Storage

  1. Home
  2. Research
  3. Storage
Challenge and Opportunity in Storage

Sustainable energy storage is foundational to moving away from fossil fuels, but advances are needed in the efficiency, reliability, safety, sustainability, and scale of energy storage solutions. A particular focus is needed on multi-functional batteries that integrate and optimize storage with solar and wind generation, as well as carbon capture. The aim is for next generation storage solutions to provide safe, sustainable energy storage for all uses from personal, off-the-grid, to society-wide, grid-scale storage. ROSEI believes these solutions can be created in unusual forms that can also provide mechanical structure, and which utilize non-rare-earth minerals.

Featured Stories in Storage
The Fast Track to Better Batteries
A team of Hopkins researchers has created an automated platform that could speed up the search for better materials for Read more
Machine Learning Method Could Speed Path to Cleaner Energy Solutions
The process of testing new solar cell technologies has traditionally been slow and costly, requiring multiple steps. Led by a Read more
The Future of Solid-State Batteries in the Electric Vehicle Industry
MRS Bulletin recently featured a paper co-authored by Regina García-Méndez, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering and core Read more
Developing Batteries That Work in Frigid Temperatures
Researchers at Johns Hopkins’ Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL) are working to Read more
Solar Cells Simplified: New Approach Developed by Undergraduate Student Could Improve Solar Cell Efficiency
An algorithm developed by an undergraduate student in the Whiting School of Engineering’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Read more
Researchers Aim to Expand Solar Energy Usage
This story was written by Wick Eisenberg, and originally appeared in The Hub. While solar energy is an asset in Read more
Leadership in Storage

Susanna Thon

ROSEI Associate Director, Leadership Council, Associate Professor and the Marshal Salant Faculty Scholar, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Jeffrey Maranchi

Leadership Council, Research Program Area Manager
Applied Physics Lab

Sara Thoi

Leadership Council, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
Participating Faculty in Storage

Ján Drgoňa

Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Systems Engineering

Jonah Erlebacher

Leadership Council, Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Regina García-Méndez

Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Konstantinos Gerasopoulos

Program Manager and Principal Staff Scientist, Applied Physics Laboratory

Thomas Gernay

Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Systems Engineering

Howard Katz

Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

Magdalena Klemun

Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Systems Engineering

Yayuan Liu

Russell Croft Faculty Scholar and Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Yuting Luo

Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Technical Papers from Storage Scholars
APL Collaboration

The Light-Integrated Technology for Energy Storage (LITES) initiative, which is led by Susanna Thon, Sara Thoi and Jeffrey Maranchi – ROSEI’s three leaders in storage – involves a steady collaboration with the Applied Physics Lab (APL). Maranchi, a research program area manager for APL, views the partnership between ROSEI and APL as a natural one, saying “We have a lot of interest in an effort we’ve called ‘environmental resistance’ that encompasses everything ROSEI is trying to do, and it’s all about preparing for climate change and trying to be better stewards of the Earth. So, it was as if our partners wanted to jump in a swim lane that we were already in.”

Students from both Thoi and Thon’s groups have access to the various workstations at APL’s state-of-the-art facility in Laurel, Maryland, which includes a dry room where researchers can work with lithium in a water-free atmosphere, and a battery synthesis lab that can help with creating new powders and coatings to go on batteries.

Partners
  • Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
  • Army Research Lab (ARL)
  • Boston College
  • Boston University
  • Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL)
  • Morgan State University
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
  • National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
  • Northwestern University
  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
  • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
  • University of Delaware
  • University of Maryland
  • University of Saint Andrews
Recent News
ROSEI Announces Selections for Inaugural ROSEI Postdoctoral Scholars Program
The Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute (ROSEI) can announce Fei Hu and Bhathiya Rathnayake as the selections for the inaugural Read more
The Fast Track to Better Batteries
A team of Hopkins researchers has created an automated platform that could speed up the search for better materials for Read more
ROSEI and UMD's Center for Global Sustainability Propose Recommendations for State's Energy Goals
Two recently released reports from the Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute (ROSEI) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and the University Read more
Polymer Protection Discovery Could Upgrade Battery Life and Stability
Researchers from Johns Hopkins and Cornell University have discovered that coating zinc-ion batteries’ electrodes with a special polymer extends their Read more
Helping Maryland Reach Its Climate Goals
The road to decarbonization will be paved with many tradeoffs. Sreyas Chintapalli, a PhD candidate, is helping Maryland make the Read more
Johns Hopkins Targets Zero Emissions in New Climate Action and Sustainability Plan
Johns Hopkins University has unveiled its comprehensive plan to strengthen environmental protections over the next decade by implementing sustainable practices Read more