One of Texas’ dirtiest coal plants will swap to solar with help from US grant

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A coal plant in South Texas will shut down and convert to a solar + battery electricity generation facility, with the help of a $1.4 billion grant from the US Department of Agriculture meant to help clean energy while saving rural jobs.

The grant will go to San Miguel Electric Cooperative Inc (SMECI) headquartered in Atascosa County, Texas, south of San Antonio, and serving 340,000 customers 47 South Texas counties.

SMECI has operated a mine mouth lignite-fired coal plant (named due to its proximity to the mine that supplies it) since 1982. The plant is in the town of Christine, Texas, population 337.

But that coal-fired plant is one of the dirtiest in Texas. It’s the fourth-largest mercury polluter in the state, producing around 12 times as much mercury as is allowed by a new EPA rule.

It also has two coal ash ponds on site which leech into the local water table and create some of the most contaminated groundwater in the country. Here’s a passage from a 2022 Earthjustice report which analyzed contamination from coal plants:

Numerous constituents were found in concentrations exceeding relevant thresholds from the outset of monitoring in 2018—in wells both up- and downgradient from CCR units. These constituents include arsenic (up to 7 times the Maximum Contamination Level (MCL)), beryllium (up to 112 times the MCL), boron (up to 28 times its 10-day child health advisory), cadmium (up to 83 times the MCL), cobalt (up to 360 times its default GWPS in the CCR Rule), lithium (up to 82 times its default GWPS), selenium (up to 16 times the MCL), and radium (up to 6 times the MCL).

Poisonous Coverup, The Widespread Failure of the Power Industry to Clean Up Coal Ash Dumps, Earthjustice, 2022

In particular, note that the coal plant resulted in 360x as much cobalt as is allowed in the groundwater protection standard – an element that people often associate with electric car batteries, but is also present in many fossil fueled applications (oil refining, for one).

So, moving away from this coal plant and to a cleaner option would definitely be a big win, given what an environmental stain it is on the area.

In September, SMECI was chosen as a finalist for a new USDA “Empowering Rural America” grant, and this week, was officially selected as one of the sites to receive part of grant, alongside 9 others. SMECI received the largest chunk of the $4.37 billion total, with other sites mostly getting grants in the hundreds of millions.

In total, the grants will support 5,000 jobs and reduced climate pollution by 11 million tons per year, according to the USDA. SMECI’s grant will reduce climate pollution by 1.8 million tons, as much removing 446,000 cars from the road, and support around 600 jobs.

The grant money will be used to convert the plant away from coal power and replace it with solar and battery storage. Solar is an abundant resource in sunny South Texas, and the plant already has grid connections to make this an easier drop-in than having to run new transmission lines.

But not only that, the site’s capacity will see a significant upgrade. The current coal plant can produce up to 410 megawatts of power, but the upcoming solar plant will be capable of 600 MW – nearly half again as much as its previous capacity.

And pairing this solar power with grid-tied batteries will help to make the grid more resilient, too. Thermal power plants tend to take time to turn off and on, meaning it’s harder to manage unexpected peaks and troughs in electricity demand – plus, equipment at the plants tends to wear when it heats up and cools down a lot, contributing to the high costs of coal power. There have been numerous studies showing that new solar plants are cheaper than old coal – and that’s even ignoring externalities.

While solar power is often considered intermittent – you are at the mercy of the sun, after all – batteries can solve that problem. These batteries can help to smooth out peaks and troughs in generation and demand, and can be dispatched to the grid within milliseconds, to better match supply with demand. They can also be used for energy arbitrage, by charging when supply is abundant and discharging when demand is high.

While there’s no announced timeline yet for exactly when the plant will complete its transition, SMECI will develop a Community Benefits Plan over the course of the next year as a provision of the grant process.

Once this transition is completed, Texas will be left with 14 coal plants. In 2023, Texas generated 71GWh of electricity through coal, down from a peak of 157GWh in 2011. Electricity generation in the state was 37.2% coal in 2000, and just 13.1% in 2023.


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23 Comments

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    be taught some secrets that will help you do extra sets and reps
    in half the time. Antioxidants are tremendous vitamins that
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    However there’ll come a point when the features
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    Subsequently, we recommend that you decide one or two workouts per deltoid head (front, facet, and rear) to work your shoulder muscle tissue thoroughly,
    as we do in our shoulder workout routine.
    If the push press is more of an athletic power train, the seated dumbbell press is
    more of a bodybuilding exercise. Whether you’re a beginner or superior lifter, these exercises will assist you to pack on muscle and enhance your shoulder energy quickly.

