One can expect dipolar interactions to be important in protein conformation and interaction. The large dipole of a peptide bond can be attributed in part to resonance. The interaction energy between two dipoles can be either positive or negative and can be calculated with Coulomb's Law. A molecule with a permanent dipole can induce a dipole in a second molecule that is located nearby in space. The strength of the interaction depends on the dipole moment of the first molecule and the polarizability of the second.
Molecules behave like oscillating dipoles.
In molecules that are located nearby to each other the oscillators are coupled. Coupled fluctuating dipoles experience favorable electrostatic interaction known as dispersive interactions. The strength of the interaction is related to the polarizabilities of the two molecules. Fluctuating Dipoles of Liquid Benzene Dispersive interactions are always attractive and occur between any pair of molecules, even non-polar molecules. However the total number of contacts in a protein is generally enormous.