Home Green Tech Power Saving

Growing Cannabis Indoors Emits CO2 Equivalent of 3 Million Cars Yearly

92
2

Although indoor pot growers should be aware that their plants consume the electricity needed to power 2 million average-sized homes, I don’t think they care. Indeed, a study conducted at the LBNL (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) shows that those who grow marijuana indoor represent about 1% of the energy consumed in the US – which is much.

Of course, marijuana isn’t only produced for illegal purposes, but also for medicinal use. The growers use high-intensity lights, 500 times more powerful than a standard reading lamp, according to the NY Times. Their overall price tag reaches $5 billion yearly, and makes the classic pot cigarette emit 2 pounds of CO2 (from a dust-to-dust analysis’ perspective). The study also says that the emissions are the equivalent of 3 million cars.

“The added electricity use [to an average home] is equivalent to running about 30 refrigerators,” said researcher Evan Mills, who conducted the study. “Processed cannabis results in 3,000 times its weight in CO2 emissions. For off-grid production, it requires 70 gallons of diesel fuel to produce one indoor cannabis plant, or 140 gallons with smaller, less-efficient gasoline generators.”

Mills concluded that by enhancing the production methods so that their efficiency reaches 75%, people will be able to save up to $25,000 a year for a 10-module growing room. He also mentioned that his information has been gathered from publicly-available sources and interviews with horticultural equipment retailers.

(Visited 115 times, 1 visits today)

2 COMMENTS

  1. This is a good argument for legalization. Why would anyone grow indoors in such an artificial environment if they could grow it outdoors or in a greenhouse? How many people grow legal commercial plants inside a basement or garage, when they can use the best light-source available for free?

    Unless you live in Tuktoyuktuk, pretty much everyone who would want to grow for themselves would probably stick a couple of plants outside on their deck with their oregano and chives.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.