Global power grids are facing unprecedented pressure as energy flows become increasingly complex due to the addition of intermittent energy sources, while the artificial intelligence boom drives a sharp increase in electricity demand. Managing increasingly variable power flows while keeping pace with growing demand from massive data centers requires power grids to be expanded and upgraded on an unprecedented scale.

The US Department of Energy says modernizing the grid to make it "smarter" and more resilient, using the latest technologies, equipment and control systems that communicate and work together to deliver electricity more reliably and efficiently, could significantly reduce the frequency and duration of power outages, limit the impact of storms and accelerate service restoration when disruptions occur. Utilities can also benefit from grid modernization through improved security, lower peak loads, greater integration of renewable energy and reduced operating costs.

The goal is to make the electricity grid smarter rather than simply increasing its capacity, and China believes quantum mechanics could offer part of the solution.

A team of researchers is applying quantum technologies in a pilot project at a substation in Hefei, Anhui province, testing whether the approach can improve the resilience and reliability of the power grid.

According to a recent report by Interesting Engineering, researchers are using quantum sensors, secure communications and quantum computing to detect faults, improve measurements and model grid operations.

The substation has served as a testing ground for several quantum technologies since it was established in 2024, including an 18-month trial of quantum sensors designed to identify defects and problems within the electricity network.

These technologies allow sensors to detect weak electrical signals as well as subtle changes in temperature and humidity inside the substation's switchgear room, helping protect equipment and potentially detect and prevent power outages before they occur.

Quantum technologies to improve grid reliability

By developing these advanced technologies, China hopes to address weaknesses in conventional power grids, including delays in equipment monitoring, measurement errors, data-security risks and the computational burden involved in analyzing complex power systems.

Researchers say the technology could eventually reduce electricity measurement errors at the substation by more than 500,000 kilowatt-hours annually.

Interesting Engineering quoted Tian Ting, a researcher at Anhui Electric Power, as saying the trial demonstrated that quantum technology is not "just for show," but provides "strong support for ensuring electricity supply and promoting development."

Research into the use of quantum technologies in the energy sector is not limited to China, with scientists around the world exploring how they could be deployed to address some of the biggest challenges currently facing the industry.

Last year, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for pioneering work in quantum mechanics, highlighting the growing importance of the technology and its potential.

The New York Times wrote this week that industry and academia are racing to deliver on the promise of quantum computing, a technology that is both strange and powerful. The enormous potential of the field could be as concerning as it is exciting: a true quantum computer could accelerate drug development and other scientific research, but could also potentially break encryption systems protecting equipment critical to national security.

Quantum technologies are already beginning to transform clean-energy research in several areas around the world.

At the Institute of Science Tokyo, a team of scientists used quantum states to design a new type of energy-harvesting device capable of recovering energy otherwise lost as heat from electronic devices and industrial machinery.

In the United States, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently announced a method for detecting what is known as the "edge state" of electrons, which results in the absence of energy loss, a discovery that could have far-reaching implications for the technology sector.

Developments in quantum batteries also hold promising prospects for harvesting energy directly from light sources and recharging far faster than conventional lithium-ion batteries.

While all these applications have significant potential to transform the global energy sector for the better, few appear more urgent than modernizing electricity grids.

In an era of increasingly complex global energy-security challenges, building smarter and more reliable power grids has become an international priority.