Quantum computing for power systems: Tutorial, review, challenges, and prospects

Abstract

As a large number of renewable energy resources are connected to power systems, the operation, planning, and optimization of power systems have been becoming more and more complex. Power flow calculation, unit commitment, economic dispatch, energy pricing, and power system planning are essentially computation problems. A lot of computing resources are required for these problems, which are non-trivial, especially for large-scale power systems with the high penetration of renewable energy. Traditionally, the calculation and optimization of power systems are completed by classical computers based on the classical computing theory and the von Neumann architecture. However, with Moore’s law getting closer and closer to the limit, the importance of quantum computing has become increasingly prominent. Quantum computing has been applied to some fields to a certain extent, yet the applications of quantum computing in power systems are rare. As the power industry is the foundation of the national economy, introducing quantum computing into the power system has far-reaching and crucial significance, such as improving the penetration of renewable energy, enhancing the computing efficiency, and helping in achieving the goal of net zero and climate neutrality by 2050. This paper first introduces the core concepts, essential ideas and theories of quantum computing, and then reviews the existing literature on the applications of quantum computing in power systems, and puts forward our critical thinking about the applications of quantum computing in power systems. In brief, this paper is dedicated to a tutorial on quantum computing targeting power system professionals and a review of its applications in power systems. The main contributions of this paper are: (1) introduce quantum computing into the field of power engineering in a thoroughly detailed way and delineate the analysis methodologies of quantum circuits systematically without losing mathematical rigor; (2) based on Dirac’s notation, the related formulae are derived meticulously with sophisticated schematic diagrams; (3) elaborate and derive some critical quantum algorithms in depth, which play an important role in the applications of quantum computing in power systems; (4) critically summarize and comment on the existing literature on the applications of quantum computing in power systems; (5) the future applications and challenges of quantum computing in power systems are prospected and remarked.