Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency

Cannabis Workshop

Joe Sullivan, Cultivate Energy

April 29, 2020

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Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Programs: COVID-19

• Financial assistance for Ameren Illinois customers

• Service disconnections suspended and forgiveness of late fees for non-payment until further notice

• Customers needing assistance with paying their bill should contact the customer care team

at AmerenIllinois.com for payment options

• Resources for small business support

• Resources on appropriate PPE

• Links to information to support your business

• Links to webinars with information on COVID-19

AmerenIllinoisSavings.com/COVID-19

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Cultivate Energy Optimization

• Cannabis energy program design and

implementation

• 5 programs in serving utilities & government in

CA, CO, and Canada

• 75+ cannabis participants

• Market engagement, rebate administration,

trade-ally management, energy savings, and

load-shifting/shedding

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• Lighting Power Density (LPD)

• Photosynthetic Photon Efficacy

Illinois Cannabis Technology Standards

Lighting

• High Efficiency Equipment

HVAC

• Automated watering systems

• > 20% runoff

• Reuse of HVAC and

dehumidification condensate

Water

Energy Use & Efficiency

Reporting

Please take out your phones and go to

PollEv.com/joes351

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Resources Production

Indoor Plant Production

(Dr. Toyoki Kozai)

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Indoor Plant Production

Productivity =Outputs

Inputs=

Plant Responses

Resource Utilization=

Revenue

Expenses

= Profitability

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• Energy can be an asset and not

cost

• Utilize energy management to

increase profits

• Best time to optimize energy use is

before plants are growing!

Changing Market Conditions

(CO Dept. of Revenue)

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Photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD): The

amount of light that reaches the plant. It’s a

measurement of the amount of PAR that is delivered

in μmol/m2/s.

Daily lighting integral (DLI): The total amount of

light that is delivered to the canopy each day during

the photoperiod. Measured in mol/m2/d, this is the

amount of light (photons) that reach the canopy while

lights are on each day.

Lighting

Lumens are for Humans, PAR is for Plants

Photosynthetic active radiation (PAR):

The portion of the light spectrum used by plants -

between 400 & 700 nanometers. This is different

from the visible spectrum humans see.

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Lighting Efficiency

Illinois Efficiency & Technology Standards

• Lighting Power Density (LPD):

Cultivation space will not exceed an

average of 36 watts per gross square

foot of active and growing space canopy

or

• Fixture Efficacy: All installed lighting

technology shall meet a photosynthetic

photon efficacy (PPE) of no less than 2.2

micromoles per joule.

PPE (Photosynthetic Photon Efficacy)

• PPE (Photosynthetic Photon

Efficacy): is the PAR photon output of

a light source (measured in micromoles

per second or µmol/s) divided by the

input power (Watt) to produce that light.

• Measurement of how efficient a fixture is

at turning electricity into usable light by a

plant (μmol/J). To calculate this simply

divide PPF by the total input power of

the light fixture (lamp + ballast) - PPF/

input fixture wattage.

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Light Intensity & Spectrum

Recommended PPFD (μmol/m2/s) for Cannabis

Clone Vegetative Flower

100-300 300-600 600-1,200

LED HPS

MH T5

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Light Fixture Comparison

Fixture Type

Vegetative

T5HO 54W 8

Lamp

Vegetative

1000W Metal

Halide

Flower

1000W HPS-DE

Flower

600W LED

Total Electrical

Input (watts or J/s) 432 1060 1060 565

Fixture Efficiency

- PPE (μmol/J)0.89 0.8 – 1.2 1.7 – 2.1 2.3 - 3.5

Light Delivered to

Plant - PPFD

(μmol/m2/s)

240 484 780 835

DLI (mol/m2/d) 15.55 31.6 33.7 36.07

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Horticulture Lighting Design

Key Considerations

• Average Intensity (PPFD) & uniformity throughout

entire canopy

• Spectrum (Spectral Irradiance / Wavelength/(m²nm)

• Total Input Power (W)

• Mount Height from Canopy (ft)

• Canopy Area (ft2)

• Cost-of-ownership of luminaire system meeting the

target PPFD.

– Initial Material & Install Cost ($)

– Annual Operating Cost ($)

– Rated Life

– Maintenance Cost ($)

– Incentives ($)

Inverse Square Law

• Doubling the distance between the light

and the canopy, will require four times as

much light to get the same PPFD

• Reducing the distance between the light

and the canopy by half, only requires

one quarter as much light to get the

same PPFD

“Light is brighter when it’s closer”

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Case Study: Lighting

Fixture Type QTYTotal Input

W

Canopy

Area

Mount Height

From

Canopy

Fixture

PPEPPFD

LPD

(W/ft2)

Annual

Energy Use

(kWh)

Annual

Energy Cost

($)

Project Cost

($)

