Octopus is making quantum leaps

‘That’s all nicely and good’, you would possibly say, ‘however what I actually wish to do is locate out whether or not my house is absolutely operating on actual, renewably-generated electrons’.

Effectively… Right here at Octopus we’ve all the time been up for a problem.

Initially we’ve got to know a bit of about electrical energy. Electrical energy isn’t only a matter of particular person electrons transferring down a wire. Electrons hop from one atom to a different, however they really transfer comparatively slowly. What we name the electrical present – the best way a sequence of electrons have an effect on each other – travels very quick.

It’d assist to think about it like this. A marathon is 42,195 meters. I would usually run that in about 5 hours, however think about if there have been 42,195 variations of me, all standing a meter aside with our fingers touching. If, with wonderful coordination, all of us took a step ahead at exactly the identical time, then it will seem that ‘I’ had accomplished the marathon virtually instantaneously.

Now, let’s say there have been 100 totally different parallel strains, with every of these strains being made up of 42,195 equivalent variations of 100 totally different folks. And, what if every ‘line’ begins on the similar place, let’s say, a wind farm, however then peels off to cross a unique end line – say, a unique clients’ house. Hopefully, you may see the analogy I’m making an attempt to attract right here… On this case, we’d like to have the ability to hint which ‘chain’ has run from a particular renewable supply into your private home.

Making use of this analogy to electrons within the grid does ultimately get barely trickier, particularly when you think about every sq. mm of wire accommodates round 4,000,000,000,000 atoms – that’s plenty of strains of equivalent folks with their arms outstretched. What’s extra, these strains are likely to shift and ‘self-organise’ in line with electrical ‘congestion’. And that’s not all. The cables that run to our houses are a number of mm in diameter, and the cables within the nationwide grid’s distribution community are significantly bigger…

What we actually want then is a approach to monitor electrons.

Monitoring Electrons with Reducing Edge Physics?

We all know that atoms could be analysed and even cut up – with their ensuing parts measured. This has been taking place for years on the Massive Hadron Collider at CERN. One promising approach to monitor electrons within the grid might be to make use of the bleeding edge science of quantum mechanics, making use of a spooky phenomenon referred to as ‘quantum entanglement’.

Quantum entanglement occurs after particles like electrons work together with one another after which keep mysteriously related, even as soon as there are massive distances between them. Let’s think about that every electron has a property referred to as ‘color’ – they are often both purple, or blue, and that additionally they have a property referred to as ‘form’ – they are often both sq. or circle. Surprisingly, as soon as two electrons have change into ‘quantum entangled’, everytime you test both electron, you’ll discover that one set of their properties will match up, even if you happen to test lengthy after they’ve interacted. So if we discover that one is purple, and later measure the colour of the opposite, we’ll uncover that it too is purple, and the identical goes for form.

Surprisingly, the selection of measurement in a single place seems to have an effect on the state of the system in one other. Utilizing this “spooky motion at a distance,” as Einstein referred to as it, we’ve got a dependable methodology to transmit details about electrons over lengthy distances.

For a number of years now, our superior R&D Future Applied sciences group has been trying to make use of quantum entanglement to trace particular person electrons by way of {the electrical} grid.

Lastly, after years of exhausting work, we’re delighted to announce the discharge of our groundbreaking new Quantum OctoMeter! Now that Octopus Power has acquired Octopus Renewables (Europe’s Largest investor in photo voltaic vitality), OctoMeters can be put in at wind farms and photo voltaic vegetation up and down the nation. These meters can then be linked as much as particular person Quantum OctoMeters in clients’ houses. From there, they’ll test for entangled electrons, and inform you precisely the place the vitality that’s powering your home got here from!

It’s essential to do not forget that that is nonetheless solely an alpha product – our reply to UKRI’s name for quantum expertise improvement – however we will assure that the meters are completely protected. As you learn this, our set up engineers are being given a crash-course in quantum mechanics to make sure they’re appropriately put in!

To start with we’ll solely have a number of hundred OctoMeters out there, so that you’d higher hurry. Click on right here to enroll in this leading edge new service – purposes open on April 1st 😉