The game mechanics are simple yet engaging. Players are dealt a hand of soul cards, each representing a different hero or creature with unique abilities and attributes. As the game progresses, players must carefully strategize their moves, utilizing the strengths of their cards to outwit and outmaneuver their opponents. With each card played, the fate of the game hangs in the balance, with victory and defeat mere moments away.As the final buzzer sounded, Beijing emerged victorious with a well-deserved win. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, recognizing the incredible skill and determination displayed by their team. Zeng Fanbo and Solomon were hailed as heroes, their names etched in the annals of basketball history for their outstanding performance in this crucial game.The Golden Dragon Index, which tracks the performance of 50 leading Chinese companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, has long been regarded as a barometer of China's economic health and a key indicator of investor sentiment towards the country. The recent sharp increase in the index has prompted many market analysts to reassess their outlook on the Chinese market and has sparked a wave of excitement among both local and international investors.
Mike Ferry, with the University of California San Diego Center for Energy Research, shows a bank of lithium ion batteries at UCSD in September 2022 in La Jolla, California. Winter Storm Elliott caused widespread power outages across the eastern U.S. in 2022, leaving 1.5 million people without electricity just days before Christmas. Indiana narrowly avoided similar rolling blackouts from the storm, which caused a huge spike in energy consumption while slowing the production of the natural gas that runs most power plants. But those outages could have been avoided or reduced if states had more large-scale battery energy storage systems, according to clean-energy advocates. The technology stores energy and can immediately disperse it to the grid whenever and wherever it's needed. That was was proven true in Texas last year during an extreme heat wave that spiked energy use and threatened power outages. The state had massively increased its battery energy storage capacity following a deadly winter storm two years earlier. The extra power kept the lights on for Texans during the heat wave. But in Indiana, electric utilities have been slow to adopt the technology that advocates say is essential as electricity-guzzling data centers and high-tech manufacturing facilities move into the state and strain the grid. Indiana’s main power-grid operator, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), has already issued warnings it could face an electric-capacity deficit as early as next summer as coal plants rapidly close and energy demand grows. The deficit is only expected to increase over the next five years in the 15 states in which MISO operates. Now, even with the looming energy threat, Indiana utility companies still aren’t fully utilizing battery storage to stabilize and bolster the grid, according to Kerwin Olson, executive director of the Citizen Action Coalition, the state’s largest consumer and environmental advocacy organization. “Battery storage has enormous value,” he said. “But I think it's a matter of moving these conservative utilities to adopt new technologies that they might not be as familiar with. I think they're a little hesitant to accept it as a real resource.” Today, Indiana’s utility companies operate six battery-energy-storage facilities with a total capacity of 100 megawatts (MG). That’s enough to power roughly 16,000 homes for several hours, but not nearly adequate to stop blackouts during extreme weather events. For comparison, Texas has over 5,700 MG of battery storage capacity tied to the grid. Nearly all of that has been built over the last four years. The state now has the most battery energy storage in the nation. A view from inside one of AES’ existing battery storage projects in the U.S. The Indianapolis utility installed the state's first facility in 2016. The industry as a whole has also seen major growth. By the end of 2024, the U.S. Energy Information Administration expects that the nation’s battery capacity will exceed 30 GW, or 30,000 MG, marking a five-fold increase since 2020. Energy storage systems do more than help avoid blackouts. Clean-energy advocates say they are playing a critical role in transitioning to renewables like wind and solar, which produce extra energy during peak operation that can be stored in batteries and then dispersed when needed. Those systems have existed for decades, but improvements to battery technology are making storage facilities more affordable and reliable than ever. In Indiana, the Indianapolis-based utility AES has led the state in implementing battery storage. The company tested the first grid-connected commercial