Power Grid And Indoor Growing

[matt79]

Just curious,

Anybody have any figures or estimates as to what percent of the power grid goes towards growing?

[+Malamute]

under 1% likely.

[outsideinthecold]

To add some details to Mal's assessment;

 

I think the U.S. uses about 500,000,000,000 kWh (kilowatt-hours) per year.

 

If you assume a thousand kWh can produce ten ounces of product in a month, each ounce would be the equivalent of 100 kilowatt-hours.

 

Last SAMHSA estimate was 15,000 metric tons in annual U.S. consumption.

 

If you assume one-percent of this consumption, or 5,000,000 ounces is grown using electricity, the annual load required to grow cannabis using power from the grid is 500,000,000 kW-h.

 

That would mean the .1% or 1/1000 of the electricity generated by the U.S. is used by indoor grows.

 

But way more than one-percent is grown indoors, right?

 

Kick that up to something like 10% grown under lights and usage would be 1% of the total generated and right in line with Mal's estimate.

 

Who says Mal and I can't agree. At least now and then.

Edited August 31, 2016 by outsideinthecold

[Restorium2]

To add some details to Mal's assessment;

 

I think the U.S. uses about 500,000,000,000 kWh (kilowatt-hours) per year.

 

If you assume a thousand kWh can produce ten ounces of product in a month, each ounce would be the equivalent of 100 kilowatt-hours.

 

Last SAMHSA estimate was 15,000 metric tons in annual U.S. consumption.

 

If you assume one-percent of this consumption, or 5,000,000 ounces is grown using electricity, the annual load required to grow cannabis using power from the grid is 500,000,000 kW-h.

 

That would mean the .1% or 1/1000 of the electricity generated by the U.S. is used by indoor grows.

 

But way more than one-percent is grown indoors, right?

 

Kick that up to something like 10% grown under lights and usage would be 1% of the total generated and right in line with Mal's estimate.

 

Who says Mal and I can't agree. At least now and then.

I really doubt that. But hey, you could be right .....

[beourbud]

That's a very good question.

 

I have often wondered myself how much money was wasted ,handing it over to a utility monopoly, when you can get better Yeilds , quality , taste and aroma for free from the Sun?

 

Is inefficiency the goal or should we move towards superior greener sustainable alternatives?

 

Pure Michigan, Topless Outdoor Organic

 

Free the Weed

Edited August 31, 2016 by beourbud

[Hempcheff]

Soooooo why hasn't anyone figured out a way to get the power companies in on the action, and in the reform movements pocket? they stand to make buku :money: :money: :money: :money:  with legalized cannabis! seeing as how growing outside is seasonal for a good part of the country, the potential for revenue has got to be staggering.

[pergamum362]

Soooooo why hasn't anyone figured out a way to get the power companies in on the action, and in the reform movements pocket? they stand to make buku :money: :money: :money: :money:  with legalized cannabis! seeing as how growing outside is seasonal for a good part of the country, the potential for revenue has got to be staggering.

i believe the grid is already strained in certain parts of the country.

[beourbud]

Soooooo why hasn't anyone figured out a way to get the power companies in on the action, and in the reform movements pocket? they stand to make buku :money: :money: :money: :money: with legalized cannabis! seeing as how growing outside is seasonal for a good part of the country, the potential for revenue has got to be staggering.

The power company is making a lot more $$$$$ with hundreds of thousands of small grows ,than they would make on commercial grows, especially when they all start going Outdoors

Edited August 31, 2016 by beourbud

[matt79]

I read an article that claimed 20% of transformer failures are from indoor grows.

I heard about a guy that got caught growing illegal because the transformer blew in his backyard. Fire dept came and noticed all his a/c units and called the cops. Idk if this is true though

[outsideinthecold]

Not likely any indoor basement grow would blow a transformer unless it started at least twenty 1000w bulbs simultaneously. Central air conditioning units typically draw power equal to four or five bulbs, or kilowatts and the surge on start-up is considerably greater.

 

Most of the problems are caused by folks trying to by-pass meters and running loads far in excess of those needed by a typical legal Michigan caregiver.

 

Really interesting article in this week's (August 27th) Economist about Alaska agriculture titled 'Growing Farmers'. The article details a Federal Government subsidizing tunnel greenhouses and features Homer as the high-tunnel capital of America. Tunnel greenhouses allow expanded growing seasons for cold weather climates.

