Spanish sustainable energy company Iberdrola and quantum computing company Multiverse Computing have successfully used quantum computing to optimize the installation of grid-scale batteries.

Grid-scale batteries are expected to become increasingly important as the energy transition progresses, ensuring grid stability as it integrates renewable generation, electric vehicles, heat pumps and other distributed energy resources.

Calculating optimal battery placement using traditional methods is time-consuming and costly and may not deliver the best solution for maximizing energy distribution while minimizing costs.

The pilot project in northern Spain used Multiverse Computing’s quantum and quantum-inspired algorithms to select the optimal number, type and locations of batteries on the grid network. This reduces the costs of adding batteries to the grid and increases network performance.

The companies have hailed the pilot project as one of the first independent validations of quantum technology for a business use case as it outperformed classical solutions in optimizing initial costs, voltage control and reliability.

Multiverse also produced a video explaining the process of identifying optimal battery placement.

During the 10-month pilot, Multiverse’s algorithms matched or outperformed classical benchmarks to maximize grid reliability and voltage control.

Related:Multiverse, Iberdrola Tap Quantum for Green Energy Solutions

The project demonstrated improvements in three key areas:

Initial cost, optimizing the cost of buying and installing multiple batteries in the electrical grid.

Voltage control, maximizing the capacity of maintaining voltage levels in the nodes of the grid.

Reliability, minimizing the impact to customers of power outages in the grid.

The project was developed as part of Iberdrola’s Global Smart Grids Innovation Hub and part of the Gipuzkoa Quantum Program.

“With the power of quantum computing, private and public institutions can meet sustainability goals while saving on both fixed and variable costs,” said Multiverse CEO Enrique Lizaso Olmos.

“We are proud to support the development of more reliable and economical green energy in Spain alongside a world-leading clean energy provider like Iberdrola.”

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Energy Company Optimizes Electric Grid Battery Placement with Quantum