ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to complete the discussion on energy commodities and also provide the reader with a primer on the key industry characteristics on a global basis, as well as in selected key markets. Electricity is a form of energy caused by the presence of electrical charges in matter. In an atomic nucleus, each proton carries a unit of positive electric charge and each electron circling the nucleus carries a unit of negative electric charge. Electric current is the movement of electrons through an electric conductor driven by differential concentrations of electrons that repel each other. The capacity of a power station or an electricity line is measured in watts. Electricity is traded competitively between generators and wholesale consumers within countries and increasingly across national borders. Two of the three main fossil fuels, coal and natural gas, are predominantly used for electricity generation, hence a discussion of this secondary form of energy was necessary.
