162% Increase In U.S. Legal Cannabis Cultivation Electricity Consumption By 2022

U.S. cultivation consumed 1.1 million megawatt hours of electricity, generated 472 thousand tons of carbon in 2017

New Frontier Data, the authority in data, analytics and business intelligence on the global cannabis industry, in partnership with Resource Innovation Institute and Scale Microgrid Solutions, releases The Cannabis Energy Report: Current and Evolving State of Cannabis Energy Consumption. In this report, New Frontier Data provides a data-driven, contemporary and comprehensive assessment of the ranges of cannabis energy use and associated carbon impacts as well as strategic recommendations for the industry, governments and utilities.

“Energy consumption and carbon emissions are critical issues for all industries, and cannabis cultivation is no exception. With an estimated 162% increase in U.S. electricity consumption from cannabis cultivation alone, not including other parts of the world, it is important that we begin to understand the environmental impact of this fast-evolving industry. New Frontier Data has been collecting and aggregating this data, and we can now provide all stakeholders and the general public trusted and verifiable data to begin to understand the industry's energy needs at a critical time during which the industry’s foundational infrastructure is being built,” said New Frontier Data Founder & CEO Giadha Aguirre de Carcer.

Among the key findings from the report:

• Legal cannabis cultivation in the U.S. consumes an estimated 1.1 million megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity annually; enough to power 92,500 homes for a year.
• Legal cannabis electricity consumption is forecast to increase 162% from 2017 to 2022.
• The total production of  U.S. cultivation (illicit + legal) in 2017 was estimated to be 16.4 million pounds
• The combined consumption (illicit + legal) of 4.1 million MWh is roughly equal to the total electricity generated annually by the Hoover Dam.
• It takes indoor cultivators over 18X more electricity to produce a gram of cannabis than an outdoor cultivator (kWh/gram).
• Legal cannabis cultivation generated an estimated 472 thousand tons of electricity-related carbon in 2017; that is expected to increase as the legal markets expand over the next five years.
• 25% of all cannabis electricity consumption is from legal operations, while illicit operations are still a factor in forecasting electricity demand.

Visit NewFrontierData.com/2018Energy to download the full report, which contains many more findings on cannabis cultivation’s energy consumption, carbon emissions, benchmarks and best practices.

About New Frontier Data: 
New Frontier Data is an independent, technology-driven analytics company specializing in the cannabis industry. It offers vetted data, actionable business intelligence and risk management solutions for investors, operators, researchers and policymakers. New Frontier Data’s reports and data have been cited in over 69 countries around the world to inform industry leaders. Founded in 2014, New Frontier Data is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with additional offices in Denver, CO, London, UK, Bogota, Colombia, and Hong Kong. 

New Frontier Data does not take a position on the merits of cannabis legalization. Rather, its mission and mandate are to inform cannabis-related policy and business decisions through rigorous, issue-neutral and comprehensive analysis of the legal cannabis industry worldwide. For more information about New Frontier Data please visit: http://www.NewFrontierData.com.

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