Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in electric utility and banking businesses primarily in the state of Hawaii. The electric utility business involves in the production, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, photovoltaic, geothermal, wave, hydroelectric, sugarcane waste, municipal waste, and other biofuels, as well as from fuel oil. It distributes and sells electricity on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, and Molokai, as well as serves suburban communities, resorts, the U.S. armed forces installations, and agricultural operations. The Banking business includes American Savings Bank, F.S.B., which involves in accepting savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, and certificate of deposits; and providing real estate, residential mortgage, construction and development, multifamily residential and commercial real estate, consumer, and commercial loans. As of December 31, 2009, it owned 166 automated teller machines. The company was founded in 1891 and is based in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Chugoku Electric Power Co. makes western Japan shine. The company generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to more than 5.2 million customers in the Chugoku region of western Japan. Approximately 89% of its customers are residential, and commercial and industrial customers account for the rest. The company's 110 power plants generate about 11,800 MW; traditional thermal plants generate about 65% of its power. Chugoku Electric intends to increase its use of nuclear power and is also researching alternative energy sources. In response to Japan's electricity market liberalization, the group is entering new business markets, including consulting, construction, fuel supply, and telecommunications.

New Braunfels Utilities is its namesake city's most powerful entity. The utility provides electric, water, and sewage services to New Braunfels, Texas, and nearby communities. Its electric system serves more than 28,200 customers via 700 miles of overhead and underground distribution lines. New Braunfels Utilities' water and sewer systems serve more than 21,600 water and almost 20,000 wastewater customers. The water system operates six groundwater wells over the Edwards Aquifer, as well as an 8 million gallon per day surface water plant on the Guadalupe River. New Braunfels Utilities' three wastewater treatment plants have a total daily capacity of 8.4 million gallons.

EVN spreads energy evenly across its territory in Lower Austria and beyond. The utility -- one of Austria's largest -- provides electricity, natural gas, heat, and related services. Outside its home borders, the company has gained control of electricity suppliers in Bulgaria and Macedonia, as these countries privatized their electricity industry. It is also marketing its environmental services (water, wastewater treatment, and waste incineration activities) around Europe. The company has built drinking water and wastewater treatment plants in Croatia, Poland, and Russia EVN has also put its waste-incineration know-how to good use and has a waste-to-energy plant in Moscow.

EcoWater Systems is in a pristine spot. The company manufactures commercial and residential water treatment systems. It sells its products through a network of more than 1,400 dealers, wholesalers, and private-label retailers. Products include water refiners, conditioners, and purifiers, and innovations such as reverse osmosis drinking water systems. Founded in 1925, EcoWater Systems is a member of Berkshire Hathaway's Marmon Group and maintains its autonomous management. In addition to the US, the company operates in Canada, the UK, Europe, and China.

Toronto Hydro provides electric and related services for the metropolitan area and other parts of Ontario. The company's primary subsidiary, Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited (LDC), provides regulated power transmission and distribution services to 688,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Subsidiary Toronto Hydro Energy Services markets power and provides energy efficiency products and services throughout Ontario. It also provides street lighting services (160,000 street lights) in the City of Toronto.

Ormat Technologies is on an environmentally safe power trip, building geothermal as well as recovered energy power plants. Geothermal technology extracts hot water or steam that is vaporized and used to drive turbines. The fluid is then cooled and recycled back through the process, making it a clean and renewable energy source. Recovered energy utilizes heat produced in other industrial processes. The company, set up by Israel-based Ormat Industries, also sells power units for both types of plants, and sells fossil fuel powered turbo-generators with a capacity of between 400 watts and 4,000 watts. Ormat operates power plants (with a total of 518 MW of power) in Guatemala (2), Kenya, Nicaragua, and the US (10).

NSTAR is looking to outshine its rivals through the efficiency of its regulated electric and natural gas sales, distribution, and transmission operations. The utility holding company transmits and distributes electricity to almost 1.2 million homes and businesses through NSTAR Electric and serves some 300,000 natural gas customers in Massachusetts through NSTAR Gas. The company also markets wholesale electricity, and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing and storage facilities. Its NSTAR Communications unit owns about 240 miles of fiber optic network. In 2010 the company agreed to be acquired by Northeast Utilities for about $4.2 billion.

Minnesota Power can keep both Vikings and Packers warm. The utility, an operating unit of ALLETE, provides electricity to about 144,000 customers in northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin, as well as wholesale electricity to 16 municipal systems. Large industrial customers include Boise White Paper (a subsidiary of Boise Cascade) and Hibbing Taconite (a joint venture owned by ArcelorMittal, Cliffs, and US Steel). Its largest purchasing contract is with the Square Butte Electric Co-op in North Dakota -- Minnesota Power gets half of Square Butte's output -- but the company is attempting to transition from Square Butte's traditionally coal-generated energy to wind power.

Energy Future Holdings (formerly TXU) has seen the future and it works -- powered by electricity. The company is the largest nonregulated retail electric provider in Texas (TXU Energy), with 2.1 million customers, and through its Luminant unit it has a generating capacity of more than 15,510 MW from its interests in nuclear and fossil-fueled power plants in the state. Energy Future Holdings has regulated power transmission and distribution operations through 80%-owned Oncor Electric Delivery. Oncor operates the largest regulated distribution and transmission system in Texas, providing power to more than 3.1 million electric delivery points over more than 117,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines.

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