Colorado pot grows used as much energy as 35,000 homes in 2014

[FrodosPet]

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_29294821/pot-growing-expands-power-demands-tax-u-s?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link

Legal cannabis is emerging as one of the nation's most power-hungry industries

By Jennifer Oldham
Bloomberg News
POSTED: 12/21/2015

The $3.5 billion U.S. cannabis market is emerging as one of the nation's most power-hungry industries, with the 24-hour demands of thousands of indoor growing sites taxing aging electricity grids and unraveling hard-earned gains in energy conservation.

Without design standards or efficient equipment, the facilities in the 23 states where marijuana is legal are responsible for greenhouse-gas emissions almost equal to those of every car, home and business in New Hampshire. While reams of regulations cover issues from tracking individual plants to package labeling to advertising, they lack requirements to reduce energy waste.

Some operations have blown out transformers, resulting in fires. Others rely on pollution-belching diesel generators to avoid hooking into the grid. And demand could intensify in 2017 if advocates succeed in legalizing the drug for recreational use in several states, including California and Nevada.

~ snip ~

"Consumers seeking a green lifestyle are likely unaware that their cannabis use could cancel out their otherwise low-carbon footprint," Evan Mills, a senior scientist for California's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, wrote in an e-mail.

~ snip ~

I bet if people quit smoking marijuana, outside of true medical need, they would reduce greenhouse gasses and have even more money to spend feeding the poor, than if people quit buying and putting up Christmas lights.

[Chemisse]

1. Maybe we should just grow it in our back yards instead.

It is quite possible for a plant (a weed, no less) to grow naturally, without the slightest intervention on our part.

[FrodosPet]

6. People want quality pot, and they want it quickly

Yes, anyone can grow "ditch weed". But growing the good stuff? That is harder to do outdoors. You have to deal with inconsistent sunlight, uncontrolled pollination, more exposure to fungi, mold, and insects, deer, rabbits, and thieves.

And most large scale wild grows are environmental disasters in their own right.

[briv1016]

40. Greenhouses.

We don't exactly have to re-invent the wheel here.

[Dustlawyer]

57. More solar and wind, it's the future!

[sorefeet]

53. Obviously you need to do a little studying

I grow all my cannabis OUTSIDE in the state of Montana. Very high quality, no bugs, no need for pesticide, zero fungus, most of it is in my green house, deer have never touched the other ones and I have alarms when they go into bud. Mother nature has the perfect lighting and timers. You do know they have been growing some of the best in California OUTSIDE forever don't you.

[panader0]

59. I disagree.

A fenced in area, with a bit of natural fertilizer, and some decent seed will yield excellent plants.
The only expense is a bit of labor and daily water, except during the rainy days. I think weed grown
this way is better than the indoor light varieties. The real work is after harvest, the days and days
of trimming....

[LiberalElite]

21. Once I saw some marijuana plants growing on a NYC rooftop. eom

[FrodosPet]

44. And there there was Toledo!

[awake]

2. How much engery does it take to make coors beer?

Do you konw?

[FrodosPet]

7. Whatever it is

It is way too much.

[awake]

11. How does Coors engery use compair to pot growing

Your point seem to be that pot growing is bad I am just woundering if it is any worse than making beer

[FrodosPet]

14. I'm just posting an existing article...

...and contrasting the reactions against the anti-Christmas light article.

[L. Coyote]

48. Just the energy to make even cheaper beers ...

I'm all for expending energy to make good beer BTC beers (better than Coors) and especially for local brewing. The cost of beer should not be 90% transportation and 10% cheap water and grain.

Anyway, article is a pile of false equivalency built on a false assumption and heaped on a false premise with a lot of false information tying it into a total falsehood.
Let's just ban Fox television instead, imagine the power savings

[hunter]

76. I think that will be one of my new year's resolutions, to quit buying beer.

Some of the beers I've been brewing these last few weeks are turning out pretty well...

[99Forever]

3. Isn't that special?

Hippy-punching has a new meme to barf out.

You should be ever-so-fucking proud.

Pot smoking is legal in Colorado, and isn't going stop being so.

Get over your troglodyte concern.

[FrodosPet]

13. Christmas lights... good or bad?

According to a thread in LBN, if you enjoy the sight of multicolored lights, you are an awful person trying to destroy the world.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141295777

[cantbeserious]

16. Christmas Lights Bad - No Utility - Silly Human Tradition - Driven By Sillier Human Holiday

eom

[GGJohn]

18. Then don't use them, but others, such as myself, like and do use them

and will continue to use them despite the naysayers.