lithium-ion battery in 2008 and opened a 20-MG site in 2016 that became the first grid-scale battery storage system in MISO. Now, AES is building a facility in Pike County that will store and deliver up to 200 MW of electricity for four hours to help meet energy demand during peak times. The project will be one of the largest storage systems in MISO. “As we’ve seen our generation portfolio transform over the past decade to include natural gas, wind and solar, battery storage has been necessary to improve grid operation and efficiency,” AES said in an email. Other utilities have been far less aggressive. Duke Energy and CenterPoint have each installed two smaller-scale systems. NIPSO this summer opened a 60-MW facility in White County and will soon open another 75-MW storage system in Jasper County. Most state utilities’ snails-pace adoption of battery storage indicates they don’t fully buy in to the benefits and are hesitant to embrace and incorporate a new technology, explained Olson. Kerwin Olson, executive director of the Citizens Action Coalition, informs residents of New Albany about proposed rate increases and how they will affect them. “I've heard utilities say, ‘We know what we know and we like what we know,’” he said. “Except what they know is incredibly expensive and incredibly dirty, and there's a better way to do it.” But the biggest obstacle to quickly expanding battery storage in Indiana isn’t the utilities, argued Noah Roberts, vice president of energy storage at American Clean Power, which represents over 800 clean-energy companies. It’s grid operators like MISO, which have outdated rules on how energy storage can be incorporated into the electric grid, he said. That’s led to a backlog of projects waiting to come online in Indiana. Those connection queues have become significantly longer in the last few years due to the increased requests coming from the growing number of renewable facilities, according to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission’s annual 2024 report. In 2021, over 22% of requests to connect to the grid came from battery storage. Roberts said how quickly battery energy is deployed in Indiana depends on whether MISO updates its rules to fully utilize the technology. Once those barriers are lifted, he predicts a major uptick in battery-storage projects. “As energy storage is deployed in Indiana and other states in the Midwest, they will realize the very real and tangible benefits of integrating energy storage,” Roberts said. “That will accelerate other changes that need to occur to enable more energy storage.” Even with grid restrictions, a slate of battery projects are under construction that will substantially expand the state’s capacity. But it’s not utilities building them. Nearly all the projects are coming from private developments. Five projects are set come online in the next three years, adding in total 443 MG of storage. A list of upcoming battery storage projects being built by private companies that have been approved in Indiana as of July 1, 2024. That energy can be sold to utilities, some of which do have plans to add substantial amounts of battery storage to their portfolio in the next five years. Duke Energy wants 400 MW of storage to be in service by 2030. NIPSCO plans to add 500 to 900 MG by 2029, but noted that depends on MISO and how it accredits the energy. Indiana lawmakers have also started to cautiously consider battery storage and have approved new regulations on the burgeoning industry. An energy-policy task force report in 2022 determined that “thoughtful attention to fact-based and rational timelines” is necessary to responsibly include battery storage on the grid. Legislators followed up on the report last year by passing a bill detailing a number of siting and safety rules for battery projects, which must now receive approval from the Department of Homeland Security and comply with the National Fire Protection Association’s standards. The Indiana Office of Energy Development has also commissioned a report researching utility-scale battery energy storage systems and their economic impact to provide best practices for local governments and utilities that want to implement them. The report is due in March. Indiana Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, who chairs the Senate Utility Committee, said he hopes battery-storage technology continues to improve, but until it does, he holds some reservations about its large-scale adoption. Eric Koch “We have to be very careful about introducing new technologies into the field before they've been validated and verified, but we should always be doing research,” he said. Koch said he and other lawmakers have put serious thought into ensuring the state has enough electricity to accommodate the rapid growth of data centers and other high-energy users. They plan to introduce legislation next year