The COP28 Conference in Dubai has already released a number of declarations that highlight the dire effects of climate change and inspire international action to maintain the possibility of a resilient future. Even though these statements are praiseworthy, they will ultimately be ineffective if nations are unable to carry them out. Countries should seriously consider quantum computing, a potentially revolutionary technology that could facilitate implementation and spur ground-breaking climate innovations, if they are serious about fulfilling their climate commitments.
By 2050, COP28 participants hope to keep global warming to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels. Electric cars, carbon capture and storage, and climate-resilient agriculture are examples of green energy technologies that are essential to assisting nations in meeting their 2030 target of halving net emissions.
The issue is that a lot of green energy technologies are too expensive and labor-intensive to be of any use. Furthermore, the world cannot afford to wait for the necessary advancements in scientific research and discovery to be produced by the current methods, which could take years or decades. Increased temperatures already lead to conflict, weather extremes, food and water scarcity, and environmental degradation. Thank goodness, quantum computing is an aid.
The principles of quantum physics are applied in quantum computing to store, process, and quickly solve complicated problems. Current quantum computers are still error-prone and small in size, and they need more development to reach their full potential. However, quantum computers already outperform traditional computers in terms of computation, even in their restricted state of development.They could find minutes-long solutions to problems that would take millions of years for the most advanced conventional computers of today to figure out.
Compared to their conventional counterparts, quantum computers could be much faster at overcoming the simulation and optimization issues that underlie many sustainability and energy-related challenges. This could lead to the development of green technologies. Despite being a flawed technology, quantum computing has the potential to accelerate important discoveries and assist in meeting global climate goals within the allotted time frames.
For example, advances in electric batteries, which are essential to the shift to renewable energy sources, might be accelerated by quantum computing. Better battery performance and efficiency are possible thanks to quantum computers, which can precisely simulate quantum-mechanical phenomena while conventional computers find it difficult to represent chemical processes and shed light on molecular interactions. Quantum computers have the potential to reduce the number of lab prototypes that need extensive testing by helping identify battery materials that are more affordable and sustainable to source and produce. Additionally, they might contribute to raising the energy density of batteries, which would enable longer range and more versatility.
Quantum computing is already being investigated by a number of automakers to support battery research and design. Hyundai and the quantum computing startup IonQ teamed up in January 2022 to create new quantum algorithms for researching lithium compounds and the chemical processes that underlie battery chemistry. Similarly, Daimler and IBM collaborated to apply quantum simulation to gain a deeper understanding of lithium-sulfur batteries and investigate methods to increase the capacity of the batteries, reduce heat-related energy loss, and minimize production costs.
In a related development, businesses such as BMW are examining the application of quantum computing to determine the best sites for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. According to recent studies, quantum technology may even provide new ways for EV batteries to charge more quickly. Quantum charging stations have the potential to reduce the average charging time of electric vehicles (EVs) from ten hours to roughly three minutes by utilizing the quantum phenomenon of entanglement to replenish all of the cells within a battery simultaneously. According to some researchers, this technology might become commercially available in three to five years.
Quantum computing has the potential to enable more environmentally friendly fertilizer manufacturing processes and more affordable green ammonia, in addition to advancing battery research and development. For example, the difficulties involved in artificially replicating nitrogen fixation might be addressed by quantum computers. Enhancing enzyme stability and oxygen sensitivity as well as nitrogenase's rate of ammonia production could be possible with the help of quantum simulation. These developments would significantly reduce the CO2 impacts of ammonia production for use in shipping and agriculture, and they would also result in a 67 percent cost reduction over green ammonia produced using current methods.
Quantum computing may also be used to discover more absorbent catalysts for carbon capture technologies or more suitable materials for solar cells and wind turbines. Additionally, quantum computers may be able to solve grid optimization issues, resulting in large power and energy savings, or they may help with more precise and timely weather forecasting, facilitating proactive and successful climate adaptation plans. Research and development efforts pertaining to nuclear fusion or earth system modeling may find assistance from quantum simulations.
To put it succinctly, quantum technology is a sometimes disregarded instrument that has the potential to revolutionize green technologies far more quickly than conventional methods. Even though quantum computers themselves need to perform better to fulfill their full potential, today's imperfect quantum systems are crucial to achieving global climate goals.
Participants in the COP28 should back initiatives to advance cooperation on quantum research and development in addition to their efforts to infuse the global fight against climate change with a renewed sense of urgency and ambition. Although there is no magic bullet for the world's energy and sustainability problems, quantum computing has the potential to be a game-changer that can stop climate change's worst effects and slow down global warming.
COP28 offers a great chance to foster communication between specialists in the fields of sustainability and quantum mechanics, to capitalize on the advantageous aspects of quantum computing, and to consider innovatively how technology can contribute to the solution of societal issues. It's time for attendees of COP28 to grasp this historic opportunity.
