Considering the complexity of these large-scale cannabis facilities, it does not come as a surprise that growers are increasingly looking for integrated solutions. “At the inception of this industry, the majority of projects stemmed from a legacy mentality that didn’t really put efficiency first,” says Brian Hajdarovic, chief operating officer at Adaptiiv. “So, energy grids are becoming increasingly strained with the ramp-up of indoor cultivation facilities.’
As the market evolved, the necessity of cutting operational costs as well as increasing the quality of the products has become more compelling. “When setting up such sophisticated facilities, piecemealing different types of machinery and trying to tie them together is a very challenging and costly process,” Brian continues. “That is exactly why we have developed a system composed of all critical cultivation components, e.g. LEDs, HVACD, and Facility Controls, all the way through facility design.”
One solution to 'find them all'
“We are combining dehumidification, cooling, and heating in one unit,” Ross Bevevino, Chairman at Adaptiiv, explains. “Our liquid-cooled LEDs can remove up to 90% of waste heat from the grow, which conversely reduce the cooling load on the HVAC. On top of that, the excessive heat is repurposed into the dehumidification system.” Relying on just one supplier for setting up the entire cultivation can be extremely precious as it allows growers to understand how everything is connected within a large-scale grow and have a univocal picture of their operation. “Then, all the system is tied together through our proprietary IoT control platform; in this way, it’s possible to tweak different parameters and modulate each component of the system to control and hold the environmental setpoints throughout the entire duration of the grow cycle”
Such an integrated system not only gives growers a huge piece of mind as they do not have to juggle between different control platforms (BMS, Enviornmenta control, manufacturing/extractions, fertigation etc.), but it also addresses one of the hot topics in the cannabis industry: sustainability. “We pride ourselves to have the most environmentally sustainable and energy-efficient cultivation system for indoor cannabis,” Ross continues. “Because of regulations, but also because of certain climate conditions, indoor is the only option sometimes. This puts a strain on resources such as water and electricity. At the same time, there is still a massive shortage of cannabis in some states. In Massachusetts, for instance, current growers can probably only suffice 60% of adult-use demand in the state. Thus, it’s crucial to find a way to increase production while decreasing the carbon footprint.”
Keeping an eye on the future
“We have been constantly stressing the importance of increasing efficiency, especially with regards to the energy expenses. This would conversely have a positive impact on the environment, but also on the success of a grower. Cannabis is a commodity, and as such, the average cost per pound is going to decrease.” This is especially true considering the discussion over legalization in the US. “Yet, I don’t believe that with federal legalization we’d see cross-state commerce, for instance,” Ross points out.
“What is essential to our business is access to traditional banking and the protections of the FDIC and The Securities Act of 1933 which would open the US exchanges and US Invesment Banking coverage, and then let each state handle the sector themselves. This is because there are unique characteristics to each location that only states themselves are aware of, and it should be left up to them how to manage that. I think that we are going to see each state will have its own environmental parameters in place. The Adaptiiv system is perfect for that too, as it allows for different configurations, for scale while staying environmentally friendly.”
For more information:
Adaptiiv Grow Technologies
38 Grove St, Ridgefield, CT 06877
+1 (833) 488–GROW
[email protected]
adaptiivgrow.com