Yes, but they didn’t inhale the electricity…
From globalwarming.org
Pot growers inhale 1% of U.S. electricity, exhale GHGs of 3Million cars — study
Colin Sullivan, E&E reporter
Indoor marijuana cultivation consumes enough electricity to power 2 million average-sized U.S. homes, which corresponds to about 1 percent of national power consumption, according to a study by a staff scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Researcher Evan Mills’ study notes that cannabis production has largely shifted indoors, especially in California, where medical marijuana growers use high-intensity lights usually reserved for operating rooms that are 500 times more powerful that a standard reading lamp.
Click here to read Mills’ study:
ENERGY UP IN SMOKE
THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF INDOOR CANNABIS PRODUCTION
In California, the top-producing state, indoor cultivation is responsible for about 3% of all electricity use or 8% of household use, somewhat higher than estimates previously made for British Columbia. This corresponds to the electricity use of 1 million average California homes, greenhouse-gas emissions equal to those from 1 million average cars, and energy expenditures of $3 billion per year. Due to higher electricity prices and cleaner fuels used to make electricity, California incurs 70% of national energy costs but contributes only 20% of national CO2 emissions from indoor Cannabis cultivation.
But today, Moonbeam Governor Brown plans to sign a renewable energy mandate sure to bring on supply reliability problems.
Maybe when the potheads start complaining they can’t produce enough “medical marijuana” to satisfying the needs of the “afflicted” in California, “Moonbeam” might realize what terrible damage he’s done to the state’s number one cash crop.
With unreliable electricity for growlights, looks like the pot rescue of California’s economy is up in smoke.
Time to leave California, it’s just gotten too freaking weird here.
Dude…. If you switch to shrooms, you wouldn’t have such a high power bill. Shrooms are like, environmentally friendly and stuff. Besides, we get most of our weed from Mexico. They grow their grass right out in the open so the only big overhead, is for the drug mules. No way we can compete with that.
Good news for agriculture here in BC (British Columbia, Canada)
Rational Debate says: “Ok, Jorge, I’ve gotta know – how did you put the musical symbols into your post??”
[ALT][NUMPAD13] = ♪
[ALT][NUMPAD14] = ♫
If you have an Apple, you’re on your own. Some laptops also don’t have an accessible num pad. The numbers across the top of the keyboard won’t work. If you can access the character map under windows accessories, you can copy from there. You could also block and copy the symbols above for use at home. In a responsible way, of course. ☺☻
Wade, bad news for the beneficial alcohol theory. Don`t have a link but saw a report on a large British study that showed conclusive link between alcohol consumption and cancer, even small amounts used regularly. Ironically, I recall reading a keynote address at a psychiatric convention in Canada that stated the greatest harm in marijuana use was the criminalization of it. Figure
…er,
you forgot that pillar of leadership, Lois Capps.
/sarc off
Read the paper of Evan Mills of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This guy would be right at home as a “Climate scientist”, Educated way beyond his Intelligence.
Not much time wasted on real research on the subject. Just data to back up an agenda. pg
Wade wrote: “Alcohol in moderate amounts is very healthy.”
Lessee, what necessary metabolic function does alcohol help with? Any constituent properties of alcohol that can possibly be beneficial can be more effectively provided by non-alcoholic foodstuffs, without all the calories and other nasty effects. The body does just fine without alcohol, and you have to really grasp to come up with any alleged benefits. The analogy to water and salt is silly — both of those are absolutely critical for metabolic function.
DirkH says:
April 12, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Wihnand; Marijuana is known to cause flashbacks. They can surprise you days after consumption, out of the blue, and suddenly your 3D perception is gone; the world is flat and you’re in your car doing whatever speed on a highway.
Really? In over 30 years of “close association” with this subject, I have never heard this one before. Are you sure you’re not confusing pot with LSD?
Closer to the topic, I can confirm that the production process is very energy intensive, due to the need for both intense light and heat control in a small area. The most advanced systems use enhanced CO2 levels – usually around 2000ppm- to increase yields about 30% – another reason I have always had trouble seeing CO2 as a pollutant
Dr. Dave says:
April 12, 2011 at 2:59 pm
About 15 years ago the cops busted an indoor pot farm in my quiet neighborhood. The household was burning through 5 times as much electricity month after month than a typical 1,700 sqft home.
I would imagine they’re getting ready to raid Al Gores place, then 🙂
Eric Anderson said @ur momisugly April 12, 2011 at 11:22 pm
“Lessee, what necessary metabolic function does alcohol help with? Any constituent properties of alcohol that can possibly be beneficial can be more effectively provided by non-alcoholic foodstuffs, without all the calories and other nasty effects. The body does just fine without alcohol, and you have to really grasp to come up with any alleged benefits. The analogy to water and salt is silly — both of those are absolutely critical for metabolic function.”
