Tuesday, February 25
Day Two:
From Illicit to State-Of-The-Art: Indoor Agriculture Origins and Future
8:00-9:00AM Breakfast
La Jolla Ballroom Salon E
9:00-9:30AM Perspectives on Indoor Agriculture: How drug policy led to
illicit indoor production, and its effect on energy and society
Our provocative, don’t-miss opening session features experienced cannabis leaders who will offer a fresh perspective on the roots of indoor agriculture and its role in cultivating a better future for our society and our natural environment.
Jesce Horton, Founder, Minority Cannabis Business Association
Kristin Nevedal, International Cannabis Farmers Association
Lindsay Robinson, California Cannabis Industry Association
La Jolla Ballroom – General Session
9:30-9:45AM Welcome & Purpose of our Gathering
Derek Smith, Resource Innovation Institute
La Jolla Ballroom – General Session
10-10:45AM Insights on What the Latest Data are telling us About Energy,
Carbon and Water Impacts
Join leading researchers and engineers who are studying the energy, and water consumption of today’s range of cannabis cultivation methods and how outdoor to greenhouse to indoor approaches differ in their impact. Learn how these numbers vary from the industry’s illicit market past, how climate zones affect energy and water needs, the new technologies that are driving efficiencies, and how cannabis facilities’ performance compare to other those growing other crops.
Nick Collins, Energy & Resource Solutions
Bryan Jungers, E Source
Ted Grantham, Berkeley Cannabis Research Center
La Jolla Ballroom – General Session
11:-11:45AM Globalization, Consolidation, and Segmentation: The Cannabis
Industry in 2025
From hemp to THC, where the market is heading, how production might shift, and potential resulting energy and carbon emissions implications
A conversation between Noelle Skodzinksi, Cannabis Business Times, and Beau Whitney, New Frontier Data
La Jolla Ballroom – General Session
12-12:45PM Lunch
La Jolla Ballroom- Salon E
1:00-1:30PM Keynote: The Massachusetts Model
Hear about the decision-making process that led to the world’s first comprehensive law focused on managing energy use in indoor grow environments directly from Commissioner Kay Doyle, the Cannabis Control Commission’s regulatory lead. She will provide an overview of the rules, an update on their rollout plans, and a projection of their impact on the Massachusetts market.
Introduced by Leora Radetsky, DesignLights Consortium
Comm. Kay Doyle, Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission
La Jolla Ballroom General Session
1:45-3:00PM Shaping a Policy Roadmap for Low-Carbon Agriculture: Siting,
Standards, Incentives, Renewables & More
States have a variety of energy and climate objectives, which may not be compatible with the economic and social interests driving indoor cultivation of cannabis and other crops. Some topics for our panel discussion include:
- How should states set requirements for managing energy use and carbon emissions in controlled agricultural environments to ensure a common policy direction?
- How can we assess initial steps taken by jurisdictions in regulated cannabis markets?
- Given the nascent state of our collective understanding of how to optimize efficient cultivation, how should we develop a flexible policy framework that can be developed as our learning evolves?
Jen Hensley, Sierra Club
Brian Anderson, Anderson Porter Design
Molly Graham, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Derek Smith, Resource Innovation Institute
La Jolla Ballroom – General Session
3:15 - 4:15PM The Dank Dirt: Lessons from early regulated markets
Local jurisdiction determines the “time, place, and manner” of cannabis cultivation operations. Permitting, zoning and other decisions have significant energy and carbon emissions impacts and ramifications on local communities. Join public and private sector leaders as they speak from their experience across a range of issues, from strategies for controlling odors and ensuring air quality to code requirements to tax concepts for offsetting carbon emissions.
Kaitlin Urso, Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment
La Jolla Ballroom – General Session
4:30-5:15PM Breakout Sessions
Growers, meet utilities. Utilities, meet growers.
Be part of an open dialogue between utilities and their new customer class, as the panel offers their observations on opportunities for improvement, and their opinions on the future of the utility-grower relationship in the CEA market.
Bob Gunn, Seinergy
Paul Sellew, Little Leaf Farms
Fran Boucher, National Grid
Jesse Peters, Mantis Growth Investments
Gary Corlett, Southern California Edison
Newport Room: First Floor
Best Practices on Cultivating with LED Lighting
Join an expert discussion about emerging best practices on with guidance on a range of issues; hear how to adequately measure photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), how to achieve good lighting uniformity, and how to optimize energy efficiency and plant growth. Learn from our panel of speakers who contributed to RII’s peer-reviewed Best Practices Guide: LED Lighting for Cannabis Cultivation & Controlled Environment Agriculture.
Neil Yorio, BIOS Lighting
Ihor Lys, Agnetix
Mike Zartarian, Zartarian Engineering
Gretchen Schimelpfenig, Resource Innovation Institute
Irvine Room: First Floor
The Hort Report
Horticultural use cases are a new and rapidly evolving application for LED lighting and control solutions. Get the scoop on the initial product types, market segments, and utility programs. Our experienced panel will share their thoughts on trends and pinch points seen in product application and development of program requirements
.
Leora Radetsky, DesignLights Consortium
Lauren Morlino, Efficiency Vermont
Corinne Wilder, Fluence by OSRAM
John Wilson, Lighting Design Lab
Coronado Room: First Floor
5:30 - 8:00PM Networking Dinner/Attendee Reception
La Jolla Courtyard
6:30 - 7:30PM California Cannabis Energy Code Dialogue
Join members of the California Cannabis Industry Association and the Title 24 code proposal writers for the Codes & Standards Enhancement (CASE) Team, for an open conversation about the Title 24 energy code process, timeline and covered measures. Feedback on code proposals will be submitted to the California Energy Commission.
Coronado Room: First Floor