 

Having lived many years on the Anchor River just a few miles west of Homer it was hard to keep a straight face. No doubt the Fed is helping build greenhouses but guaranteed much of their products won't be available on the store shelves of the Homer's Safeway or Carr's grocery any time soon.

Edited August 31, 2016 by outsideinthecold

[Restorium2]

Some transformers are really old and just ready to blow. They don't replace them because they are old, they wait for them to blow. So it happens from time to time. The one for my house is also for three neighbors. So it would be hard to point a finger if it blew. It blew a few years back and they just replaced it and moved on.

[outsideinthecold]

A bit more about Alaska outdoor growing.

 

So in 1975 my next-door neighbor No-Good Nelson and I built a small greenhouse on the north bluff of the Anchor River and planted a couple dozen seeds in late May. Neither one of us knew anything about growing and in those days boutique sensimmilia was still in its early stages.

 

We had no clue. By the end of June our plants were five feet tall and we had to raise the roof to eight feet. We were ten feet by the end of July and in September just prior to a killing frost the plants averaged twelve feet and the roof had been raised again to fourteen feet. Tall, yes. Males? Females? We didn't know and couldn't tell the difference anyway back ten.

 

Somewhere I have a photo of No-Good with his share of the green loaded into the back of his beater pick-up. It looked like sheeves of wheat piled for harvest. Sadly the medical effect of smoking the leaves was barely noticeable mainly characterized by shortness of breath and an annoying headache.

 

I'd experimented some with brownies and Mexican swage in Lansing a year or two earlier with interesting results. But the Lansing Mex was far more satisfying than the Alaska green when smoked so baking with the AK green was undertaken without any real optimism.

 

Nice looking brownies when finished though regardless. Betty Crocker mix, extra egg, added walnuts, nice milk chocolate frosting and raw herb powdered in a blender to the consistency of flour. Lots of herb.

 

Never mind regardless. They worked. Really worked. Amazing difference once that green was baked.

 

What happened next still makes me laugh to remember but would probably just bore anyone who has read this far.

Edited August 31, 2016 by outsideinthecold

[+Malamute]

To add some details to Mal's assessment;

 

I think the U.S. uses about 500,000,000,000 kWh (kilowatt-hours) per year.

 

If you assume a thousand kWh can produce ten ounces of product in a month, each ounce would be the equivalent of 100 kilowatt-hours.

 

Last SAMHSA estimate was 15,000 metric tons in annual U.S. consumption.

 

If you assume one-percent of this consumption, or 5,000,000 ounces is grown using electricity, the annual load required to grow cannabis using power from the grid is 500,000,000 kW-h.

 

That would mean the .1% or 1/1000 of the electricity generated by the U.S. is used by indoor grows.

 

But way more than one-percent is grown indoors, right?

 

Kick that up to something like 10% grown under lights and usage would be 1% of the total generated and right in line with Mal's estimate.

 

Who says Mal and I can't agree. At least now and then.

 

Several years back, California was blaming indoor growers for their power usage woes.  I took the time to 'figure' it out closely to approximately what was being used.  They tried to say growers had increased the total usage by 10-15%.

 

 It didnt seem right. It isn't. So i ran some numbers and sent them to California activists to destroy the meme created by police and anti marijuana advocates.

[Highlander]

Soooooo why hasn't anyone figured out a way to get the power companies in on the action, and in the reform movements pocket? they stand to make buku :money: :money: :money: :money: with legalized cannabis! seeing as how growing outside is seasonal for a good part of the country, the potential for revenue has got to be staggering.

It seems a bit ironic but the utility companies actually prefer small users. I learned this about 20 years ago when I attended a brownfield redevelopment conference that was sponsored by a utility company. I asked the representative of Michcon why they would sponsor the event. I got a simple answer. Their best profit comes from monthly meter fees, a set fee no matter how much electricity you use. Take the old Packard plant in Detroit as an example. The factory was just one user. If someone repurposes the property and installs 1,000 meters, the profit for the utility company skyrockets...much more income for delivering the same amount of juice.

[Highlander]

The above said, you'd think that utility companies would far rather see many small grows vs a few large commercial grows.

 

It does seem that utility companies would support legalized cannabis and indoor grows. As such it seems they'd advocate for small home grows vs huge corporate operations.