The cannabis industry is seeing some of the rapid and innovative technological advances of any business sector. From cultivation to smart tech at the dispensary level and consumer products, it’s an exciting time to be a cannabis aficionado and tech enthusiast.
This year, Cannabis & Tech Today celebrates 12 standout organizations honored with the 2024 CannaTech Innovation Awards. These trailblazers are shaping the future of cannabis. While the winners are presented in no particular order, we’re kicking off our series with a company that’s revolutionizing indoor growing: Day Arc Environmental Systems.
Our esteemed panel of judges, including Mary Jane Oatman (COO of ICIA), Lance Lambert (CMO of Grove Bags), Rob Pero (Founder and CEO of Canndigenous and ICIA), Aron Vaughan (Managing Editor of Cannabis & Tech Today), and Charles Warner (Editor-in-Chief of Cannabis & Tech Today), carefully reviewed numerous submissions to select the 12 most truly innovative products and services of 2024.
Day Arc offers a truly unique approach to indoor cultivation, harnessing geothermal cooling and water-cooled components to drastically reduce energy consumption and environmental impact. Their innovative systems not only cut energy costs by up to 70% but also provide growers with unparalleled control over their environments, leading to higher yields and superior quality.
To learn more about Day Arc’s vision and the impact they hope to make on the cannabis industry, we sat down with their team for an exclusive Q&A.
Q&A With Day Arc Environmental Systems
Cannabis & Tech Today: What does winning the 2024 Innovation Award mean to your company?
Day Arc: The award is a great acknowledgement of the hard work our team has put in during the last few years. As a new company, this honor is excellent third-party validation that our indoor grow innovations with significant cost savings for growers are on the right track for the industry.
C&T Today: What has the past year been like for your business, and how has Day Arc Environmental Systems contributed to your growth or success?
DA: While the overall carbon-neutral design has been in the works for nearly ten years, we launched our official offering to the public in April of 2024, and the response has been spectacular! We currently have five projects in development, and visitors to our R&D facility in Marietta, Ohio—from top-tier engineers to highly accomplished growers—have provided an overwhelmingly positive response.
C&T Today: What do you think it takes to be an award-winning brand or product in the cannabis industry today?
DA: We believe award-winning brands and products are true to the plant and have a genuine approach to business. We also respect and acknowledge the efforts and sacrifices that have been made by advocates in the past to get the industry to its current inflection point. Brands come and go, sometimes quickly, in this space. To stay relevant and succeed long-term, innovative and high-quality products need to cut through the clutter and effectively communicate their value to the consumer.
C&T Today: How do you see your product impacting the cannabis industry in the next few years?
DA: Not to be hyperbolic, but Day Arc Environmental Systems will revolutionize indoor cannabis cultivation. We utilize geothermal cooling and water-cooled components to reduce energy consumption by up to 70% compared to a standard grow design. The HVAC requirement for our system is typically one-tenth of a standard grow, resulting in more reactive and nimble environmental controls. This precision increases quality and yield in easily measurable metrics.
With our engineering, construction, and financing partners, we can offer a turnkey solution, including Investment Tax Credits (ITCs) and financing at great rates. Most projects will have a ROI of less than two years. Our innovation positions Day Arc as a leader in cannabis cultivation, helping to remodel a formerly energy-intensive, high-cost sector into an eco-friendly industry with significant long-term cost savings.
C&T Today: If you could give one piece of advice to other innovators in the cannabis space, what would it be?
DA: Think big! Our industry is very much in its infancy. Hopefully, cannabis will be rescheduled from a Schedule I to Schedule III drug in 2025. If and when that happens, there will be an industry acceleration like no other to date. Be ready.
C&T Today: What’s next for your company? Are there any exciting developments or goals you’re working toward in 2025 and beyond?
DA: We plan to focus on the Ohio market for the next 12 months before our national launch. With the newly established recreational market and large population, Ohio will be the epicenter of the largest canopy expansion in the U.S. for the next 2-3 years. We will build our reputation with quality installations and cultivation partners. Our national launch is planned for 2026.
There is a unique opportunity coming up in Ohio. While many details are still being outlined, our new recreational law allows for the issuance of 40 new cultivation licenses, called Level 3 licenses, with 5,000 ft² of canopy. This is an excellent opportunity to create a craft grow offering in our state, focusing on quality and a hand-curated, wide selection of products. We have a Level 3 facility design completed and will be helping up to 30 clients submit applications for Level 3 licenses in Ohio. We utilize 22 geothermal wells, Day Arc water-cooled components, and a ½ MW solar array. This is hands down the most efficient grow design in the world, approaching carbon neutrality.
Lastly, our precise controls and resulting measurable metrics provide our indoor grow clients with important business aspects beyond cost savings and carbon neutrality. Day Arc Environmental Systems’ comprehensive Direct Digital Control (DDC) package and resultant documentation allow growers to acquire crop insurance and attractive financing—key business components that have been elusive in the cannabis industry.
A Future Rooted in Sustainability
Day Arc Environmental Systems exemplifies the innovative spirit the 2024 CannaTech Innovation Awards aim to celebrate. By merging cutting-edge technology with an unwavering commitment to sustainability, they are paving the way for a greener, more efficient future in cannabis cultivation. As they set their sights on Ohio and beyond, Day Arc is poised to become a cornerstone of the industry’s next chapter.
Stay tuned for our next feature in this series as we continue to highlight the companies shaping the future of cannabis technology and innovation.
