A look at the metrics shaping the cannabis business market — and our lives
Sustainability is something every industry strives toward. One might not think cannabis cultivation would be high on the list of carbon emissions or energy use. After all, we’re talking about plants, right? They produce oxygen and they’re 100% organic. But as the industry continues to boom and more states legalize, Big Cannabis is joining the ranks of environmental offenders. There are ways to mitigate environmental impact, though. Changing from an indoor to a greenhouse grow facility is one of the best ways to save energy and minimize our collective carbon footprint.
ENERGY CONSUMPTION/WASTE PRODUCED BY INDOOR GROWS
1%
As much as of the total US energy consumption is due to cannabis production. Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (2017)
ENERGY SAVED BY GREENHOUSE GROWS Per gram of cannabis produced, a greenhouse model consumes
26%
less power than an indoor model. (Statista)
Production of one kilogram of cannabis flower is equivalent to the carbon emissions of
Production costs can be cut by
96%
nearly using a greenhouse model compared to indoor.
3Southwest million cars. Energy Efficiency
(Aurora Cannabis Inc, 2019)
Project (2017)
Greenhouse facilities use anywhere An indoor cannabis facility has the same electricity consumption as
66 homes.
20% 50%
between to of the electricity of an indoor model. (resourceinnovation.org)
Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (2017)
51%
The average indoor operation spends of its electric consumption for ventilation, cooling, and dehumidification. Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (2017)
*All data sourced from Marijuana Growing Statistics, Data and Trend in 2022 (weekendgardener.net)* Graphics via iStockphoto.com
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Cannabis & Tech Today // Vol. 4 / Issue 1
Water pumping, drying, and CO2 injection only account for 3% of energy consumption on average, whereas LED lights account for
38%. (Southwest Energy Efficiency Project 2017)
