The energy industry is a generic term for all of the industries involved the production

and sale of energy, including fuel extraction, manufacturing, refining and distribution.
Modern society consumes large amounts of fuel, and the energy industry is a crucial part
of the infrastructure and maintenance of society in almost all countries.
In particular, the energy industry comprises:
the petroleum industry, including oil companies, petroleum refiners, fuel transport
and end-user sales at gas stations
the gas industry, including natural gas extraction, and coal gas manufacture, as
well as distribution and sales
the electrical power industry, including electricity generation, electric power
distribution and sales
the coal industry
the nuclear power industry
the renewable energy industry, comprising alternative energy and sustainable
energy companies, including those involved in hydroelectric power, wind power,
and solar power generation, and the manufacture, distribution and sale of
alternative fuels.
traditional energy industry based on the collection and distribution of firewood,
the use of which, for cooking and heating, is particularly common in poorer
countries
The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction,
refining, transporting often by oil tankers and pipelines!, and marketing petroleum
products. The largest volume products of the industry are fuel oil and gasoline petrol!.
"etroleum is also the raw material for many chemical products, including
pharmaceuticals, solvents, fertili#ers, pesticides, and plastics. The industry is usually
divided into three ma$or components: upstream, midstream and downstream. Midstream
operations are usually included in the downstream category.
"etroleum is vital to many industries, and is of importance to the maintenance of
industriali#ed civili#ation itself, and thus is a critical concern to many nations. %il
accounts for a large percentage of the world&s energy consumption, ranging from a low of
'() for *urope and +sia, up to a high of ,') for the Middle *ast. %ther geographic
regions& consumption patterns are as follows: -outh and .entral +merica //)!, +frica
/0)!, and 1orth +merica /2)!. The world at large consumes '2 billion barrels /.3
km4! of oil per year, and the top oil consumers largely consist of developed nations. In
fact, (/) of the oil consumed in (22/ went to the 5nited -tates alone.
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The production,
distribution, refining, and retailing of petroleum taken as a whole represent the single
largest industry in terms of dollar value on earth.
The electrical power industry provides the production and delivery of electrical power
electrical energy!, often known as power, or electricity, in sufficient 8uantities to areas
that need electricity through a grid. Many households and businesses need access to
electricity, especially in developed nations, the demand being scarcer in developing
nations. 9emand for electricity is derived from the re8uirement for electricity in order to
operate domestic appliances, office e8uipment, industrial machinery and provide
sufficient energy for both domestic and commercial lighting, heating, cooking and
industrial processes. :ecause of this aspect of the industry, it is viewed as a public utility
as infrastructure.
The electrical power industry is commonly split up into four processes. These are
electricity generation such as a power station, electric power transmission, electricity
distribution and electricity retailing. In many countries, electric power companies own
the whole infrastructure from generating stations to transmission and distribution
infrastructure. ;or this reason, electric power is viewed as a natural monopoly. The
industry is generally heavily regulated, often with price controls and is fre8uently
government-owned and operated. The nature and state of market reform of the electricity
market often determines whether electric companies are able to be involved in $ust some
of these processes without having to own the entire infrastructure, or citi#ens choose
which components of infrastructure to patronise. In countries where electricity provision
is deregulated, end-users of electricity may opt for more costly green electricity.<
+ll forms of electricity generation have positive and negative aspects. Technology will
probably eventually declare the most preferred forms, but in a market economy, the
options with less overall costs generally will be chosen above other sources. It is not clear
yet which form can best meet the necessary energy demands or which process can best
solve the demand for electricity. There are indications that renewable energy and
distributed generation are becoming more viable in economic terms. + diverse mix of
generation sources reduces the risks of electricity price spikes.
The present-day renewable energy industry is an energy industry focusing on =new=
and =appropriate= renewable energy technologies, which excludes large-scale hydro-
electricity. Investors worldwide have paid much greater attention to this emerging
renewable energy industry in recent years. In many cases, this has translated into rapid
renewable energy commerciali#ation and considerable industry expansion. The wind
power industry and solar photovoltaics ">! industry provide good examples of this.
?eading renewable energy companies include +cciona, *nercon, @amesa, @* *nergy, A-
.ells, -harp -olar, -un%pta, -untech, and >estas.
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-everal renewable energy companies
have recently gone through high profile Initial "ublic %fferings, including +ventine
5-+!, ;irst -olar 5-+!, Iberdrola -pain!, and >era-un *nergy 5-+!.
