Oct. 1, 2008 - Traditional Medicinals has installed 1,450 solar panels to power its 70,000-square-foot tea factory and headquarters in Sebastopol, Calif.

The solar installation will generate 430,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, according to company estimates. Traditional Medicinals currently offsets 100% of its electricity use with wind credits.

The company's 8.5-acre facility also features its own water purification system, a wastewater disposal system, a fish pond for fire suppression, and drought-resistant landscaping with native plants.

"Energy independence has been a long-term goal at Traditional Medicinals," says co-founder Drake Sadler. "Our company operates according to a set of ethical business principles and practices which embrace environmental stewardship and advocate for social and cultural sustainability and preservation."

Manufacturing operations big and small are now looking to the sun for power. In April, Frito-Lay's SunChips factory in Modesto, Calif., installed a five-acre solar field. And in July, GM announced plans to build the world’s largest solar array, covering two million square feet, at its car assembly plant in Figueruelas, Spain.