As a new cannabis grow facility began construction in state of Massachusetts, the owners quickly discovered that their cooling and lighting needs would be a huge financial burden on the facility. Instead of bearing the huge electric bills, they teamed up with Energy Choice to find an onsite power generation solution that would work for them.

Energy Choice conducted a full analysis and concluded that a power solution comprised of two 550kW natural gas reciprocating engines could provide enough power to completely meet the power needs of the grow facility. And by collecting the waste heat in the form of hot water and sending it to absorption chillers, the units would be able to produce free cooling to further reduce the electric costs. This solution is called a combined heat and power system, or a CHP.

The 1100kW (gross capacity) and 400-ton CHP system was installed, and it has been operating 24/7. The system has given the facility electric resiliency by providing all electricity that is needed and keeping the site connected to the utility to be used as backup power. Due to relatively low natural gas costs, electricity is produced by the CHP units for almost half the cost of buying it from the utility. And about 400 tons of cooling is available for no additional cost, which slashes the operational costs of the grow facility and significantly increases profits.