targeting energy policy involving those industries, he said. “It could be an issue, but it is certainly a manageable issue,” he said. “And if we manage it right, I don't foresee any concerns.” But Olson said legislators and utilities need to make battery storage a top priority in that plan. Failing to incorporate it into the state’s energy portfolio likely means utilities will only build more natural gas power plants, which are far more expensive and come with their own environmental concerns. For that to happen, state officials need to fully embrace the benefits battery storage provides to the grid and to Hoosier residents, he argued. “Storage is an absolute necessity if we are going to have an all-of-the-above energy strategy that has a goal of reducing prices for customers and increasing reliability, resiliency and stability of the grid,” he said. “Otherwise, we're going to be left with the outdated 20th century model.”ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — What's stoking the Denver Broncos' surprising surge is the growing connection between rookie quarterback Bo Nix and veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton. Whenever the Broncos (7-5) need a clutch catch, a key flag or a timely touchdown, Sutton is usually the one delivering it like he did Sunday when he caught eight passes on 10 targets for 97 yards and a pair of touchdowns that sparked the Broncos' come-from-behind 29-19 win at Las Vegas. “Courtland played tremendous,” coach Sean Payton said. Again. “He’s just reliable,” Nix said. “He's just always there when you need him.” Sutton's size (6-foot-4 and 216 pounds) and experience (he's in his seventh NFL season) make him an ideal target and safety valve for the rookie QB whose confidence is growing by the week. “He’s smart. He’s savvy. He makes plays when the ball’s in the air,” Nix said. “You can trust him. When it’s up in the air, it’s his or nobody’s. It’s not going to be a pick.” Nix's first touchdown toss to Sutton was an 18-yarder that allowed the QB to break Marlin Briscoe's 1968 Denver rookie record of 14 TD passes, and the two connected again with 5:30 left to make it a two-score game. The Broncos trailed 13-9 at halftime and Nix said they knew they had to get the ball into Sutton's hands more in the second half after he had caught the only pass thrown his way in the first half (for 17 yards). “Didn’t target him (much) in the first half,” Nix said. “We come out and say, ‘Look, Courtland, this is your half.’ We take over the game. He goes for two touchdowns. That just kind of speaks for what he means to our team.” Sutton has been on a tear after since he wasn't targeted a single time in Denver's 33-10 win at New Orleans on Oct. 17. (Payton mentioned as recently as last week what an anomaly that game was because there was a heavy diet of plays for Sutton that just didn't pan out for various reasons.) In his six games before that goose egg, Sutton had 21 catches on 49 targets for 277 yards and a touchdown. In the five games since, he's caught 36 of the 48 balls thrown his way for 467 yards and three TDs. Plus, he threw a touchdown pass to Nix on a “Philly Special” at Baltimore in Week 9. “I think we're just scratching the surface,” Sutton said. Thanks in part to the chemistry between Nix and Sutton, the Broncos are in position for the seventh and final playoff spot entering December. The passing game, thanks to the Nix-Sutton connection. The running game. Javonte Williams had just 2 yards on eight carries and Audric Estime ran three times for 15 yards against the Raiders' run-heavy fronts and a steady diet of blitzes. Jaleel McLaughlin saved the day with seven carries for 44 yards. OLB Nik Bonitto. His 10 sacks make him the first Denver defender with double-digit sacks since 2018, when Von Miller did it. Once again, the Broncos' special teams, with the exception of K Wil Lutz, who hasn't missed a field goal attempt or extra point since his protection unit cratered at Kansas City three weeks ago and allowed the Chiefs to block what would have been the game-winning kick as time expired. On Sunday, the Raiders had a successful fake punt and a 59-yard kickoff return. Payton isn't saying much about the injuries to DE Zach Allen (heel) and CB Riley Moss (knee) except that to him they're not serious setbacks for either player. 2 — The Broncos are two games above .500 for the first time since starting the 2021 season with three wins. The Broncos host Cleveland (3-8) on Monday night ahead of their bye week. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
The art and design of the game are nothing short of stunning. Each card is beautifully illustrated, capturing the essence of the characters and creatures they represent. From fierce dragons to noble knights, each image is a work of art in its own right, bringing the world of "Deal Your Soul! The Hero's Journey" to life in vivid detail.
