An (Un)likely Union: How Are Solar Panels Used In The Marijuana Industry?
Cannabis and solar power industries in the United States have one thing in common: they are both rising. While solar is growing because of lowering production costs, reliability, and environmental concerns, the cannabis industry enjoys growth because of decriminalization and lifted restrictions. The industry is getting legalized and is ready to step out of the shadows.
Currently, the recreational use of cannabis is legal in 18 U.S. states, while the other 19 states allow cannabis for medical use only. With entrepreneurs interested in a new and growing industry, more and more marijuana farms are popping up. Solar panels are a common choice of energy for marijuana farmers all across the country. Let's discover why.
Traditional indoor marijuana plants require tremendous amounts of electricity, and solar panels can change that.
An indoor marijuana farm can use a whopping 42 thousand kilowatts per month, with the lighting intensity of the surgical room. Aside from the lighting, indoor marijuana farms use a lot of air conditioning to shorten the lifespan of a plant. Electricity is, by far, the largest expense in the solar industry, and solar helps to reduce it.
Transferring to solar energy will help marijuana farms to save on electricity bills. From this perspective, outdoor farms are also a good choice because they allow the farmers to take advantage of natural sunlight.
Solar power battery storage is a cleaner alternative to a diesel generator.
Backup is a very important element of a solar farm because the energy system relies on it, and losing power can be extremely expensive. While electricity is the highest daily expense, a traditional backup that goes out of power is the biggest risk of losing money in a big way. Even a few minutes of a power outage may result in losing the entire crop. Solar microgrids and battery storages give farmers an advantage because they are more reliable in case of a power outage and will preserve the crop.
Many manufacturers care about social responsibility, and using clean energy is a way to be a responsible business.
Sustainability is an excellent way to market a marijuana farm and make it differ from thousands of others. Many customers who purchase marijuana also care about the environment. What is more, marijuana is legal for recreational use in many states that also offer incentives for businesses using solar power, such as California.
At Nassau National Cable, we sell solar wire and cable for dozens of marijuana companies across the country. Here, you can buy all kinds of photovoltaic wires and cables.
