If you are a dividend investor looking at the energy sector as the new year gets underway, you'll want to consider Enbridge (NYSE: ENB), ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), and Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN). All of them offer material yields, but each serves a different purpose in a diversified portfolio. Here's a quick rundown on what you need to know to get started.

The energy sector is broken into four broad areas: upstream (energy production), downstream (chemicals and refining), equipment & service contractors, and midstream (pipelines). The first three can be highly volatile, while the fourth, midstream, is boring.

That's where Canada's Enbridge sits, with a massive collection of energy infrastructure assets spread across North America. It charges fees for the use of its assets, or they are regulated or contract-based (it owns a natural gas utility and has some clean energy exposure).

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Source Fool.com