Go Local Holiday Gift GuideFOX45: Concerns raised over gaps in Maryland school reporting of student criminal offensesIn the past 48 hours, Israel has carried out approximately 250 airstrikes on targets in Syria, causing significant damage to military facilities. The intense bombardment comes amidst escalating tensions in the region and reflects the complex and volatile dynamics at play in the Middle East.
Report: Nick Bosa expected to make his 49ers return against the RamsAustralia and Israel still 'close friends' after rebukeHeisman Trophy finalist and two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter was named The Associated Press Big 12 defensive player of the year while also being a first-team selection at wide receiver on Thursday. Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders is the league's top offensive player. Kenny Dillingham, the 34-year-old in his second season at Arizona State, was the unanimous choice as Big 12 coach of the year after leading his alma mater to a championship and a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The Sun Devils (11-2) went into their league debut as the preseason pick to finish last among the 16 teams. At cornerback, Hunter had 31 tackles, tied for the Big 12 lead with 11 pass breakups and was tied for second with four interceptions. On offense, he leads the Big 12 with 92 receptions and 14 receiving touchdowns, and is second with 1,152 yards receiving. His 21 catches of at least 20 yards are the most nationally. He is also the AP's player of the year. Sanders is the Big 12 passing leader, completing 337 of 454 passes (74.2%) for 3,926 yards and a school-record 35 touchdowns with eight interceptions for the Buffaloes (10-2) Arizona State freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is 11-1 as a starter, is the league’s top newcomer. The Michigan State transfer has 2,663 yards passing with 24 touchdowns and only five picks in 304 attempts. LAS VEGAS — Former Florida and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen has agreed to lead UNLV's 24th-ranked football program, two people with knowledge of the hire said Wednesday. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no announcement has been made. The 52-year-old Mullen replaces Barry Odom, who left for Purdue on Sunday after going 19-8 and helping the Rebels receive back-to-back bowl invitations for the first time in program history. UNLV will play California in the LA Bowl on Wednesday. UNLV athletic director Erick Harper wasted little time in finding Odom's replacement. Mullen, most recently an ESPN college football analyst, went 103-61 at Florida and Mississippi State. Rich Rodriguez is returning to West Virginia for a second stint as head coach at his alma mater. Athletic director Wren Baker announced the hiring on Thursday, 17 years after Rodriguez made a hasty exit for what became a disastrous three-year experiment at Michigan. “We are thrilled to welcome Coach Rich Rodriguez and his family back home,” Baker said in a statement. “Coach Rodriguez understands what it takes to win at West Virginia, and I believe he will pour his heart, soul and every ounce of his energy into our program. I am convinced Coach Rodriguez wants what is best for West Virginia, WVU and West Virginia football, and I am excited about the future of our program.” Rodriguez, who is the current coach at Jacksonville State, an architect of the spread offense and a polarizing figure in his home state, replaces Neal Brown, who was fired on Dec. 1 after going 37-35 in six seasons, including 6-6 this year. TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona star receiver Tetairoa McMillan declared for the NFL draft following three stellar seasons. McMillan announced his decision Thursday on Instagram. “Now, it’s time to take the next step. ... I’m officially declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft,” McMillan posted. “This is only the beginning.” McMillian is Arizona's all-time leader in receiving yards, finishing with 3,423 in three seasons, and is projected to be a first-round NFL draft pick. BRIEFLY FCS: The NCAA is taking its Football Championship Subdivision title game back to Tennessee. The FCS championship games at the end of the 2025 and 2026 seasons will be played in Nashville on the Vanderbilt campus. This season’s game will be played Jan. 6 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, which will host the game for a record 15th season in a row and was set for at least two more. OC: UCLA announced Tino Sunseri’s hiring as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Sunseri replaces Eric Bieniemy, who was fired on Dec. 5 after fielding one of the nation’s worst offenses this season. Sunseri spent one season as Indiana’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after following Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison. Get local news delivered to your inbox!