    You’ve still received a passion for all times, and on the
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    And then if you’re an intermediate, in all probability one thing closer to 1% of
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    That Is in all probability gonna be between the 200 to 300 calorie surplus.
    They just gave them a roughly 2000 calorie weight gainer on prime of their
    recurring diet. So basically, check out your routine and see what exercises this system
    might work properly with. Throughout these 5 research, 4 discovered extra hypertrophy when using lengthened partials versus full range of motion and 1 has found
    no distinction.
    If you like a varied workout routine, this structured and repetitive program may pose a problem.
    Nevertheless, its depth and frequency may be overwhelming for novices, posing a
    threat of harm or burnout. As A Substitute, you hit every muscle with simply enough training for
    optimum muscle progress and do it 3 times per week as a substitute of 1.
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    Of course, if you’re new to weight coaching, you
    should ease into it to learn proper kind and get used to the movements.
    Nonetheless, as soon as you understand how to
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    things up and challenge yourself with heavier weights.
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    A full physique exercise plan only has you
    practice 3 days a week, which suggests there are another 4 days to relaxation and recover.
    Except you try to purposely mess up your training, you’re going to have enough time
    to completely recover between classes.
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    Since you’re only training 3 days, these exercises shall be slightly longer (give yourself about an hour and quarter-hour every workout).
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    three days every week there will be sure things you’ll need
    to watch carefully on your non-training days. Juice and Toya label this as a 
    high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exercise, however with dumbbells.

    It’s extra frequent to search out HIIT sessions without
    tools, or potentially some mild weights, so this routine is more like a high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) exercise.

    Go for 4 grams per kilogram of physique weight unfold over the
    day. Add a gram of vitamin C, a pure diuretic, in case your stomach can handle it.
    If you’re a newbie, I will recommend that you simply don’t even consider using steroids.
    Your body will reply to bodybuilding training and proper
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    For the workout routines that I’ve assigned a 3×12-15 rep scheme, use
    a weight that lets you work someplace between the given vary.
    Once you presumably can carry out the units on the upper finish, like 15 reps, for instance, you will add weight.

    Hold in thoughts that your performance on these will
    vary as they’re towards the tip of the workout.
    Training 3 days per week could not look like a good way to achieve mass.
    Having that additional relaxation day in the midst of the week give your body and muscles an opportunity
    to recuperate. And everyone knows that muscle restoration results in muscle progress.

    Some may argue that again workouts provide sufficient stimulus for the
    biceps for a beginner, however for a bodybuilder, it doesn’t damage to introduce direct biceps
    work right from the beginning. So, that’s what we’re doing in Bodybuilding for Beginners.
    It’s as a result of calves are notoriously cussed and won’t reply to training for so
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    Let us help you in sculpting a physique that not only reflects
    your onerous work but in addition embodies the ideas of certainly one
    of bodybuilding’s greatest icons, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger’s success just isn’t only a result of
    his bodily training but also his mental self-discipline.
    His teachings transcend the health club, emphasizing the importance of mindset, consistency, and restoration in achieving bodybuilding excellence.
    After eight weeks, virtually every muscle measured grew extra with the full-body exercise break up than with the bro break up.
    One group did the exercises utilizing a 5-day full-body exercise cut up, whereas the opposite used a
    5-day bro cut up. Every time you carry weights, you’re “signaling” your muscle to grow — something generally known as the muscle protein synthesis response.
    In this case, it’s enough of a boost for the
    3-day full-body exercise cut up to take the top spot with a hypertrophy score of 8.1.

    Even with one of the best intentions, you won’t at all times have a lot
    of time to exercise. Between work, social occasions, and household life, it
    can be hard to make time for extended fitness center workouts.

    Luckily, you’ll have the ability to still get muscle-building results with just a single set
    of weights in 25 minutes. To work out your volume for
    an exercise, you merely multiply the load you lifted by the variety of reps you completed.
    You then multiply this by the variety of units
    you performed in complete. If you do need to do the job your self,
    make it quick then get again underneath the bar.

    You can’t train your complete body 4 or 5 days every week in an effective manner with
    out your body burning out quickly due to limited rest. The exercises that
    come after these strikes are the accent actions that
    may help generate extra quantity, supporting building muscle mass.

