The cannabis boom has kept the city of Denver flushed with cash from sales of cannabis and tourists coming to the city to try out the goods.
To produce all the plants needed to supply the city costs money. Asl the power company about it.
Per CPR
As Denver’s marijuana industry grows, so does its power needs. CPR News has obtained new data from Denver’s Department of Public Health and Environment that shows the energy-hungry plants soak up nearly 4 percent of the city’s total electricity use.
“It’s significant,” said Emily Backus, sustainability advisor for the department. Marijuana’s share of the energy pie is “growing overall at a much faster rate than the overall energy use in the city,” which has increased 1 to 2 percent in recent years.
There’s good news in the data: the amount of energy used per pound of marijuana grown is on the decline. The challenge is that the growing demand for marijuana is prompting facilities to produce more and more plants.
“It actually means that they’re becoming more efficient in their facilities,” she said, and yet the energy use trajectory continues to plot upward for the industry.
There is more to the story. Listen to CPR’s interview here.