Robust Quantum-Assisted Discrete Design of Industrial Smart Energy Utility Systems with Long-Term Operational Uncertainties: A Case Study of a Food and Cosmetic Industry in Germany

Rushit Kansara (), Loukas Kyriakidis and María Isabel Roldán Serrano ()
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Rushit Kansara: German Aerospace Center, Institute for Low-Carbon Industrial Processes, Simulation and Virtual Design, Walther-Pauer-Straße 5, 03046 Cottbus, Germany
Loukas Kyriakidis: German Aerospace Center, Institute for Low-Carbon Industrial Processes, Simulation and Virtual Design, Walther-Pauer-Straße 5, 03046 Cottbus, Germany
María Isabel Roldán Serrano: German Aerospace Center, Institute for Low-Carbon Industrial Processes, Simulation and Virtual Design, Walther-Pauer-Straße 5, 03046 Cottbus, Germany

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-16

Abstract: The industrial sector is a major contributor to energy-related CO 2 emissions in Europe, making the transition to renewable energy solutions essential. Decarbonization strategies integrate renewable energy sources, power-to-heat technologies, and energy storage systems into existing production sites to enhance sustainability and flexibility. However, a key challenge lies in designing energy systems that remain robust under long-term operational uncertainties. Usually the design of each energy system component is discrete, as it is manufactured in a predetermined size. Classical state-of-the-art coupled design and operational optimization methods are based on continuous design variables, which might give sub-optimal solutions. This study overcomes this limitation by employing novel, computationally efficient robust quantum-classical discrete-design methods. Traditional approaches often optimize operations for a single year due to the computational limitations of operational optimization algorithms, leading to designs that lack robustness. By incorporating long-term operational uncertainties, this approach ensures that selected energy-system configurations minimize both CO 2 emissions and costs while maintaining resilience to variations in weather conditions and demand fluctuations. Robust discrete designs which consider operational uncertainties show 12% less global warming impact (GWI) with 27% higher total annualized cost (TAC) compared to designs based on operational optimization without uncertainty. A novel quantum-assisted non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (QANSGA-II) shows accuracy up to 90%, which leads to 27% less computational effort than the NSGA-II algorithm. This novel method can help industries to search larger and more optimal robust discrete-design spaces for making decarbonization decisions.

Keywords: robust designs; quantum computing; coupled optimization; operational uncertainties (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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