Commonwealth Operators Have Easier Path Toward Energy Efficiency and Economic Vitality
Resource Innovation Institute, in partnership with American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, are nearing completion of a comprehensive project to support Massachusetts cannabis cultivators with peer-reviewed resources to help them address the subjects featured in the first energy regulations placed on the energy-intensive industry.
The two non-profit organizations worked with two government agencies and eight energy efficiency program administrators to develop and deliver three projects:
- Best practices guides – Energy Efficiency Best Practices for Massachusetts Marijuana Cultivators, the first state-level guide assembling regionally-specific advice on designing and operating efficient cultivation facilities, which pairs with RII’s LED Lighting for Cannabis Cultivation and HVAC for Cannabis Cultivation Best Practices Guides
- Cultivation workshops – Efficient Yields workshop series, featuring experts who contributed to, and content from, the best practices guides
- Simplified energy and water reporting – The Cannabis PowerScore benchmarking platform was upgraded to enable cultivators to comply with Cannabis Control Commission rules on providing annual resource consumption
Select quotes from those involved in the project:
“The state’s lighting requirements are not easy to comply with and force a cascade of changes to long-held cultivation practices,” said Mike Zartarian of Boston-based Zartarian Engineering, co-chair of RII’s Lighting Working Group and contributor to the best practices guides and workshops. “Without training on how to effectively use LED lighting, cultivators can struggle to adapt. This set of resources supported by Massachusetts and its energy efficiency providers offers a good model of how other states could approach this industry.”
“As indoor agriculture subject matter experts, RII and ACEEE made it so easy for the state’s energy efficiency providers to support these heavy-consuming customers,” said National Grid’s David Gibbons, coordinator of the statewide Mass Save energy efficiency program. “I wish there were organizations like these to partner with in other sectors.”
“Our goal is to be a leading producer of quality and sustainable cannabis,” said Kevin O’Reilly, Chief Operating Officer of Triple M, one of Massachusetts’s licensed adult use cultivators. “We learned how to continuously track and improve our performance from both the workshops and the PowerScore, and we were honored to be featured as a case study in the best practices guide.”
