News headlines on Elon Musk who rightfully questioned the carbon heavy price of Cryptocurrency mining which begs the question that I need to ask Elon, which is, how carbon neutral is that joint you are smoking? Sadly most cannabis cultivations are quite far away from realizing carbon neutrality too. Consider early adopters like Colorado and Oregon: In Denver, cannabis facilities are consuming 4% of the city’s electricity, while Oregon has experienced localized blackouts due to the added strain on the electric grid from indoor cannabis facilities. Hopefully soon we can also ask Elon to not Bogart that carbon neutral joint, my friend.
Getting to a net-zero-carbon energy system is essential in many industries. It will be a major effort, one that requires significant investment in new low-carbon infrastructure, from renewable power plants to energy efficient HVAC and Lighting, and better constructed buildings. Zam Energy uses Energy as a Service to get the ball rolling sooner. But it is more than just adding renewables.
Renewable Energy Capacity Has Soared—But Carbon Emissions Continue to Increase
The increase in the use of renewable energy—and the commitment by some U.S. corporations to use only renewables—is increasing. But despite the massive increase in renewable generation in the United States and elsewhere, the world has not significantly reduced annual emissions, with the result that cumulative emissions have increased steadily since 1992. Over the last decade, global emissions from fossil fuels averaged 34 gigatons of carbon dioxide (GT CO2) per year. If current trends continue, the world is set to breach the carbon dioxide threshold of 450 parts per million before 2040. The surge in renewables notwithstanding, continuation of the current trajectory will lock in at least 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F) warming in the next few decades—with catastrophic consequences (Carbon Brief 2016).
Zam Energy is here to reduce emissions in buildings and bring clean onsite energy.
The private sector has the technology and know-how to deliver net-zero carbon buildings, and companies want to make progress. For example, in June 2019, the American Institute of Architects voted "overwhelmingly" to call on its 94,000 global members to "exponentially accelerate the decarbonization of buildings, the building sector, and the built environment.”
Energy as a Service (EaaS) allows a business to pay for an energy service without having to make an upfront investment. That “energy service” could mean retrofitting a facility, bringing on-site lower cost more efficient power, even renewable energy, all on a fixed monthly fee.
Zam Energy’s EaaS model is leading the way for cannabis facilities and we are expanding into industrial markets, expecting microgrids as a service is tapped and on the horizon.
Using the EaaS model for cannabis may make it easier for Elon to find more carbon neutral cannabis to roll his own - hopefully sooner versus later.