New Johns Hopkins Renewable Energy Lab Aims to Boost Baltimore’s Reputation as a Tech Hub

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Johns Hopkins University plans to open a renewable energy lab above the R House building in Remington. The project aims to enhance Baltimore’s reputation as a technology center for sustainability innovation.

The Johns Hopkins Ralph S. O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute (ROSEI) has been awarded a state grant to create an energy technology lab 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.

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

The Build Our Future Fund provides grants for innovative infrastructure projects aimed at supporting various sectors, including energy and sustainable development. ROSEI, based at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, directs the university’s energy-related research and educational 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 growth of renewable and distributed energy resources;
• Using artificial intelligence and machine learning to model clean energy challenges in grid optimization, offshore wind, electric vehicle battery materials, and just energy transition design and policy.

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.

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 the institute’s founding, Schafer asked renewable energy faculty how ROSEI could help. The answer was unanimous: build a clean energy facility with advanced capabilities.