Energy & Environmental Services

In this section, Statista presents the most relevant and up-to-date facts relating to the energy and environmental industries.

Commercially-produced energy is derived from fossil, nuclear and renewable sources. Nuclear and fossil fuels - such as coal, natural gas and oil - are supplied by the mining industries, while renewable energy is generated in small or large-scale systems with the help of turbines, pumps, collectors or photovoltaic modules. The main electricity sources comprise nuclear fuels, coal and natural gas, as well as solar, wind, biomass and hydropower sources. Electricity is generated in private or state-run electric utilities. The world’s largest electric utilities include Duke Energy, GDF Suez, Iberdrola and E.ON.

The demand side of energy can be broken down into the following sectors: industrial, transportation, residential, electric power and commercial. Approximately 40 percent of global power consumption is accounted for by the energy-guzzling industrial sector. The transportation sector uses petroleum products, biodiesel and natural gas. The power sector uses these and other fuels to generate electricity, which is the main source of energy in the residential and commercial sectors.

Waste management and wastewater treatment are vital processes in meeting air and water quality standards. Furthermore, the recovering and recycling of materials found in waste streams is the right way to saving our planet’s resources. The collection, transport and processing of waste is carried out by private or municipal companies, the largest one being Texas-headquartered Waste Management, Inc.

Picture: istockphoto.com / R-J-Seymour