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Wind power
In (22B, worldwide capacity of wind-power was C'.3 @D, of which 0C.B @D was
capacity added in (22B.
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. This installed capacity produced (22,222 @D-hrs of
electricity per year, corresponding to about a (') capacity factor ratio of actual power
produced divided by peak powerE dependent on the wind velocity!.
.urrently three 8uarters of global wind turbine sales come from only four turbine
manufacturing companies: >estas, @amesa, *nercon, and @* *nergy.
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Dith a (')
market share, >estas is the largest supplier of modern wind turbines. >estas has installed
some ',,222 wind turbines in F' countries on five continents. >estas wind turbines
generate more than F2 million MDh of energy per year: enough electricity to supply
millions of households. >estas is a 9anish company which employs 0/,222 people
globally and, in (22', merged with the 9anish wind turbine manufacturer 1*@ Micon.
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@amesa, founded in 0CBF with head8uarters in :ilbao, -pain, is currently the worldGs
second largest wind turbine manufacturer,
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after >estas, and it is also a ma$or builder of
wind farms. @amesa&s main markets are within *urope, the 5- and .hina. In (22F,
*urope accounted for F, percent of @amesa&s sales, of which /2 percent were within
-pain.
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In (22/, @erman company *nercon installed a total of 0,(33 MD of wind power and had
around 0F) of the global market share. *nercon constructed production facilities in
:ra#il in (22F, and has extended its presence there, as well as in the more traditional
markets of @ermany, India, +ustria, 5H, .anada and the 1etherlands.
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@* *nergy has installed over ,,,22 wind turbines and ',F22 hydro turbines, and its
installed capacity of renewable energy worldwide exceeds 0F2,222 MD.
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@* *nergy
bought out *nron Dind in (22( and also has nuclear energy operations in its portfolio.
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+cciona *nergy is a leader in the renewable energy sector and the company&s mission is
to =demonstrate the technical and economic viability of a sustainable energy model=.
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+cciona *nergy is the largest developer, owner and operator of wind farms in the world,
with 0F/ wind farms in nine countries representing over /,,22 MD of wind power
installed or under construction.
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[edit] Trends
Dind power capacity increased more than any other renewable power technology in
(22B, with an estimated (0 @D added, which represented a (3 percent increase over
(22F.
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In (22B, the wind power industry saw an increase in wind manufacturing
facilities in the 5nited -tates, India, and .hina, which broadened the manufacturing base
away from traditional markets in *urope. (22B showed a boost for .hina and India,
which export components and turbines.
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%ffshore wind power installations are slowly emerging, due partly to higher costs and
maintenance levels compared with on-shore markets. Iecent years have seen several
hundred megawatts added annually, mostly in *urope.
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.oncentrating solar power
-ince (22/ there has been renewed interest in concentrating solar power .-"! and three
plants were completed during (22FJ(22B: the F/ MD 1evada -olar %ne, a 0 MD trough
plant in +ri#ona, and the 00 MD "-02 solar power tower in -pain. Three ,2 MD trough
plants were under construction in -pain at the end of (22B with ten additional ,2 MD
plants planned. In the 5nited -tates, utilities in .alifornia and ;lorida have announced
plans or contracted for! at least eight new pro$ects totaling more than (,222 MD.
.ompanies involved in new pro$ects include +bengoa -olar, +cciona, +usra,
:right-ource *nergy, Iberdrola, -olar Millennium, and -tirling *nergy -ystems.
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:iofuels
In the ethanol fuel industry, the 5nited -tates dominated, with 0'2 operating ethanol
plants in (22B, and production capacity of (F billion litersJyear F.3B billion
gallonsJyear!, a F2 percent increase over (22,. +nother 3/ plants were under construction
or undergoing expansion, and this will result in a doubled production capacity. :ra#il
continued its ethanol expansion plans which began in (22,.
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The biodiesel industry opened many new production facilities during (22FJ(22B and
continued expansion plans in several countries. 1ew biodiesel capacity appeared
throughout *urope, including in :elgium, .#ech Iepublic, ;rance, @ermany, Italy,
"oland, "ortugal, -pain, -weden, and the 5nited Hingdom.
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.ommercial investment in second-generation biofuels began in (22FJ(22B, and much of
this investment went beyond pilot-scale plants. The world&s first commercial wood-to-
ethanol plant began operation in Kapan in (22B, with a capacity of 0./ million litersJyear.
The first wood-to-ethanol plant in the 5nited -tates is planned for (223 with an initial
output of B, million litersJyear.
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