In recent years, the burgeoning cannabis industry in the United States has become responsible for a significant amount of energy consumption. The electricity required nationwide for cannabis cultivation is equivalent to powering roughly 13.5 million homes, constituting about 1% of the entire country’s annual energy usage.
With the industry expected to expand further, experts project that this demand could surge to 3% by 2035. Utility providers have issued warnings about the escalating energy needs of cannabis growers, cautioning that they could eventually demand as much power as a small city.
Cannabis has been identified as the most energy-intensive agricultural crop in the U.S., with nearly 90% of it grown indoors, contributing to a constant drain on the power grid. Some grow rooms operate 24 hours a day, requiring up to 40 times more energy to care for than similar plants like lettuce.
The impact of indoor cannabis cultivation on local power infrastructure is becoming increasingly evident. In Portland, Oregon, the proliferation of indoor weed cultivation has led to at least seven different power outages. Similarly, after marijuana was legalized in Colorado, almost half of Denver’s new power demand came from grow rooms. In Massachusetts, approximately one-tenth of the state’s total power usage is now allocated to indoor cannabis cultivation.
The National Conference of State Legislatures has indicated it is taking note of this issue. This organization of lawmakers said the link between cannabis cultivation and energy consumption is becoming an increasingly relevant concern for their legislative agenda.