Green Options - Soybean Power

Green Options is NBR's continuing series examining the latest eco-friendly advancements and their economic impact. In this report, NBR Chicago bureau chief Diane Eastabrook explains how soybean oil is replacing petroleum in some electrical transformers.



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External Links/Articles*

• Biobased Solutions for Government (PDF Document)
  Biobased Solutions for Government is a website of the United Soybean Board, which represents U.S. soybean farmers. This links to an article titled, "A Profile in Biobased Success: Military Switches to Biobased Transformer Fluid." The article explains how the U.S. Navy is using the soybean-based FR3 fluid produced by Cooper Power Systems.
• Cooper Power Systems
  Cooper Power Systems is the company that makes the soy oil used in the Commonwealth Edison transformers profiled in Diane Eastabrook's report. This links to information about the soy oil, which is a "dielectric fluid" trademarked as Envirotemp FR3.
• Energy Quest
  Energy Quest is an energy education website created by the California Energy Commission. This links to a section of the website titled, "How Things Work? - How Does a Transformer Work?"
• Exelon
  Commonwealth Edison is an Exelon company. This links to a February 14, 2008 press release issued by Exelon titled, "ComEd Among th eNation's Largest Purchasers of Environmentally Friendly Soy Oil Transformers." ComEd's senior vice president, Terry Donnelly, is interviewed in Diane Eastabrook's report.
• United Soybean Board (PDF Document)
  The United Soybean Board is an organization that represents U.S. soybean farmers. This links to an article published in the May 2008 edition of the organization's "Biobased Solutions" journal. The article is titled, "Soy Oil Powers Up with Transformer Fluid."

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