> Award-winning medical marijuana grower, dispensary, and consulting business lights up with LED technology for improved yields with energy savings.

Denver Relief is a tenured group of cannabis professionals

dedicated to providing the highest quality medicine, service, and

experience to registered Colorado medical marijuana patients.

They are passionate Denver citizens that strive to enhance the lives

of their patients while changing the perception of marijuana as a

viable and safe medicine for an array of conditions. Denver Relief

is an active member of the community through social action and

philanthropy based on an understanding that they cannot succeed

unless their neighbors do too.

Denver Relief is a medical marijuana center and wellness service

provider located at 1 Broadway in the heart of Denver, Colorado,

and founded on the principle that there exists a healthier approach

to personal wellness management than what conventional

medicine and practice have dictated in recent history.

Denver Relief has successfully assisted thousands of patients

reduce or entirely eliminate their dependency on synthetic

pharmaceuticals which they had been accustomed to taking

to treat a myriad of debilitating conditions. By finding the most

appropriate way to medicate with cannabis, promoting healthy

ingestion habits and encouraging healthy activities, Denver Relief

have been vital partners in improving the quality of life for our

patients since 2009.

Project: Denver Relief Medical Marijuana Center Grow Facility

Location: Denver, Colorado

Clients: Founding Partners Nick Hice, Kayvan Khalatbari, and Ean Seeb.

LED Solutions Provider: Ryall Group

Photography Credit: Ryan Ryall

FIXTURES USED:

• VividGrow broad spectrum highbay

CREDITS:

Denver Relief Medical Marijuana CenterDenver, Colorado

Challenge

For the owners of Denver Relief MMC, saving energy and energy

costs are an important part of their sustainable business model.

In an increasingly competitive MMJ market, business owners

need an energy saving solution in order to compete by lowering

operational costs, increase yields, and not affect quality of their

product. There has been a significant black-eye syndrome

with regard to LED technology for grow applications. This is

a result of poorly performing fixtures, erroneous or misleading

marketing claims, and the lack of experience and knowledge

from manufacturers on what and how to measure light in the

correct units for plant lighting applications. Lighting Science

has invested in providing top engineering and photobiological

expertise in the development and support of their VividGrow

product line. After discussing the potential energy savings their

operation could achieve by converting 1000W HPS lamps to

an LED solution, Denver Relief put the LSG VividGrow highbay

fixture to the test.

Solution

The Ryall Group chose the Lighting Science VividGrow Highbay

fixture as the best solution for the flowering room installation-

for both the highest light output and highest efficiency LED

grow fixture on the market. Additionally, Lighting Science

provided subject matter expertise in the conversion from the

energy-wasteful HPS lighting to the LED solution as well as

participate in the optimization of the installation for maximum

benefit. A side by side test between HPS and LED was

performed using 9 plants of the strain “Bio-Diesel” and “Durban

Poison” for 70 days.

Conversion from grams to pounds used 448g/lb.

Conversion from grams to pounds used 448g/lb.

Test 1: Yield components for Denver Relief strain “Bio-Diesel”

finished product grown with HPS or LED.

Results of the test with Bio-Diesel showed a 13% increase in

finished product yield, 40% less energy consumed, and a 58%

increase in conversion efficiency from electrical power to

finished product.

Test 2: Yield components for Denver Relief strain “Durban

Poison” finished product grown with HPS or LED.

Results of the test with Durban Poison showed a 6% increase

in finished product yield, 40% less energy consumed, and a

49% increase in conversion efficiency from electrical power to

finished product.

“ At first we were skeptical about switching to LED

technology, due to the negative impact that previous LED

grow fixture manufacturers have created in this market. We

accommodated two tests using the LSG fixtures and had

impressive results” said Nick Hice, co-owner and principle

at Denver Relief MMC and Denver Relief Consulting. “We

are planning to expand our grow operation, and conversion

to Lighting Science LED technology will be part of those

plans. We have begun advocating the incorporation of this

technology in our consulting business as well”

When compared to the original 36 fixture 1000W HPS flowering

room configuration, Lighting Science provided a solution

that reduced the electrical requirement from 33,264 kWh to

23,587 kWh for a savings of 9,677 kWh, which equates to a

40% electrical cost savings while improving yield. An additional

energy savings for heat removal further adds to the overall ROI.

Dry Weight (g)

Dry Weight(oz)

Dry Weight(lbs)

Power(kW)

THC(%)

Efficiency(g/kWh)

HPS

793 28.32 1.77 33,264 27.05 0.86

LED

894 31.93 2.00 23,587 26.07 1.36

Dry Weight (g)

Dry Weight (oz)

Dry Weight (lbs)

Power (kW)

THC (%)

Efficiency (g/kWh)

HPS

796 28.43 1.78 33,264 16.45 0.86

LED

840 30.00 1.88 23,587 24.22 1.28