[cantbeserious]

29. Then - Some Like One - Are Contributing To Global Climate Change - Enough Said

eom

[ForgoTheConsequence]

30. Does your computer run on hopes and dreams?

Doubtful.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

32. Oooooo, buuurn, from which the burned cannot return!!!1!!

[99Forever]

54. That's also very special.

What the fuck does it have to do with Colorado acting like a reasonable society in regards to a safe, harmless, recreational herb that the people of that state want to enjoy in their own homes? Got the stats on how much "energy is wasted" brewing beer, fermenting wine, and distilling the millions of bottles of alcoholic spirits in any given year? Or is your religious "outrage" limited to throwing rocks at those dirty pot-smoking hippies?

[FrodosPet]

61. Wow! The point just sailed right past you!

1. I am an agnostic
2. I am a tree-hugging hippie
3. I support legalization

Please check out the rest of my replies in this thread before going into outrage mode.

[99Forever]

62. I'm not the one throwing hippie punches, you are.

You picked this pissing match. So now you're gonna claim victimhood?

How utterly predictable.

[FrodosPet]

63. May I recommend lighting up a chonger,

sitting back, and if you still insist on panicking...

[99Forever]

64. Oh good grief.

How very passive/aggressive. You post an OP flinging shit and then pretend you are an offended party by someone taking issue with your nonsense and that someone who is doing so is "panicking."

Fucking transparently ridiculous.

[FrodosPet]

65. Who is offended?

I hope, for your physical and mental well being, that you can learn to relax a bit more.

[99Forever]

66. You know jack about me.

That you assume to, just to take a cheap shot at me is a textbook display of passive/aggressive behavior.

I hope that you can find some help with that personality flaw.

Bu bye.

[FrodosPet]

68. The sun is setting in the sky

[RichVRichV]

4. So grow it outside.

I hear the sun does wonders for plants.

[FrodosPet]

15. Should we pass a law requiring marijuana to be grown without electricity?

Or should non-LED grow lights (halogen and HPS) be made illegal?

The sun does wonders for powering photovoltaic cells and generating wind as well. This will do a lot more than stopping Christmas lights AND grow lights.

[cantbeserious]

17. In 30 Years It Will Not Matter

eom

[RichVRichV]

19. Just legalize it across the country and get rid of the growing restrictions.

It's cheaper to grow in the sun than inside. The market will handle the rest.

[0rganism]

5. the cannabis plant can grow perfectly well outdoors without using any electricity at all

sadly, over decades of prohibition, indoor farms with high-wattage lights and hydroponics have become the accepted method of production. i wouldn't be surprised if some of the currently popular strains are too fragile to survive outdoors anymore.

[FrodosPet]

24. Mold, fungi, deer, rabbits, uncontrolled pollination from inferior strains, light fingered neighbors

Today's cannabis gourmet is very picky.

[Warren DeMontague]

8. How much energy does it take to distill booze? Or to post on DU?

I bet it people stopped snarking off about legal pot on the internet, we would reduce greenhouse gases too.

For the record, I support both legal weed AND colorful Xmas lights. Hell, the two go together remarkably well.

[FrodosPet]

25. Yes they do go together well

Or so I have heard.

[JackInGreen]

9. You...

Kindly go attempt Ariel intercourse with an oscillating pastry...as about as polite as I can keep it.

[FrodosPet]

26. Got any videos?

Or how-to articles?

Sounds like big fun, but I would not want to attempt without proper instruction.

[moondust]

10. That's nuthin'.

U.S. Christmas Lights Burn More Energy Than Some Nations In A Year

[JeffHead]

12. Do they use led lighting or hid?

As a electrician I can testify to the fact that led lighting consumes 1 tenth the electricity of hid lamps. I know they are pretty pricey up front but, in a rush to get in the market they probably used the cheapest light source available. Over time they should make the switch to leds and save on electricity bills and lighten the load on the grid.

[Gregorian]

22. I just asked that a week ago.

I was asking the grower at my dispensary whether they were using led's yet, and he said it was all HID. It will be interesting to see. I've been curious, and kind of looking around. Thousand watt halides are monsters. Huddle around the campfire kind of heat.

[Gregorian]

20. It's true, but the problem is how we generate electricity.

It probably shouldn't be how we use it. And I'm all for efficiency. I grew indoors in the 80's and realized just how gross the energy consumption is. At some point LED's will be good enough, and that will increase that part, but the real issue is what's happening upstream.

When we have abundant "clean" energy, this topic will become much less of an issue.

[FrodosPet]

27. Renewable energy is one of my major passions

Hydrocarbons have much more important uses than being burned up providing something the sun provides in abundance.

[L. Coyote]

50. Hydrocarbons are private property, owned by someone or some nation, wind and sun are free to all

if you have access to land anyway. Those making themselves very rich on hydrocarbons don't want to see there income stream diminish. Part of the problem is thus who owns the hydrocarbons. They are there for profit under the current economic system, not to serve the greater good. The interests of the few rich corrupt and trump those of the many.