I’m not an epidemiologist, but:
“Moderate drinkers tend to have better health and live longer than those who are either abstainers or heavy drinkers. In addition to having fewer heart attacks and strokes, moderate consumers of alcoholic beverages (beer, wine and distilled spirits or liquor) are generally less likely to suffer strokes, diabetes, arthritis, enlarged prostate, dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease), and several major cancers.”
From: http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/AlcoholAndHealth.html
Sounds good to me. Time for a glass of Marlborough sauvignon blanc methinks 🙂
So the obvious solution is to legalise growing the stuff. There would then be vast amounts of it grown on costless, renewable solar energy (as opposed to expensive PV solar energy) . The price would drop to that comparable with most other vegetable production and there would be no desire for anyone to waste valuable natural resources on growing what is basically a weed. (At least no more than growing lettuce and tomatoes all year round).
Perhaps the same authors could now do a study on the all year production of tomatoes. My guess is that it would be way more than the weed study showed.
Eric Anderson says: (April 12, 2011 at 11:22 pm)
“Lessee, what necessary metabolic function does alcohol help with? Any constituent properties of alcohol that can possibly be beneficial can be more effectively provided by non-alcoholic foodstuffs, without all the calories and other nasty effects. The body does just fine without alcohol, and you have to really grasp to come up with any alleged benefits.”
Yeah but the girls look prettier when you’re having some beer.
Eric Anderson says: (April 12, 2011 at 11:22 pm)
“Lessee, what necessary metabolic function does alcohol help with?
@ur momisugly Tom in Florida
I do believe it helps to emulsify fats (oils) . . .
“Emulsion – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Common examples include emulsifying wax, cetearyl alcohol, … The anisolic compounds, which are soluble in ethanol, now form nano-size droplets and … Homogenized milk – milk fat in water and milk proteins … Emulsions are also used in making many hair and skin products, such as various types of oils and waxes. …”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emulsion – Cached – Similar
Gotta love that Ctrl V . . .
“Total energy consumption, including timer and power supplies, for vegging and flowering is 82,3 KWH, 1.13 grams for each KWH”
pk says:
the incident with the woeman and the forklift happened right in front of me at my job (which slick willie managed to shut down). it was one of those deals where another half inch would hava crushed her hips.
Would it have been better if the forklift operator had been drunk?
In college, my best friend was killed by a drunk driver. I never held the substance (alcohol) responsible – it was the driver who abused it who was responsible.
“1.13 grams for each Kwh”
A typical joint contains between 0.5 and 0.75 grams
Carbon footprint “per high”: If three people can get high on a 0.5 gram joint then the carbon footprint per high is 0,15 Kwh
Not a very big problem me think
tony g:
california police used to use the standard: if the person acts drunk but there is no smell of alchohol about them then it is drugs.
in the case of the woemen and the forklift the upperlevel management had committed to “ACCOMODATION” of the employee (as a class of miscreants)in the attempt to overcome his/her substance abuse in the future.
in actuality from a disciplinary/termination point of view alchohol, pot, gambling, ….. were all treated the same. i.e. no joy from the discipline point of view.
the forklift driver kept his job and i was enjoined by upperlevel management from prosecuting him for that specific act.
i did downtick him for being an unsafe employee on his personell evaluations.
C
From TonyG on April 13, 2011 at 10:22 am:
Which brings up an interesting conundrum. A person may get out of contracts they entered into while intoxicated due to having diminished mental capacity. A person under the influence of alcohol or drugs cannot give consent for sex (mentioned here, in example it is Missouri state law, however it’s worded here that it’s “intoxicated” by Idaho state law).
Therefore it’s recognized under the law that alcohol and/or drugs cause diminished mental capacity. Thus it should be recognized that someone who has been imbibing might not be able to properly evaluate whether they are able to drive nor be fully aware of the consequences.
Yet society wishes to place extra blame on drunk drivers, as seen in the US with differences in vehicular homicide laws. And you are blaming the user of alcohol for abusing it.
So which was the abuse? Drinking until intoxicated thus until having diminished mental capacity, or deciding to drive while suffering from diminished mental capacity?
Note: I am in no way advocating that drunk drivers be let off easy, especially not ones that kill. I accept the paradox for societal reasons, I’m presenting an academic argument.
So which was the abuse? Drinking until intoxicated thus until having diminished mental capacity, or deciding to drive while suffering from diminished mental capacity?
Specific to your point, I would say that choosing to drink in circumstances that would make driving afterward a likely occurrence would be the abuse. (In he case I mentioned, the driver was working, being employed as a driver, and clearly chose to intoxicate himself knowing he would be driving while intoxicated.
However, the main point I was making was that it is hypocritical to want to prohibit marijuana because people are hurt by others under its influence while not taking the same position with regard to alcohol.
And since we have now gone WAY off-topic for WUWT, I’m going to leave it at that.