A High School Research Project by

Austin Amissah

Optimizing Home Solar Storage with Quantum Computing

What if quantum computers could help your home use solar energy more efficiently? I'm exploring this question by building both classical and quantum algorithms to optimize when residential batteries should charge and discharge.

Site Update: This site launched in July 2025 as a general energy exploration. Today I'm pivoting to document this focused quantum computing research project.

The Challenge

Homeowners with solar panels face a daily puzzle: when should they use their generated power, when should they store it in batteries, and when should they sell it back to the grid? With time-of-use electricity pricing, getting this wrong can cost hundreds of dollars per year.

This is a combinatorial optimization problem - and it's exactly the kind of challenge quantum computers might help solve.

Quick Stats About the Problem

40%
Typical solar energy wasted without optimal storage
$200-500
Annual savings possible with good optimization
96
Decision points per day (15-minute intervals)
10^10+
Possible battery schedules for one day

Project Status

Getting Started

I'm just beginning this research journey. Today I'm setting up the tools and data sources needed to build both classical and quantum optimizers.

Phase 1: Classical Baseline

Building a traditional Python algorithm to optimize battery scheduling

Phase 2: Quantum Implementation

Learning quantum computing and implementing QAOA

Phase 3: Comparison & Analysis

Understanding what works and why

Follow my progress on the Research Journal page.

Why This Matters

🏠

Real-World Impact

Millions of homes have solar + battery systems

💡

Learning Quantum

Hands-on experience with emerging technology

📊

Practical Problem

Energy optimization affects everyone

🔬

Actual Research

Not just a theoretical exercise

Key Questions I'm Exploring

  • How do classical optimization algorithms solve this problem?
  • What makes this suitable for quantum computing?
  • Can quantum algorithms find better solutions?
  • What are the trade-offs between classical and quantum approaches?

Follow Along

This site documents my entire research journey - from learning quantum computing basics to implementing and comparing algorithms. I'm sharing code, progress updates, challenges, and findings as I go.

Code Repository: Will be made public once the implementation is ready