[Gregorian]

72. I had never thought about it that way. Thanks!

Very interesting perspective. I think we've made huge progress. Sometimes it isn't visible for a while. We'll see.

[TexasProgresive]

23. Did you ever see the movie "Saving Grace"

With Brenda Blethyn and Craig Ferguson. Grace is recently widowed when her husband takes a leap since he has lost, spent all the money. Matthew is trying to grow a few marijuana plants in the shade. Grace needs money and Matthew wants some good pot; a natural partnership. There is some extreme use of high current lighting that dims the lights in the area.

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/saving-grace-2000

[FrodosPet]

28. I have not seen it

But I am a fan of Craig Ferguson, so I will check it out.

Thank you for the recommendation.

[Kalidurga]

34. That is a great movie

I took my daughter when she was a young teen and got some funny looks. But, neither of us ended up being pot heads so I suppose it is all good.

[Paulie]

31. It's not like they are smelting bauxite

And they are removing carbon from the atmosphere (at least until it's smoked...)

[librechik]

52. nice observation--

never got an lol from the word bauxite--I salute you!

[cheapdate]

33. I can almost guarantee that the energy used by a single plant

for converting ethane into ethylene dichloride for making PVC uses a hell of a lot more energy than "35,000 homes".

I would just about bet money that the energy used for more common commercial greenhouse-grown fruits, vegetables, and flowers dwarfs what is used by pot-growers in Colorado.

If I could grow pot outside in my garden, I'd be a happy man.

[pbmus]

35. 40000 homes can be powered by one giant wind turbine

No need to panic the universe is ready whenever you are

[Zorra]

36. Organic outdoor grown herb is soooo much better.

Never liked the chemical taste, or the effects, of indoor grown. Haven't smoked in decades, but developed and grew a number of lovely hybrid strains back in the day.

Anyone from the Pac NW who knows what Kelly Hill means will understand.

[L. Coyote]

49. Let's convert the Dead Trees for Jesus industry into weed farms, double solution

saving all the energy wasted to transport Jesus' dead trees across the continent and saving on the grow lights too! Perfect solution, and no more destroying of trees for Jesus too.
It's the new Green Christianity

[rjsquirrel]

78. Pshaw

I'm a connoisseur and in 35 years of regular smoking I've tried everything, including fine outdoor strains from the PNW and Hawaii.

For absolute quality control nothing beats indoor hydroponic under lights. Nothing.

[Politicalboi]

37. Yeah because me quitting would help save the world

All the while big corporations are raping the earth. We have a huge methane leak here in Porter Ranch Ca. It will take those assholes 4 months to stop the leak. Why must we be at risk while big corp gets a pass to fix this huge bomb in 4 months. If a big enough spark hits, it's KABOOM!

Hemp grown outdoors cleans the air and I'm sure MJ grown outdoors does the same. Hemp could clothe people. MJ cures people. They could use solar to grow. This is just another stupid story to shade pot as something bad. People are desperate.

[Hekate]

38. How much energy do all the distilleries consume? Good grief; why is everything a zero-sum game?

Feeding the poor is not accomplished by recriminalizing pot, unless you think jailhouse food is the goal.

[FrodosPet]

41. This was more proving a point

SOME people were freaking out over the electricity used by a few Christmas lights. Then I saw the article about how much electricity is used my pot grows and I wanted to see the differences in reaction.

No, I DO NOT want to re-criminalize marijuana. YES, I do want growers to use LEDs instead of HPS and Halogen lights. And YES, I do want this world to start using a lot more solar and wind power.

[Gregorian]

73. Or water for wineries.

Not only do my parents own a vineyard, but a friend is now a managing engineer at the Sonoma water district. I never liked wine, and don't even like alcohol anymore. It's not good for humans. But that's unimportant. What is amazing is how powerful some of the big water users are. Within minutes of any change in water situations, these owners are all over the politicians. They have to have them on speeed dial. Meanwhile, regular users are being told they have to curb their consumption. And the vineyards are using HUUUUUGE amounts of water.

I like private ownership. I'm about to go on a walk on my own property. It's nice to own things. But when it impacts the Hmm, I'm contradicting my original post on the op. I better go walk. My old dad has told me for years "Rome's always burning".

[Trajan]

39. It's when I read crap like this ..

That I just simply pull the plug on a poster ...

I don't ever want to know your opinion, about anything ....

Gone ...

[FrodosPet]

42. I am sorry about your myopia

You reacted defensively to a post without bothering to find out what I was really getting at. Hopefully you find a cure someday.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

43. Does pot growth use more electricity than Christmas decorations?

I'm willing to take down my Christmas tree.

Right fucking now.

Gotta have priorities.

