Power grid operators, such as National Grid in the UK, rely on high-performance computers to plan grid expansions and to schedule when energy should be produced from different sources. These problems are becoming larger and more complex due to the transition to net zero carbon emissions, and they are now reaching the limits of even the world’s largest supercomputers.
Quantum computing opens up a new avenue for progress. My research group at the University of Oxford investigates how quantum computing can offer value for the net zero transition. My colleague Xiangyue Wang and I recently published a paper in the journal Joule that identifies promising opportunities for quantum computing to help optimise the planning and operation of net zero power grids.
