What if a puffy, white cloud could pass over an indoor farm, and sprinkle – or pour – dollars into the farm owner or operator’s pocketbook?
For many indoor farms with large electric loads, this isn’t that far-fetched of a notion.
What is Demand Response?
The idea is called Demand Response (DR), and it’s not a new one. In fact, it’s been around for long enough that innovations in DR program design and the advent of third-party program facilitators make it a much more attractive option for businesses hoping to squeeze additional revenue from their facilities.
The best way to describe DR is that large businesses – especially indoor cultivation operations – can sell their ability to, say, allow the virtual cumulous cloud to pass overhead for a few minutes a few times a month.
How can an indoor cultivator benefit from Demand Response?
In practice, this means that for a grower who participates in a DR program, any time they dim their lights or other mechanical equipment by a small percentage for a short period of time (between 15-60 minutes) when asked, the grid operator will pay them cold, hard cash.
For most DR participants, it’s about making ever so slight changes in energy use intensity, not about shifting production from midday to the middle of the night.
But why would a grid operators offer this? Because spread across over multiple users, this aggregated reduced demand means less strain on the grid, a lower likelihood to turn on dirty “peaker plants,” and even a reduced chance of brown-outs — even on the most grid-stressed days.
For growers, it sounds scary to reduce power demand, especially when those plant-dependent photons are providing the life force away in the middle of a grow cycle. But in practice it doesn’t need to hurt productivity. Imagine a cloud casting a slight shadow over a field for 15-20 minutes. Think about it: for eternity, plants have managed to grow in parts of the world that experience a little bit of cloud activity every now and again, even in the Hindu Kush or Blue Mountains of Jamaica.
One study is rumored to suggest that cannabis plants may even thrive on a little intermittent cloud activity. (If you’ve seen or read this study, please share!)
These days in particular, a little extra cash could go a long way to extend a grow operation’s viability.
Do you know of any indoor cultivators who have let a few clouds float over their plants? If so, how do the plants respond? Do you know any growers who may be inclined to try a demand response program?
Enlighten Your Grow provides energy and sustainability solutions to indoor cultivators. We are happy to answer any questions about how we can help your business grow while saving energy and money.