Rapid Growth Of Marijuana Cultivation In Colorado Fuels Surging Energy Demand

Marijuana cultivation for the adult use market in Colorado has exploded since the market opened in January of 2014. Not only did the number of cultivation facilities more than double from 204 in January of 2014 to 471 in June of 2015, but the average number of plants produced by growing facilities expanded nearly six-fold, from 121 to 602 over the same period.

The impact of this rapid expansion on energy use in the state has been significant. According to Xcel Energy, cultivation facilities in Colorado consumed 200 million kilowatt hours in 2014 alone. Much of this usage was fueled by the energy of intensive lights used to grow the plant indoors.