{"componentChunkName":"component---common-build-tags-template-js","path":"/tag/energy/","result":{"data":{"allArticle":{"edges":[{"node":{"id":"Article_2070-markdown","title":"Marijuana's Dirty Secret: Energy Consumption","slug":"marijuanas-dirty-secret-energy-consumption","content":"As marijuana legalization laws sweep across the country, most consumers\r\nare jumping for joy -- widespread marijuana will cut back on potentially\r\ndangerous prescription drugs and help manage complex symptoms in people\r\nwith a multitude of conditions. While these factors are indeed true,\r\nmarijuana also has a dirty little secret most consumers don't realize:\r\nit's a huge energy hog.\r\n\r\n**Production and Power Supply: How the Two Are Connected**\r\n\r\nAs legalization laws pop up around the country, demand for quality\r\nmarijuana products has skyrocketed. All of this demand has given rise to\r\nhundreds of grow operations striving to produce quality products for\r\nconsumers; unfortunately, commercial marijuana production in cities like\r\nDenver has proven to be a huge strain on local power supplies.\r\n\r\nHere's why: In Denver alone, there are approximately 354 commercial\r\ncannabis grow operations. In 2014, these grow operations consumed a\r\nwhopping [200 million kilowatts of\r\nelectricity](http://www.citylab.com/design/2015/07/weed-growers-are-a-drag-on-denvers-energy-supply/397805/).\r\nWhile this number still represents less than 2 percent of Denver's\r\noverall power supply, electricity usage in the city has been growing at\r\nan annual rate of 1.2 percent, largely due to the [ballooning number of\r\ngrow\r\noperations](http://www.citylab.com/design/2015/07/weed-growers-are-a-drag-on-denvers-energy-supply/397805/).\r\n\r\nThe reason marijuana cultivation is so energy-intensive comes down to\r\nbasic growing practices. Thanks to excessive lights, fans, and cooling\r\nand hydroponic systems required to cultivate cannabis indoors, cannabis\r\ngrow operations consume eight times as much electricity per square foot\r\nas a typical office building. While it may seem like the obvious\r\nsolution is to place cannabis grow operations outdoors, this idea would\r\nbe virtually impossible to do given the current demand for cannabis\r\nproducts across the country.\r\n\r\nWhile an indoor grow operation is considerably more energy-intensive\r\n(indoor grow lamps are an estimated 500x more powerful than reading\r\nlights), the control allowed by an indoor grow operation is necessary to\r\ncontinue producing cannabis on a commercial level.\r\n\r\n**Going Green with Cannabis**\r\n\r\nWhile it's clear cannabis is a significant burden on energy grids around\r\nthe country (cannabis production currently accounts for [3 percent of\r\nCalifornia's total\r\nenergy](http://www.citylab.com/design/2015/07/weed-growers-are-a-drag-on-denvers-energy-supply/397805/)\r\nconsumption), few cities or states have plans in place to deal with the\r\nincreasing demand for cannabis and the strain on the power supply.\r\nFortunately, there are many ways for environmentally minded consumers to\r\nbe part of the solution rather than the problem. Here are a few tips to\r\nsupport cannabis operations that have less impact on the environment:\r\n\r\n-   **Buy from small operations.** Whenever possible, purchase cannabis\r\n    from small, local grow operations. While these operations likely\r\n    still use lights and heating and cooling systems, their impact on\r\n    the energy grid is likely to be far less than that of a major\r\n    corporate operation.\r\n-   **Opt for organic**. While they may be difficult to find, outdoor,\r\n    organic grow operations do still exist. These operations use\r\n    significantly fewer resources than large indoor operations and don't\r\n    spray their plants with toxic pesticides, which is a bonus\r\n    for consumers.\r\n-   **Look for eco-minded cultivators**. Some of the large grow\r\n    operations do more to protect the environment. Look for companies\r\n    that use sustainable energy systems (like solar, wind or hydro\r\n    heating, cooling or energy production) in their\r\n    production practices.\r\n\r\nWhile cannabis is certainly a powerful crop for dozens of purposes, the\r\nfact remains that large grow operations make a significant dent in the\r\nenergy grid of the cities in which they reside. Fortunately, consumers\r\ncan do their part to mitigate this impact by being aware of cannabis's\r\nenergy needs and seeking to support smaller, less harmful operations.\r\n\r\n[Photo Credit](https://www.flickr.com/photos/universityblogspot/8383177905/in/photolist-dLMYJ6-nXCJn9-oVx1Uw-aEZ2rC-bxt93q-6BXw2G-aEZ2Do-mtyw5-68fiK3-4YRKNi-ahwvZu-pF6Hu1-nUQPF1-9Ljzuy-8GtNfE-rBsed-bqnR5J-eyKsaD-5fp63W-cZ5oPQ-2zwwU-99Vyvs-fn16yZ-9KjjZL-rBss4-7FoRbX-jAPEp9-99SqoZ-dAKCto-2gQMFw-7Hpw9n-5fjhJM-7FoX5z-oAF3Pr-d6u4HJ-6RGMBa-otWP8p-99VyCQ-5mdUhS-7FsKsG-7FoQCX-oTKfBZ-rBshd-mUaw7i-5hG64x-8q37K2-oK7JbJ-oRprSb-9a93Sm-mtzso)\r\n","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/png;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.4705882352941178,"src":"/static/7321bc14c3d3100c72185cb55c811871/ee604/b55851c7c3767e850bb979133119ef78.png","srcSet":"/static/7321bc14c3d3100c72185cb55c811871/69585/b55851c7c3767e850bb979133119ef78.png 200w,\n/static/7321bc14c3d3100c72185cb55c811871/497c6/b55851c7c3767e850bb979133119ef78.png 400w,\n/static/7321bc14c3d3100c72185cb55c811871/ee604/b55851c7c3767e850bb979133119ef78.png 800w,\n/static/7321bc14c3d3100c72185cb55c811871/b491d/b55851c7c3767e850bb979133119ef78.png 1161w","srcWebp":"/static/7321bc14c3d3100c72185cb55c811871/58556/b55851c7c3767e850bb979133119ef78.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/7321bc14c3d3100c72185cb55c811871/61e93/b55851c7c3767e850bb979133119ef78.webp 200w,\n/static/7321bc14c3d3100c72185cb55c811871/1f5c5/b55851c7c3767e850bb979133119ef78.webp 400w,\n/static/7321bc14c3d3100c72185cb55c811871/58556/b55851c7c3767e850bb979133119ef78.webp 800w,\n/static/7321bc14c3d3100c72185cb55c811871/68746/b55851c7c3767e850bb979133119ef78.webp 1161w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}}]}},"pageContext":{"limit":12,"skip":0,"numPages":1,"currentPage":1,"id":5234,"name":"Energy","slug":"energy","country":"US"}},"staticQueryHashes":["3949754563","4179947113","4202924991"]}