News in brief from around the world in energy storage, featuring Ormat Technologies, Wärtsilä and Canadian Solar.

A renewable energy subsidiary of the Philippine conglomerate Lopez Group has contracted for the deployment of battery energy storage system (BESS) resources at three geothermal sites.

Ormat Technologies has signed a PPA for a California solar-plus-storage plant, shortly after announcing the start of commercial operations at two standalone battery projects.

Geothermal-based energy storage company EarthBridge Energy has secured land rights to deploy its technology in Texas.

Imperial County has approved schemes to incentivise investment into lithium value chain, leveraging the region’s abundant brine resources.

US geothermal energy company Ormat Technologies’ energy storage division achieved gross margin of 25.3% in Q2 2022.

A region of southern California desert has the potential to become the hub of a “world-class lithium industry”.

US President Joe Biden announced a “major investment in domestic production of key minerals and materials” this week, including efforts to strengthen supply chains of lithium and other materials used in batteries. 

LG Energy Solution has signed a five-year supply deal for lithium hydroxide from Germany-headquartered Vulcan Energy Resources, which aims to establish carbon emissions-free extraction facilities. 

A seasonal heat storage plant which will have a capacity of about 90GWh looks set to begin construction next year in Vantaa, Finland, with water stored in underground caverns heated to 140°C using renewable energy and waste heat.