ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the global energy balance, focusing on man’s activities and their consequences, and how these affects the global energy market and economy. It focuses on the different energy products and technologies that accompany and drive the energy markets, keeping in mind their volatility and the possibility of pending gradual and abrupt changes. The global energy markets start at the exporting countries, which have a lot of energy (mostly fossils) resources, and are able to extract and export them successfully at a profit. Crude oil imports and exports are major contributor to the overall global energy market dynamics. Transportation fuels are primarily based on, and derived from, crude oil. There are some other sources introduced in the market lately, such as bio-fuels, LP gas, hydrogen, etc., but their quantity is still quite small compared to that of crude oil derivatives.