    This is the way you arrange a exercise that lets you enhance muscular power and mass simultaneously.
    If your objective is to build muscle, workouts with reps as
    low as five and as excessive as 30 will do the job.

    We recommend you stick to 5 to seven reps per set for heavier, compound movement and between eight and 12 reps per set
    for smaller muscles and single-joint workout routines.
    Samuel says true newbies (people with lower than six months
    of consistent gym experience) ought to carry out eight to 12 reps for all
    workouts.
    If you determine to construct your own home gym, go for quality tools.
    Don’t skimp to save a buck, or you’ll in all probability be disappointed in the long run or
    have the equipment break within a couple of years. Nothing prevents age-related muscle
    loss like resistance coaching. Bodybuilding makes you stronger, healthier, and higher prepared for whatever
    life has in retailer. They all descended on Gold’s
    Fitness Center because the Olympia Contest approached.
    This is the place they skilled together in the a hundred days leading as much as the Mr.
    Olympia competition.
    They play a vital role in muscle repair and protection. Even saturated fat play an essential role in your bodybuilding targets.
    In phrases of meal frequency, feel free to divide your meals up
    as you choose, consuming anyplace from 3-6+
    meals per day.
    You pressure yourself to push past one hundred
    pc with the help of a pal. Generally the chest and again exercise was carried out in ‘super set’ trend.
    Calves, forearms, traps and abdominals have been accomplished as needed.
    One massive factor that the 70’s bodybuilders had that today’s
    bodybuilders don’t have is AESTHETICS.
    You’ll observe the previous exercise choice with the conventional
    deadlift variation. For this primary massive compound exercise,
    the hip-hinge movement becomes the focus for overload.

    References:

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  2. When it involves combining Anavar with other substances, caution is suggested.
    Anavar is known to be a relatively delicate steroid
    with low potential for side effects, but it could possibly still be harmful when used
    irresponsibly or in combination with certain substances.

    It’s essential to note that Anavar can have some gentle side effects,
    such as complications, nausea, and acne. Nevertheless,
    these side effects are sometimes minimal at lower
    doses and may usually be alleviated by taking Anavar
    with meals. However, the length may vary relying on individual targets and tolerance levels.

    Bear In Mind, it’s essential to consult with a
    healthcare professional or skilled coach before beginning any Anavar routine.

    They can assess your individual circumstances, present personalised guidance, and assist
    determine the optimum dosage primarily based on these components.

    It is essential to remember that everybody will react
    in another way to every steroid, so it may be very important do your research earlier than taking any kind of
    complement. As a end result, many feminine athletes
    select to keep away from Anavar altogether in order to reduce their danger of growing undesirable masculine traits.
    In most circumstances, nausea will go away on its own after
    a couple of days and even weeks.
    The follow-up cycle to this commonly begins
    with a dose of 20 mg as an alternative of 15 mg and is prolonged up to eight weeks.

    Anavar usage has been proven to scale back intercourse hormone binding globulin (SHBG).
    Reduction in SHBG discount increases the quantity of free testosterone (active) within the body.
    Anavar is a modified by-product of DHT (Dihydroteststerone), and
    possesses a number of modifications that alter its activity
    in different ways. It is C-17 alpha alkylated in order to
    allow for oral administration, and a substitution of its second carbon atom with
    an oxygen atom, granting it stronger anabolic capabilities.

    For efficiency athletes, and people who don’t solely rely on muscle to improve
    efficiency Anavar could presumably be a good addition through
    the off-season. For example for an off-season ice hockey player, or for a rugby participant the results could
    additionally be more welcomed during this phase of the season. Anavar
    may help repair muscle injury by way of training and permit these sort of athletes
    to coach more durable, and extra regularly. It might help restore muscle harm
    after a participant receives and influence damage i.e.
    from a physique check, fall or fast paced collision. If
    you may be worried about your testosterone ranges, then get them checked out by your doctor
    earlier than taking any steroids and make-sure you go for normal verify
    ups to further cautious. Though there are genetic limitations and not everyone experiences plenty of vascularity, anavar
    drastically improves your possibilities of having
    veins piercing by way of your your biceps. This is because anavar reduces the fats which is covering your veins, and it fills your muscular tissues with more glycogen, giving them more fullness.

    Notably, research have proven that Anavar elevated lean physique
    mass by 7.5% in patients suffering from disease-related cachexia (Miller, Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes).

