A Comparative Energy Analysis of Liquid and Solid Desiccant Technologies in Indoor Cannabis Cultivation.

Liquid Desiccant Air Conditioning and Dehumidification (LDAC) has been emerging in the past 10 to 15 years as an energy-saving alternative design for applications that require high moisture removal and a Cleantech solution that has the potential to provide significant energy savings when applied to more broad markets. Buildings are the primary users of electricity in the U.S., consuming about 75% of the total electricity produced and about 40% of all U.S. primary energy use and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A substantial portion of that energy is used for air conditioning and dehumidification. Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reports that U.S. buildings account for 35% of the U.S. carbon dioxide emissions that drive the climate crisis. One specific application that requires significant moisture removal is the indoor cultivation of legal cannabis. It is estimated by the DOE that by the end of this decade, electrical energy usage by indoor cannabis operations will be on par with the electrical energy consumed by either data centers or for the recharging of electrical vehicles. More recent projections indicate cannabis sales are expected to double from 2021 to 2030. As such, more efficient and economical methods of climate control are necessary for more widespread application in cannabis operations to reduce the energy requirements. The added emphasis should be on methods to first reduce the energy required before building the electrical generating infrastructure to support such growing industries. Climate control of indoor cannabis cultivation is one such aspect where energy-efficient air conditioning and dehumidification can contribute to reducing the projected energy usage by end of this decade. This paper gives an overview of a standalone LDAC system and a hybrid LDAC combined with an air handling unit. This paper will present indoor grow room case studies from a side-by-side installation of a hybrid LDAC unit and Desiccant Wheel (DW) air handling system in two identical cannabis grow rooms. Integration with a Combined Heat and Power (CHP or cogeneration) plant onsite supplying energy for both the technologies will be examined. Further, comparative energy analyses of LDAC, DW technology, and other widely used technologies in the HVAC indoor growing environment will be discussed. This will be the first comprehensive, side-by-side performance and energy analysis of competing desiccant (LDAC and DW) technologies in a controlled, indoor agriculture environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]