Natural baby products manufacturer makes commitment to clean energy

Making clean, organic baby products can be a dirty job. Thanks to California Baby’s environmental stewardship, it’s become a job that’s almost entirely powered by clean energy. As the company grew from a kitchen start-up to a multi-national symbol of holistic health and success, its ownership felt it was time to come clean with solar power.

High demands

Solar modules find their home on California Baby’s busy rooftop.

Company founder Jessica Iclisoy has done everything possible to reduce her company’s electrical footprint, but there is only so much power that can be shaved from their production facility. Running production machines and HVAC systems during daytime hours is a must, but plentiful Southern California sunlight gave her the bright idea to call RA Power and Light to design and install a 78kW rooftop solar system.

After the installation was complete, the new system offset 80 percent of the facility’s energy demands—a remarkable reduction in electrical costs and environmental impacts. Due to the roof’s HVAC systems, satellite dishes and vent stacks, modules had to be divided into nine strings spaced out across the roof.

“We had a lot of equipment on the roof competing for space, so we needed a string inverter that could be as flexible as our designs called for,” said Michael Campbell, RA Power and Light’s CEO. “The Sunny Boys are everything we needed and more, they’ve kept this system running year after year without issue.”

The system’s nine strings use a total of 328 Canadian Solar 240 modules to send power to nine Sunny Boy 8000-US inverters. The inverters are mounted on one of the building’s exterior walls near a shipping bay, where they receive shelter from rain and are exposed to minimal environmental elements, helping to further prolong the system’s lifespan.

These Sunny Boys are making clean power just outside Los Angeles, an area known for dirty air and smog.

Walking the walk

California Baby’s switch to clean energy was an important step in the company’s evolution. By the time Iclisoy had her second son, the business had created a hit product with their Calming Shampoo & Bodywash and was continually developing and introducing new products. The rapid growth and expansion made California Baby one of the only natural baby products line to make the jump from niche market to a nationally recognized brad, selling in top retailers.

Now equipped with a Hollywood celebrity following and international fame in places such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan, California Baby is ready to spread their message of clean babies and clean power.