Commercial growers in the burgeoning cannabis industry are increasingly finding that traditional, utility-provided electricity simply cannot meet their business and financial needs. Facilities are often remotely located and require enormous amounts of energy. Further, it can take several months or even years to secure the necessary electrical service upgrades. Many growers are considering on-site power solutions to meet these needs.
On-site power is a proven way to reduce energy costs and meshes well with the overall energy profile of a grow facility. Measuring the financial benefit of on-site power (aka- CHP or Combined Heat and Power) is straight forward but can be viewed as “outside the realm” of production. Upon further investigation, the diligent owner/designer will see energy systems as integral to the short and long-term success of the facility. When one weighs the value of lower OPEX, flexible & scalable solutions, resilience in event of grid outages and boosting gross margin, then CHP may become an important consideration during the facilities design.
Jim Koontz, VP of Sales & Marketing, RSP Systems
Jim Koontz is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for RSP Systems. As distributor for Capstone Green Energy, we offer the world’s leading developer and manufacturer of clean-and-green microturbine power generation systems. During his career Mr. Koontz has a wide range of experience with CHP, power generation, back-up power and energy consulting. Project experience includes CHP sizing & feasibility studies, financing, O&M, installation and commodities. Mr. Koontz was with Duke Energy, serving as VP for O&M services to a 520 MW Cogen plant located in Bridgeport CT. He worked for Veolia Energy, providing energy and commodity consulting services for commercial and municipal clients including CT DEEP, City of New Haven, Boehringer-Ingelheim and Becton Dickinson. Mr. Koontz was the VP of Sales and Marketing for a regional distributor for OPRA Turbine and Kohler Power, working closely with telecom and retail chains. Early in his career, Mr. Koontz was a Naval Officer and Gulf War Veteran. Mr. Koontz received his MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and his B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Norwich University. Mr. Koontz is a board member of NECHPI, and is a former board member of the CT Power and Energy Society. An active member of the AEE, he is a Certified Measurement & Verification Professional (CMVP).