1000W HPS

630W LED35

110107,800 3,000 ft2 3 ft 1.7 872 35.9 472,164 $29,274 $130,620

630W LED 145 91,350 3,000 ft2 1 ft 3in 2.7 835 30.5 400,113 $24,807 $158,340

$(18,901)

$(14,344)

$(9,788)

$(5,231)

$(675)

$3,882

$8,438

$12,995

$17,551

$22,108

$(30,000)

$(20,000)

$(10,000)

$-

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10

Cash Flow Over 10 Years

• Ameren Incentive = $8,819

• Payback w/o incentive = 6.1 years

• Payback w/ incentive = 4.1 years

• Annual Energy Savings = 73,492 kWh

• Annual Cost Savings = $4,556.51

• Incremental Cost = $27,720

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Case Study: Lighting & HVAC Interactions

Unit Type Light TypeTotal

Lighting kWAnnual HVAC

kWhAnnual Operating Cost

(4) 10-ton RTU HPS 211 265,570 $18,596

(4) 10-ton RTU LED 84.5 147,135 $10,299

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

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Daily HVAC Load Profile

HVAC HPS HVAC LED

• 2 IDENTICAL vegetative rooms

• 24hr photoperiod

WHY?

HVAC SYSTEM IS OVER SIZED!

• 60% reduction in lighting load

• Only 45% reduction in HVAC load

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Everything is Connected

Source: Argus Control Systems

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Indoor Plant Production Cooling Loads

Sensible Heat

• Sensible heat is a change in the

temperature in the air.

• The temperature on your thermostat

or heat you can sense.

Latent Heat

• Latent heat is the heat the

results from an increase or

decrease in the amount of

moisture held by the air.

• The amount of energy needed to

cause a phase change (for our

purposes, liquid-to-gas or gas-

to-liquid) without changing the

actual temperature of a

substance.

• Humidity itself isn't latent heat,

but humidity contains latent

heat.

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Indoor Plant Production Cooling Loads

Sensible Heat Latent Heat

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Evapotranspiration

• Latent load is directly related

to irrigation rates and plant

evapotranspiration

• Over 95% of water delivered

to the plants roots is released

back into the air

• Transpiration happens

thorough the stomata on the

leaf surface

• Liquid water turns into a gas

(water vapor)

• Exchange of gas is driven by

temperature of leaves and

internal vapor pressure

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HVAC Efficiency

IL Efficiency & Technology Standards

• >6,000 sf canopy all HVAC will be

high-efficiency ductless split, or other

more efficient equipment

• <6,000 sf canopy all HVAC will be

variable refrigerant flow (VRF), or

other more efficient equipment

Cooling Efficiency Metrics

• Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER):

Cooling efficiency of the entire A/C

system. It’s the ratio of net cooling

capacity (heat removed in Btu/h) to the

total input rate of electric energy

required (watt) (Btu/W/hr)

• Coefficient of Performance (COP):

Used to evaluate efficiency of heating or

cooling systems. It’s the ratio of the rate

of heat removal to the rate of energy

input to the systems compressor

• Cooling Load (kW/ton): Measured as

the efficiency of the systems

compressor. It’s the ratio of input energy

(kW) to the rate of heat removal (ton). SENSIBLE ONLY!

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Dehumidification Efficiency

Efficiency Metrics

• Moisture Removal Capacity (MRC): The

amount of moisture removed expressed in

lbs. of moisture/h or pints /day

• Moisture Removal Efficiency (MRE): Ratio

of moisture removal capacity to the kW at

any given set of standard rating conditions

expressed in lbs of moisture/kWh or

liters/kWh

• Moisture Removal Capacity (MRC) varies

based on equipment type and room

conditions (temp/RH)

• Manufactures report and test equipment

MRC at 80F/60% RH rated conditions

LATENT ONLY!

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HVACD Comparison

A/C &

Portable DeHu Units

• A/C system to handle sensible

cooling and remove small

portion of moisture (~15%)

• Portable dehumidifier sized to

remove moisture

• Dehumidifiers add heat to the

space

• A/C system to handle sensible

cooling and moisture

• Reheat system dehumidifies

through heat exchanger

• Portable dehumidifier may still

be required

• Integrated system designed to

provide sensible cooling and

moisture removal

• Modulates temp and humidity

based on sensible to latent ratios

• Can remove heat and/or add

heat for dehumidification

instantly

A/C w/ Enhanced DeHu &

Portable Units

Integrated

HVACD

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Case Study: HVACD

2,600 ft2 RoomA/C &

Portable DeHu Units

A/C w/ Enhanced

DeHu & Portable

Units

Integrated

HVACD

AC Energy Use (kWh) 67 53 24.5

Dehumidifier Energy Use

(kWh)48 22 24.5

Reheat (kWh) 0 28 16

Annual Energy Use (kWh) 299,000 267,800 169,000

Annual Operating Cost ($) $20,930 $18,746 $11,830

Annual Energy Savings

(kWh)31,200 130,000

Annual Cost Savings ($) $2,184 $9,100

EST. Ameren Illinois

Incentive$3,744 $15,600

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Case Study: HVACD Sizing

Air

TempRH VPD

Sensible

MBHUnit Clg.

