The Cannabis Industry Energy Challenge A Utility View of Cannabis Industry Energy Issues October 16-17, 2018 Newport Beach, CA
"Cannabis is already a $10 billion industry and is becoming a global marketplace. In the U.S., the paradigm of marijuana legalization is already having profound impacts and consequences on power operations and electricity consumption, and these impacts will only increase as the industry grows. Many communities and governments that have legalized marijuana growth and consumption do not realize that the industry is an extremely energy-intensive business. Indoor-growing facilities require massive amounts of energy for lighting, venting, and de-humidification. In 2012, even before the legalization wave started in earnest, one study found that legal indoor marijuana growing facilities accounted for 1% of national electricity use at a cost of roughly $6 billion per year, already rivaling energy consumption of data centers. States where cannabis was first legalized – especially at the recreational level in Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska— have struggled to find effective solutions to manage the industry’s prodigious energy consumption.
This conference will explore the impact and consequences on electricity consumption and power operations of the rapidly growing cannabis industry in the United States. It will focus on evaluating key considerations and planning needs that electric utilities must confront when operating in a market for legal or recreational marijuana grows, considering:
- Power operations and grid reliability
- Estimating energy requirements
- Solutions for efficiency
- Policy/rate-design options
- Legal and regulatory compliance
- Cutting edge information on best equipment and design solutions for optimal efficiency
- Designing effective customer programs for cannabis customer
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