Performance Analysis in the Renewable Energy Sector: the LASER Mission

The renewable energy sector is playing an increasingly important role in the global economy. Nevertheless, in most worldwide countries there does not exist, to date, a single classification of companies that operate in the field of renewable energy. The growing interest in this topic was the driving force behind the creation, by the Department of Management of the Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Italy, of LASER (Analysis Laboratory for the Renewable Energy Sector). The laboratory's objective consists in analyzing the performance of companies operating in the field of renewable energy, both from a quantitative as well as a qualitative point of view. The aim of this paper is to identify a unique methodology for the classification of companies operating in the renewable energy sector and carry out an economic and financial analysis from their performance.