Load

lb/hr

Unit

Capacity

lb/hr

Total Tons

75 55% 1.33 184 268 132 170 35

72 50% 1.34 185 198 129 132 40

70 45% 1.38 186 297 127 124 60

Air

TempRH VPD

Std. A/C

Sensible

MBH

Std. A/C

Sensible

MBH/ton

Std.

Tons

Required

Latent

Unit lb/hr

per ton

Latent

Tons

Required

Total Tons

Required

75 55% 1.33 184 8 23 4.1 26.4 49.4

72 50% 1.34 185 7 26.4 2.8 41.3 67.7

70 45% 1.38 186 6 31 1.8 72.3 103.3

• 1,800 ft2 Flower Room

• 1,348 ft2 canopy

• Plants = 900

• Lighting Watts = 72,000

• Watering Rate = 400 GPD

Integrated HVACD

A/C & Portable DeHu Units

13 X

Integrated HVACD =

30 – 42% Reduction

in Tonnage!

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Dehumidification Energy Recovery

Hot Gas Reheat

• Reduces A/C size

• 20 - 30% HVACD Savings

Heat Exchanger

• Avoid delivering very cold air to

plants

• “Free dehumidification reheat”

• Wrap around heat pipe / plate

heat exchanger Simultaneously

pre-cools and reheats

(MSP Technology)

(Desert Aire)

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Case Study: Air Flow

Fan Upgrade

• Vertical “destratification” fan for

uniform temp/humidity

• 60% reduction in total # of fans

Replacing (50) 550W HAF fans w/

(20) 200W vertical fans.

Source: Vostermans Ventilation

Total upgrade cost = $16,000

200,000kWh & 23kW saved!

Annual cost savings = $14,000

Payback = 1.2 yr(Vostermans Ventilation)

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Energy Use Tracking & Reporting

Cultivation Type

Electricity

Productivity

(grams/kWh)

Electricity

Intensity

(kWh/ft2/yr)

Production

Intensity

(grams/ft2)

Electricity Cost

($/gram)

Indoor 0.8 260 - 500 175 0.24

Greenhouse 1.1 100 - 300 48 0.21

Outdoor 14.4 0 - 10 29 0.01

• Track your metrics!

• Can’t manage what you can’t measure

Productivity =Outputs

Inputs=

Revenue

Expenses

= Profitability

• Electricity productivity best represents how

efficiently a cultivator is using electricity to product

cannabis

(New Frontier Data)

(Dr. Nadia Sabeh)

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• Lighting PPFD & Spectrum

• Cooling Evt’l Setpoint Control

Productivity = Profitability

• Dehumidification Evapotranspiration

• Airflow Evt’l Uniformity

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Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program

» Objective: Strategically allocate cash/technical

resources, reward real efficiency

» Underlying Concept – Everybody Wins

• Offset increase in energy demand due to growth

• Cost ratepayers less than new generation

(NRDC,+$7 Billion net savings)

» Funded by, and for, customers, since 2008

• EDR/GDR Rider on your bill

• Common pool of funds reallocated

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Program Resources

Local Energy Advisors

• Free site walk-

throughs/consultations

• Consult on projects/application

process

AmerenIllinoisSavings.com

Program Industrial Energy Manager

• Joe Birschbach

• Joseph.birschbach@leidos.com

• 636 215 5096

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Ameren Illinois Incentives

» Program Cash Available For your Facility!

» Application Process, three types

• Standard

• Custom

• Study (to originate custom applications)

• Typically paid upon project completion, based on kwh/therm saved

» Pre-Approvals (before PO cut)

• No – if <$10,000 incentive

• Yes – if >$10,000 incentive, or any Custom/Study applications

• …also, LIRF – if >$50,000 incentive

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Ameren Illinois Incentives

• Incentives/Applications for Cultivation Facilities

Standard

Unitary/Split HVAC, Furnace/Boilers, HVAC/Irrigation VFD’s, Standard Lighting (Non-

Grow), incentives vary based on size/number

Custom (Cultivation Facilities – anything non-standard or new construction)

Non-standard projects w/annual energy savings, 6 mo. – 10 year simple payback,

max. 80% project cost

$0.12/kwh saved, no max., 1-2 weeks pre/post metering typical

Feasibility Study (to support Custom project development)

Up to 75% third party costs ($20,000 max.) for technical analysis/modeling,

performance component

Metering & Monitoring Study (to support Custom project development)

Up to $30,000 for equipment/install costs, performance component

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Questions?

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Thank You!

Joe Sullivan

joe@cultivateeo.com

1.720.822.3719

Joe Birschbach

joseph.birschbach@leidos.com

1.636.215.5096