Kelly Schirmann
2 April 2007
ESCI 420
Microhydro Energy Systems for Medical Marijuana Farms in Humboldt County, CA
Humboldt County, California is one of the most prolific regions in the nation as
far as marijuana production is concerned, where the temperate inland climate of the more
remote areas of the county is ideal for large-scale growing operations. There are over
twenty estimated medical marijuana operations throughout the county, and independent
large-scale operations are estimated to be in the hundreds (DEA, ND). While only some
of these growers adhere to the semi-legitimate California State guidelines for medical
marijuana production under Proposition 215, the fact remains that marijuana cultivation,
harvesting, and distribution is a large source of employment in Humboldt, the poorest
county in the state of California where 19.5% of the population falls below the poverty
line (Greg, 2002) and the unemployment rate hovers between six and seven percent
(Fedstats, 2005). However, growing marijuana is extremely energy-intensive,
particularly for indoor growing operations which are often a necessity for climate
consistency and security reasons, and large diesel generators are often used to generate
electricity to support a hydroponics operation. But given the amount of rivers and
streams in Humboldt County (approximately 11% of the county consists of water
[Wikipedia, 2007]), particularly in remote southern regions, these diesel generators could
easily be replaced with micro-hydroelectric systems to produce clean energy for these
grows.
Marijuana cultivation is an extremely energy-intensive process. There are two
ways to grow on any scale: Indoor and outdoor. Typically, indoor growing is more
reliable because light, water, and pest conditions are more easily controlled. This ensures
that more usable product is produced and also, maybe most importantly, it protects
against police raids (for non-legitimate grows) and burglaries that outdoor growing
operations are more vulnerable to. Under California’s Proposition 215 or the
Compassionate Use Act of 1996, which “provides limited immunity from the prosecution
of possession and cultivation of marijuana… where medical use is deemed appropriate
and has been recommended by a physician” (HCDA, 2003), card-holding individuals are
allowed to possess up to 99 plants and be using 1.5 kW or less of power for indoor
artificial growing lights. Assuming constant illumination, an operation like this, within
legal state regulations, would consume up to 36kWh of energy per day, which isn’t that
much greater than the average energy usage of a household per day.
However, most independent growers possess far more plants and consume far
more energy: In January of 2004 Humboldt County authorities found a large indoor
operation near Reed Mountain in Southern Humboldt County, seizing 1,194 marijuana
plants and two 30kW diesel generators that were being used to supply off-the-grid
electrical power for artificial growing lights (Hanson, 2004). A grow like this therefore
has the potential to be consuming up to 1400 kWh of energy per day. In comparison, my
last electric bill from PG&E in my two-bedroom apartment for the month of February,
one of the colder months in Berkeley, was 214kWh for a 30-day period (PG&E, 2007).
Not only is this level of energy consumption costly, but it’s also extremely unsustainable.
Consistently running a 30kW diesel generator burns a lot of diesel fuel and consumes a
huge amount of energy.
To remedy this unsustainable energy situation, I would propose that microhydro
systems be installed near growing operations to supply off-the-grid electrical power to
growers. Microhydro is an ideal method of supplying energy to growers because of the
ready availability of water in the forms of rivers and creeks, particularly with the Eel
river in Southern Humboldt County. The climate of Humboldt County is extremely
temperate: “Summer is characterized by cool coastal temperatures and hot dry weather in
the interior mountain valleys [and] winter months are characterized by frequent
precipitation but seldom freezing along the coast” (Covelo, 2004), so the potential for
freezing damage to a microhydro installation would be low. The North and Middle Forks
of the Eel River are also fed by the snowmelt from the nearby Trinity Alps Mountain
Range, which seasonally increases the flow of water in the river, thereby increasing the
capacity of a microhydro system to generate electricity. Rivers like Redwood Creek and
Maple Creek are also fed by seasonal snowmelt from neighboring mountains, and most
larger waterways span great distances through the state, through high-elevation and lowpopulated areas where grows occur.
Because any microhydro energy-producing system for growers would be from
run-of-river systems, it would have to be a low-head operation. A low-head set-up
usually requires a large flow to produce a significant amount of power making a simple
propeller turbine a good option. Propeller turbines are variations on the Kaplan reaction
turbine, where incoming water is directed tangentially through the turbine’s wicket gate,
spiraling onto the propeller-shaped runner and causing it to spin. The outlet tube then
helps to decelerate the water and recover kinetic energy from the stream flow. When
coupled with a generator, these turbines can supply off-the-grid electrical power to a
specific site (Boyle, 1996). Hydro-powered generators could replace diesel generators
with little interference from California Fish and Game because of their low
environmental impacts and potential low visibility, and would also be a renewable energy
source that was emission-free.
Small-scale hydro is also relatively environmentally friendly and doesn’t pose the
same threats to fish populations in California that large-scale dams have in the past:
“Micro hydro, or small-scale hydro, is one of the most environmentally benign energy
conversion options available, because unlike large-scale hydro power, it does not attempt
to interfere significantly with river flows” (MicroHydro Web, 2000). In the nineties,
thousands of Salmon were killed along the Klamath River when too much water was
diverted to inland agricultural production, but these small-scale installations have almost
no environmental impact whatsoever. To supplement hydropower generation of
electricity for these grows, growers could also use biodiesel generators that use no fossil
fuels and would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Small-scale independent hydropower operations would be excellent renewable
energy sources for marijuana growers in Humboldt County, given the high availability of
waterways and the need for sustainable energy in that sector. Propeller turbines would be
ideal because of their relative ease in setting up and their compatibility with low-head and
medium- to high-flow sites, and would provide an otherwise extremely energy-intensive
process with a renewable energy source to reduce emissions and make medicinal
marijuana growth environmentally and economically sustainable.
References:
United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) (ND): California Medical
Marijuana Information. http://www.dea.gov/ongoing/calimarijuana.html. Accessed
March 2007.
Greg, Mister (2002): Life in a Pot Growing County. 3 a.m. Politics Magazine, 2002.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/politica/2002_jun/pot_county.html. Accessed March
2007.
Federal Statistics (2005): Humboldt County, California. http://www.fedstats.gov.
Accessed March 2007.
Wikipedia (2007): Humboldt County, California.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_County%2C_California. Accessed March 2007.
Humboldt County District Attorney – HCDA (2003): Humboldt County District
Attorney's Health & Safety Code §§ 11357 - 11360, Prosecution Guidelines: Humboldt
Medical Marijuana Guidelines. http://safeaccessnow.net/humboldt.htm. Accessed March
2007.
Hanson, Wayne (2004): Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Press Releases.
http://co.humboldt.ca.us/sheriff/pressreleases/default.asp?title=Press+Releases&url=press
ReleaseDetail.asp&ID=121. Accessed March 2007.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company PG&E (2007): Monthly Energy Statement, February
2007.
Covelo, California in Mendocino County (2004): Eel River Online Community Network.
http://www.covelo.net/eel_river/eelriver_maps.shtml. Accessed March 2007.
Boyle (1996): Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable Future. Open
University/Oxford Press, 1996.
MicroHydro Web (2000): Micro Hydropower basic: Introduction.
http://www.microhydropower.net/turbines.html. Accessed March 2007.