[FrodosPet]

46. I thought that was the New Year's Day tradition

Ours is recover from NYE, watch some football, eat some black eyed peas and ham and greens, and take down the Christmas tree.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

67. Usually, yes, but to help the Earth to sustain marijuana growth ...

... I can make the sacrifice!

[L. Coyote]

47. Christmas decorations use more power than some nations use all year.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

69. Yes, I was sort of referring to that other thread

Maybe Marijuana growth uses more power than some nations use all year.
Just like Christmas decorations.

And maybe other projects:
Desalination.
Extracting hydrogen gas.
Fracking.
Gold and diamond mining.
Running the Pentagon.
Broadcasting Fox News.
Flying to the Caribbean.
Moving water to Southern California.
Lighting Las Vegas casinos.
etc

[L. Coyote]

82. Lighting Las Vegas

Yes, that's a huge budget. Why don't we use that light to grow weed?

[L. Coyote]

45. Simple solution, legalize farming weed.

Not weeds

[librechik]

51. combine with solar technology--I thnk I'll get on the horn & see what I can do

it'll save them money and tax incentives too

[sorefeet]

55. Do they have to put enough lights on

to see it from fucking outer space. And blind airline pilots.

[dembotoz]

56. easy solution...certify natural sunlight grown....little emblem, like the organic stuff

for those who want a more natural high.....
does not matter if it matters or not

will sound good to buyers and change marketing

until someone comes up with electric weed....and logo

[tabasco]

58. And produced a useful, marketable, taxable product.

Legalize everywhere and people could use sunlight to grow to a greater degree.

[FrodosPet]

70. That sounds like a great idea! Greenhouses, not grow houses!

Ooops, I forgot...

I am apparently a passive aggressive hippie puncher who wants to lock up people for consuming cannabis. I was just as surprised as everyone else about it. But you learn something new every day.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=7475591

So BOO HISS bad idea!

[randr]

60. My local electrical distribution coop recognized this early on

The huge growth of the pot market has in fact put a strain on electrical consumption and put into question progressive and environmental ideals expounded by most herb consumers.
Ironically I live in an area impacted by the loss of coal mining jobs. This has made the loss of electrical usage by those mines an issue for us as our electrical costs are determined by the usage our electrical coop consumes as a whole; irony upon irony--the more you use the less you pay.
As the mines shut down and the new pot industry grew the local management of our electric distribution coop recognized both the problems and the opportunities presented by the changing economic reality.
When building a new "grow house" entrepreneurs are now encouraged to install environmentally friendlier options for lighting and cooling of their facilities thus balancing the loss of usage we need to maintain our place the pecking order of grid consumption and encouraging the use of new technologies we will need to curb our consumption of a product largely responsible for the global climate change we are facing.
While in its infancy the marijuana industry is creating problems and also opening the door to the opportunity to solve these problems on a far greater scale.

[hunter]

71. I imagine people smoking pot don't do silly things like driving automobiles so much.

Somebody smoking at home probably uses less energy overall than they guy who is driving or flying somewhere just for the hell of it.

So maybe it all balances out.

Nevertheless, it's a market thing, like anything else.

Fully legalized and accepted by the market, cannabis will achieve an energy balance comparable to other similar plant products, I'm imagining plants like specialty chili peppers, which are available in many varieties and often grown in greenhouses.

Seriously, check out all the varieties of chili peppers:

http://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-types

Some of these peppers are grown locally in open fields with relatively low energy inputs, others are grown in distant place, sometimes in electrically lit, fossil fuel heated greenhouses with much higher energy inputs.

[Gregorian]

74. You nailed it in your subject line.

A regular car is about a quarter of a megawatt. And everything is accompanied by that car. It's a car centric society if ever there were one.

But lights are on pretty much all of the time. So I don't know what the actual numbers look like. Drive a quarter megawatt for an hour a day versus a tenth of that all day. I don't know, Im spacing out. time for that walk.

[Warren Stupidity]

75. Colorado is not an ideal location.

When there is general legalization and interstate commerce is legal pot can be grown outdoors in more optimal conditions with lower environmental impact.

That was your point, right?

[FrodosPet]

81. The OP stated as a reaction to the Christmas lights are evil OP in LBN

But it did cause me to consider environmental effects.

My take is that I would like to see more greenhouses and less grow houses. Perhaps supplemental LEDs, but having a bunch of HPS and Halogen grow lights is not good.

[rjsquirrel]

77. Yeah so?

It made millions in tax and tourism revenue for the state.

The irony of a bunch of people babbling on the internet (using power to run their computers and lights and networks) about how other people use energy productively is amusing.

[FrodosPet]

80. People babbling on the internet about other people use energy

US Christmas lights use more energy than entire countries

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141295777

[valerief]

79. Nothing can ever come close to the U.S. Military when it comes to energy usage. nt