Energy is a fundamental phenomenon of physics, but energy also plays an important role in the representation of many domains, since many processes involve energy transformation or transfer. However, energy is represented very differently in existing ontologies. Even in ontologies that share BFO as top-level ontology, energy is sometimes treated as disposition, as quality, and as a material entity. As we discuss in the paper, there are reasons for each choice, which makes the ontological representation of energy a challenging subject.

In this paper we present an ontological analysis of energy in a BFO-based mid-level ontology (MENO), including the different kinds of energy, their relations to dispositions as well as their realisation in processes.