GREEN RANKING FOR 2009
Ranking: 21
Worth: £2.2bn
Green investment: Wind turbines

Engineering graduate Aloys Wobben built his first turbine in his back garden, financed by building electronic elements. In 1985 his company Enercon produced 55kw turbines with a gearbox and capable of variable speed. In 1992 Wobben figured out how to build windmills that were gearless and functioned without hydraulics. Today Enercon has more than 6,000 employees and a production area the size of 40 soccer fields. Wobben’s fortune was put at £4.5 billion in the 2007 German rich list produced by Manager magazine. With values slashed, we halve that.