Quantum–classical co-simulation for smart grids: a proof-of-concept study on feasibility and obstacles

Abstract With the rising complexity of our electricity infrastructure, smart grid simulations increasingly rely on co-simulation, which involves jointly executing independent subsystem simulations. However, in large-scale simulation scenarios, such as those involving costly power-flow analysis, co-s...

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Main Authors: Dominik Vereno, Amin Khodaei, Christian Neureiter, Sebastian Lehnhoff
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2023-10-01
Series:Energy Informatics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s42162-023-00292-1
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author Dominik Vereno
Amin Khodaei
Christian Neureiter
Sebastian Lehnhoff
author_facet Dominik Vereno
Amin Khodaei
Christian Neureiter
Sebastian Lehnhoff
author_sort Dominik Vereno
collection DOAJ
description Abstract With the rising complexity of our electricity infrastructure, smart grid simulations increasingly rely on co-simulation, which involves jointly executing independent subsystem simulations. However, in large-scale simulation scenarios, such as those involving costly power-flow analysis, co-simulation may experience computational-performance issues. Quantum computing offers a potential solution through quantum–classical co-simulation, in which one or more simulators of an otherwise classical co-simulation are executed on quantum hardware. However, there is no practical realization of this concept that establishes its feasibility. To address this gap, we integrate a quantum power flow simulator with a smart grid co-simulation and conduct an exploratory simulation study using a fictitious case-study scenario. The experiments demonstrate the feasibility of quantum–classical co-simulation; at the same time, they highlight four obstacles to the concept’s realization in practice: (1) To use quantum computing for co-simulation, session-based scheduling is required. (2) Distributed simulation limits possible applications and requires proximity of computing resources. (3) For the efficient extraction of classical information from the quantum states, we need carefully designed operators. (4) Current hardware limitations—such as noise susceptibility and the lack of quantum random access memory—limit practical near-term uses of quantum power flow; therefore, attention should be turned to alternative applications that are more promising in the near term. These findings pave the way for future research on quantum–classical co-simulation and its potential applications in smart grids.
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spelling doaj.art-b67228ffddac4d3fb5bea4e87708ce352023-10-22T11:29:01ZengSpringerOpenEnergy Informatics2520-89422023-10-016S112010.1186/s42162-023-00292-1Quantum–classical co-simulation for smart grids: a proof-of-concept study on feasibility and obstaclesDominik Vereno0Amin Khodaei1Christian Neureiter2Sebastian Lehnhoff3Josef Ressel Centre for Dependable System-of-Systems EngineeringElectrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of DenverJosef Ressel Centre for Dependable System-of-Systems EngineeringR &D Division Energy, OFFISAbstract With the rising complexity of our electricity infrastructure, smart grid simulations increasingly rely on co-simulation, which involves jointly executing independent subsystem simulations. However, in large-scale simulation scenarios, such as those involving costly power-flow analysis, co-simulation may experience computational-performance issues. Quantum computing offers a potential solution through quantum–classical co-simulation, in which one or more simulators of an otherwise classical co-simulation are executed on quantum hardware. However, there is no practical realization of this concept that establishes its feasibility. To address this gap, we integrate a quantum power flow simulator with a smart grid co-simulation and conduct an exploratory simulation study using a fictitious case-study scenario. The experiments demonstrate the feasibility of quantum–classical co-simulation; at the same time, they highlight four obstacles to the concept’s realization in practice: (1) To use quantum computing for co-simulation, session-based scheduling is required. (2) Distributed simulation limits possible applications and requires proximity of computing resources. (3) For the efficient extraction of classical information from the quantum states, we need carefully designed operators. (4) Current hardware limitations—such as noise susceptibility and the lack of quantum random access memory—limit practical near-term uses of quantum power flow; therefore, attention should be turned to alternative applications that are more promising in the near term. These findings pave the way for future research on quantum–classical co-simulation and its potential applications in smart grids.https://doi.org/10.1186/s42162-023-00292-1Quantum power flowPower-systems simulationQuantum computingDistributed simulationHHL algorithm
spellingShingle Dominik Vereno
Amin Khodaei
Christian Neureiter
Sebastian Lehnhoff
Quantum–classical co-simulation for smart grids: a proof-of-concept study on feasibility and obstacles
Energy Informatics
Quantum power flow
Power-systems simulation
Quantum computing
Distributed simulation
HHL algorithm
title Quantum–classical co-simulation for smart grids: a proof-of-concept study on feasibility and obstacles
title_full Quantum–classical co-simulation for smart grids: a proof-of-concept study on feasibility and obstacles
title_fullStr Quantum–classical co-simulation for smart grids: a proof-of-concept study on feasibility and obstacles
title_full_unstemmed Quantum–classical co-simulation for smart grids: a proof-of-concept study on feasibility and obstacles
title_short Quantum–classical co-simulation for smart grids: a proof-of-concept study on feasibility and obstacles
title_sort quantum classical co simulation for smart grids a proof of concept study on feasibility and obstacles
topic Quantum power flow
Power-systems simulation
Quantum computing
Distributed simulation
HHL algorithm
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s42162-023-00292-1
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AT christianneureiter quantumclassicalcosimulationforsmartgridsaproofofconceptstudyonfeasibilityandobstacles
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