    Thirty-two wholesome adult males aged 60–87 were randomized
    to receive 20 mg of Anavar per day or a placebo for 12 weeks.
    The results confirmed that Anavar elevated lean body mass by a median of seven kilos and improved maximal strength by 7.5%.
    Used by ladies in low doses where it becomes far more cost-effective than it does in males, it’s a staple throughout the
    elite athlete community and female bodybuilding circles.

    This sort of medication can prevent the nitrogen depletion that typically
    happens because of train. As a results of each of these advantages, you presumably can have a better
    time constructing lean muscle. In this cycle sample, the Anavar dose of 20 mg/day is maintained for
    8 weeks. This dose is often adopted by people who have beforehand taken Anavar or different anabolic
    steroids. For the male efficiency enhancing
    athlete, a 20-30mg per day dosing will provide athletic enhancement, but most will find 40-50mg per day to be
    way more environment friendly. 80mg per day just isn’t uncommon, but
    it will enhance the risk of side effects.
    Of the attainable unwanted facet effects of Anavar probably the most regarding
    will surround ldl cholesterol. The Oxandrolone hormone is
    well-known for suppressing HDL ldl cholesterol, in addition to rising LDL cholesterol.
    Commonplace male therapeutic doses can suppress HDL cholesterol by as much as 30%
    with efficiency doses suppressing HDL by as much as 50%.
    Efficiency doses may also increase LDL cholesterol by as
    much as 30%.
    Anyone with a historical past of liver issues should keep away from
    Anavar completely. For those who do use Anavar it’s suggested to take a liver assist supplement
    (9) like milk thistle. Anavar nonetheless prevents muscle loss by considerably lowering cortisol
    (stress) levels. He seemed like a normal common bloke in the ‘before’ image,
    carrying fairly a little bit of weight around the midsection, with little muscle definition and no seen abs.
    But then in the ‘after’ picture (16 weeks later) he looked like a ripped motion hero.

    This makes it a preferred alternative for athletes seeking to enhance their performance with out including extra weight.
    Additionally, Anavar is understood for its
    low threat of inflicting androgenic unwanted effects similar to
    pimples and hair loss, making it a safer possibility for each
    women and men. Oxandrolone may also be stacked with different anabolic
    steroids in synergy as a result of they complement each other.

    Anavar, because of its broad number of effects, could be utilized to your targets whether
    you’re chopping, bulking, or you’re male or female.
    Realistically, ladies usually construct approximately 12 lbs of muscle from their first Anavar cycle, in our experience.
    Moreover, Anavar is an oral steroid, which is preferable to injectable
    steroids (for many women). Most underground
    labs will carry the identical tab or capsule for round one to
    2 dollars per tab. Anavar and Winstrol is probably certainly one of the finest steroids for women because they will not cause any masculizing results when used.
    With a proper food regimen the place there is a calorie deficit the physique will appear
    drier, harder,and extra defined. “Var” additionally, has
    the power to increase power in addition to protect it underneath
    a calorie restricted food regimen.
    Nevertheless, it is not merely strength and endurance athletes which will benefit from Anavar,
    with some sprinters, swimmers, and boxers also using Anavar to
    realize a competitive edge. Newbie bodybuilders in search of to add a
    modest quantity of muscle incessantly use it
    as a end result of its less poisonous nature.
    Crazy Bulk is our really helpful source for legal steroid alternate options, based on 1000’s of
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    Oxandrin continues to be sold right now, but beneath the current company name Savient.

    In my opinion you need this dose or larger to save
    tons of wasting your cash. #3 Suppresses pure testosterone –
    The hassle with anabolic steroids is that although they supply an added increase of testosterone while you’re
    on them, in addition they lower your pure testosterone. Most
    feminine Anavar users will not require or wish to take
    dosages at such a high vary, as a substitute sticking to a range of 5mg to 15mg every day.
    This might be sufficient for most girls to ship exceptional fat-burning and physique composition enhancements.

    The higher the dosage goes, although, the more probability of
    women experiencing adverse effects from Anavar’s androgenic exercise.
    These androgenic results are known as virilization, or
    the attainment of masculine options, and can embody a noticeable deepening of the voice and progress of
    body and facial hair. Legal Guidelines and rules will range internationally
    when it comes to buying and utilizing anabolic steroids like Anavar.

    References:

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