There is a lot of competition out there; you know that. And the market is ripe for consolidation; you know that, too. So, with the U.S. cannabis industry on track to hit almost $25 billion in sales, according to New Frontier Data, how do you ensure you are doing what you can to make an impact in your grow house and set yourself up for success?
Take Control of Your Environment. Improve Your Harvest:
Environmental Control While control of water, nutrients, and lights on/lights off is second nature to most cultivators. Trying to control the temperature, humidity, and CO2 level in the space makes overall control exponentially more complicated. Understanding what it takes to control your environment and produce the most bountiful crops in 2022 may make all the difference for you and your company.
Top 5 Environmental Control Considerations for a Fruitful Crop
1) Reliability
2) Precision
3) Efficiency
4) Redundancy
5) Proper application
Reliability
At Data Aire, we understand the need for over-the-top reliability. We understand the expectation that the environmental control has to perform as expected or there are consequences. For 50 years, Data Aire has been designing and building custom equipment for use in one of the most demanding markets in the air conditioning business – data centers. You may not know it, but the data center business shares similar challenges with indoor cannabis cultivation. If the environmental control system stops working properly in a data center, like a grow; production shuts down. This loss in productivity, besides the possible loss or interruption of sensitive data transfer, may create the loss of tremendous amounts of revenue or even cause bankruptcy.
A History of Reliability. Just like the need for reliability in data centers back in 1967, Data Aire developed robust, innovative products designed to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year to provide data center professionals with peace of mind. Nearly a decade ago, Data Aire began collaborating with engineers and cannabis cultivators to develop gPod, the first all-in-one environmental control system for indoor grow facilities. We took proven technology for mission critical environments and engineered it to meet the requirements of the cannabis industry. Our software is specifically written for your project to help increase the reliability of the system and match your precise cultivation formulas.
Talking to a company that had been in a field [data centers] with the same requirements, was one of the things that swayed me to give gPod a shot. We made a decision [to choose gPod]…and we’re happy with it.
~ Adam Diltz, Chief Operating Officer, Illicit Gardens
Industrial grade materials vs. those used in commercial operations, makes a difference. Your grow facilities are considered process cooling operations and require longevity and reliability to sustain the viability of your grow. Data Aire has been manufacturing our systems with industrial grade equipment since its inception, and we bring those materials into the gPod design to offer robust hardware for your demanding needs.
“We wanted a state-of-the-art HVAC system. We chose the Data Aire gPods because they offer superior environmental control with minimal downtime – resulting in the best ROI for our medical marijuana operations.”
~ Peter Gallagher, Owner, INSA
Precision
Tight temperature and humidity control – that’s the name of the game. Data Aire takes your prescriptive design requirements and builds our mechanical systems to meet those demands with software specific to your environmental needs. Our years of experience mastering the environmental control for data halls, MRI rooms, museums, archives and other critical facilities that rely on extremely tight temperature and dew point control has helped us fine tune our equipment based on the individual needs of almost any space. Having worked for many years with CEOs and COOs of numerous grow facilities has also put us in an excellent position to understand the fundamental needs of the indoor agriculture market.
“Using a system like gPod that does what you ask it to do, that makes the temperature in the room the exact temperature you set on there, makes the humidity the exact humidity point that you set on there, that leads to a more bountiful, fruitful harvest.”
~ Adam Diltz, Chief Operating Officer, Illicit Gardens
Watch the Illicit Gardens Case Study Video
Factory mounted and wired controls installed on gPod by Data Aire make sure that all functions operate in harmony. Standard, factory-set programming can be modified by the cultivator to meet desired results. And it can all be done from your mobile device. gPod gives a cultivator total control.
- Temperature is controlled within a couple of degrees,
- Relative humidity is controlled within 3 to 5%,
- CO2 level is controlled within a few parts per million, and
- There are different set-points for all of that with lights on and lights off.
“gPod allows me to get a repeatable process so I can turn out lush crops over and over again.”
~Eli McLean, Chief Cultivator, THAT Grow
Efficiency
Design efficiencies allow for the maximum performance and productivity of your grow. Efficient operations, both energy and performance, is based upon the functionality of the applied equipment. Data Aire offers numerous ways to control the environmental conditions using any of the following combinations of single-stage, multi-stage and dual compressor options along with various reheat systems.
Tying these distinct options with our intelligent controls and custom software (addressed in the design stage) allows for changes in the environmental conditions, to allow for varying strategies or stages of growth in your operation.
“The versatility of gPod is really nice, from our cloning to the vegs room to the flowering rooms to even to our post processing rooms.”
Even the little things that you wouldn’t think of like the conversion from AC to DC power causes it to be more energy efficiency or the ability to get it in a high voltage variant – 480 – which again reduces the amp draw and overall energy consumption …comparing [gPod] to other products on the market…it was more efficient.”
~ Adam Diltz, Chief Operating Officer, Illicit Gardens
Your design engineer and your environmental control manufacturer need to be in synch. Together, they will offer you the technology you need to maximize your return on investment with the most efficient system.
Redundancy
It is imperative that true redundancy is considered in your design. Splitting your load evenly between two units isn’t going to be enough. Perhaps in the past, you were limited to this option — loading a room up with as many 5-ton commercial units as needed, and then maybe a couple of extra in case one goes out. But temperature and humidity will get out of control rapidly if you only size units for part load. In this scenario, you will have to remove half your crop or face losing the entire grow in the affected space if one of the units is being serviced for any reason, or you’ll need to move in temporary cooling/dehumidification which requires forethought, unplanned expense and greater time to market.
Watch the Illicit Gardens Case Study Video
Proper Application
When it comes to applying environmental control equipment, operators need to understand the design parameters of a specific system. Make sure the entire grow cycle is discussed up front with your engineering and operations team, so the right system and materials of construction can be selected. Make certain that external environmental impacts such as transpiration of heat and humidity from other spaces, design of the facility itself or how other heat loads may impact your rooms are considered. It is critical to confirm that the design team and Data Aire applications engineers are clear on all these factors, or you may see the limitations for that application sooner rather than later. Making changes once something is designed can have an impact on the performance of the equipment and its ability to respond as needed.
In Conclusion
A bountiful harvest relies on absolute control to optimize the quality and yield of your cannabis grow. gPod delivers a positive experience for both cultivator and owner through an all-in-one precision climate control system. It has become an integral part of maximizing their yields and quality in an increasingly competitive landscape. Having a reliable system with the efficiency and redundancy that data centers expect instills confidence in our cultivators and minimizes the headaches associated with system downtime.
To learn more about gPod, please visit our website.