Alfred University awarded grant to research quantum computing applications in power systems

Junpeng Zhan

Junpeng Zhan, assistant professor of renewable energy engineering, is collaborating on a research project that will apply quantum computing to help manage electrical power systems.

Zhan is partnering with Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) on the project, which is supported by a $50,000 grant awarded by ISO-New England to Alfred University. ISO-New England is an independent, not-for-profit corporation that works to ensure the New England states receive reliable, competitively priced wholesale power.

The project will research how quantum computing can be used specifically to solve Unit Commitment (UC), which Zhan describes as "a complex optimization problem that ISOs (independent system operators) must solve daily to manage power systems." Quantum computing is a multidisciplinary field comprising aspects of computer science, physics, electrical engineering, and mathematics which utilizes quantum mechanics to solve complex problems faster than on standard "classical" computer by exploiting quantum phenomena like superposition and entanglement.

Zhan said the project builds on research he and his graduate students-in particular Mohammadreza Soltaninia, a second-year master's student pursuing a degree in electrical engineering-worked on with support from a National Science Foundation grant.

RIT will act as lead investigator on the ISO-New England-funded project, which Zhan said, "will engage both graduate and undergraduate students in advancing quantum computing applications in power engineering."