The Johns Hopkins Green Energy Technology Lab will open above the R House Food Market

Johns Hopkins University will launch a renewable energy lab above the R House in Remington, aiming to enhance Baltimore’s reputation as a technology center for sustainability innovation.

Sustainable Energy Institute Johns Hopkins Ralph S. O’Connor (ROSEI) today won a state government grant to establish an energy technology laboratory on the second floor of R House, an innovative food market in Baltimore’s Remington neighborhood.

The Maryland Department of Commerce’s Build Our Future Pilot Program and Grant Fund awarded a $1.25 million grant to help ROSEI expand from basic office space to a headquarters called R.Labs, which will include 12,000 square feet of research laboratories and the Advanced Materials Discovery and Manufacturing Center, the Manufacturing Process Center.

“To make Maryland more competitive, we must stimulate the areas of our economy that generate fresh ideas and innovative technologies,” Gov. Wes Moore, A&S ’01, said in a statement. “These grants will not only help individual businesses grow, but will also help create tools and resources to support emerging industries.”

The R.Labs New Energy/Technology Infrastructure Center will focus on innovations in the energy transition, including carbon management, energy storage, wind energy and grid optimization.

“Johns Hopkins is grateful to Governor Wes Moore and the Maryland General Assembly for their vision and commitment to leverage innovation across Maryland to address the impacts of climate change and for prioritizing the financial support needed to build the infrastructure necessary to transition from a brown state to a brown state. green economy,” said Michael Huber, director of Maryland government affairs at Johns Hopkins.

Ben Link, managing director of ROSEI, said state support would help the institute “build state-of-the-art laboratories and create a home for the long term.”

“This is a win for Baltimore because it will create a new energy center in our city and build on Remington’s reputation for entrepreneurship,” Link said. “This is also a win for Maryland because energy technology will be a major economic driver in the coming years, making this a direct investment in stimulating the economy at the state level.”

The Build Our Future Fund provides grants for innovation infrastructure projects designed to support a variety of sectors, including energy and sustainability. ROSEI, based at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, directs the university’s energy-related research and education programs.

Construction will begin in July, and the final facility will be equipped to conduct research on innovations in:

• Design and production of portable electric batteries, as well as integration of power control systems for the development of offshore wind farms;
• Modeling and simulations of the growing share of renewable and distributed energy sources;
• Using AI and machine learning to model clean energy challenges in grid optimization, offshore wind, electric vehicle battery materials and design, and just energy transition policy.

“I’m excited about this investment from Maryland because every test my group conducts at the facility will have greater commercial impact,” said Regina García-Méndez, assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and principal investigator at ROSEI, whose battery technology development lab will be housed at the new facility. “The state-of-the-art facility will enable new research and attract more researchers and collaboration partners.”

Other local technology companies or startups without the financial resources to set up their own advanced labs will also have access to the new space once renovations are completed in late 2025.

“Build Our Future is a bold new way to accelerate growth in the innovative sectors where Maryland is expected to lead and dominate,” said Kevin Anderson, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Commerce. “These grants will support innovation and spur economic growth across Maryland and help us remain competitive in these key industries.”

Once the renovation is complete, R.Labs will fulfill the aspirations Ben Schafer, ROSEI’s founding director, has had since the institute’s launch in 2021. Shortly after founding the institute, Schafer asked renewable energy faculty how ROSEI could help. The answer was unanimous: build a clean energy facility with advanced capabilities.

“R.Labs is the first step in meeting these needs,” Schafer said.