Ep 356 - Indoor Cultivation With Half the Energy Costs? This Sustainable Company Is Paving the Way

CannaInsider - Interviews with the Business Leaders of The Legal Cannabis, Marijuana, CBD Industry

Does indoor cannabis cultivation have to come with environmental drawbacks? Not anymore.

One company has found a way to minimize its emissions AND cut costs in half - all with the power of the sun. Here to tell us about it is Edward Dow of Solar Therapeutics, the first energy-independent dispensary in the world.

Learn more at https://solarthera.com

Key Takeaways:

[2:17] An inside look at Solar Therapeutics, the world’s first energy-independent cannabis cultivation and retail facility based in Somerset, MA

[2:57] Ed’s background in engineering and what led him to become CEO of Solar Therapeutics

[5:55] Solar’s unique indoor cultivation facility, including its extensive solar arrays and centralized heating and cooling systems

[8:32] How Solar implemented its own microgrid to create a 100% self-sufficient, energy-independent facility

[10:40] How Ed was able to bootstrap what’s now a multi-million dollar operation entirely from private investors

[15:25] Solar’s collaboration with Fluence to earn over $1 million in energy efficiency rebates

[17:30] The advantages of broad-spectrum LEDs for energy costs and crop yields

[19:56] How Solar significantly offsets its costs through its heating and cooling systems

[22:36] Solar’s energy costs versus other similar vertically-integrated dispensaries

[25:15] The cannabis industry’s growing carbon footprint and what it will take for companies to implement more sustainable practices

[28:21] The best-selling products in Massachusetts and new trends to look out for

[30:12] Solar Therapeutics’ goals to become a multi-state operator, from Rhode Island to New York and beyond