and Penn) while others are having police arrest protesters in hopes of avoiding the same fate as their colleagues. No one wants to be dragged in front of a disingenuous panel of congressional leaders looking to destroy academia to get a soundbite, and being pegged an antisemite can be career-ending.

This Is What Non-Violent Protest Was Made For

Fear is a powerful motivator, but the students have shown that they are not afraid of the consequences, and this time the distraction might backfire. History has taught us that students will protest perceived injustice. Colleges and universities are where we go to be challenged, where we find a robust exchange of ideas, and where we learn to exercise our right to free speech.

Pro-Palestinian protesters are calling for their universities to divest from companies that are advancing Israel’s war and even from Israel itself. Palestinian and Jewish-led groups that have been opposing Israeli policies toward Palestinians for years are being joined by those horrified at the images of devastation coming out of Gaza. If the goal was to quell protests by calling in the police, the opposite is happening. Encampments and arrests have spread across college campuses from coast to coast.

It’s been more than 200 days since Israel began its bombardment of Gaza following the October 7 attack by Hamas. 1,139 people in Israel were killed and dozens continue to be held hostage. Since then, at least 34,183 Palestinians and another 77,143 have been wounded with tens of thousands more missing – and these numbers keep rising.

As more mass graves and atrocities are uncovered in Gaza, calls to condition aid to Israel will grow, calls to divest in the war machine will grow, and calls to end the occupation will grow.

This generation of students are seeing the atrocities in real time; lectures and threats won’t stop them from doing everything in their power to put an end to the violence.

This is what non-violent protest was made for.

About the Author

Noha Elbaz is a college administrator and a graduate of Columbia University. She wrote this for GV Wire.

Make Your Voice Heard

GV Wire encourages vigorous debate from people and organizations on local, state, and national issues. Submit your op-ed to bmcewen@gvwire.com for consideration.

The post Is the ‘Scholasticide’ in Gaza Spreading to the United States? appeared first on GV Wire.