Editing Economy of Germany (section)

==Technology==
{{Main|Science and technology in Germany}}
[[File:Fächertextur.jpg|thumb|[[Liquid crystal]] as visualised by a polarizing microscope. Germany is a pioneer research centre for [[nanotechnology]] and [[Materials science|materials engineering]].<ref>[http://www.new-delhi.diplo.de/Vertretung/newdelhi/en/06/__HB__Science__Technology.html Research in Germany] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820154147/http://www.new-delhi.diplo.de/Vertretung/newdelhi/en/06/__HB__Science__Technology.html |date=20 August 2010}} German Embassy, New Delhi. Retrieved 2010-28-08.</ref>]]
Germany's achievements in sciences have been significant, and [[research and development]] efforts form an integral part of the economy.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Federal Ministry of Education and Research|url=http://www.bmbf.de/en/1869.php|title=Germany's Technological Performance|date=11 January 2007|access-date=21 August 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825093650/http://www.bmbf.de/en/1869.php|archive-date=25 August 2011}}</ref>

Germany is also one of the leading countries in developing and using green technologies. Companies specialising in [[Environmental technology|green technology]] have an estimated turnover of €200 billion. German expertise in engineering, science, and research is eminently respectable.

The lead markets of Germany's green technology industry are power generation, sustainable mobility, [[material efficiency]], energy efficiency, waste management and [[recycling]], sustainable [[Water resources|water management]].<ref>[[Roland Berger Strategy Consultants]]: ''Green Growth, Green Profit – How Green Transformation Boosts Business'' [[Palgrave Macmillan]], New York 2010, {{ISBN|978-0-230-28543-9}}</ref>

Regarding triadic patents, Germany is in third place after the U.S. and Japan. With more than 26,500 registrations for patents submitted to the European Patent Office, Germany is the leading European nation. [[Siemens]], Bosch, and BASF, with almost 5,000 registrations for patents between them in 2008, are among the top 5 of more than 35,000 companies registering patents. Together with the U.S. and Japan, about patents for nano, bio, and new technologies Germany is one of the world's most active nations. With around one-third of triadic patents, Germany leads the way worldwide in the field of vehicle emission reduction.<ref>[http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/education-and-research/main-content-07/industry-strongly-engaged-in-research.html Industry strongly engaged in research] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121032201/http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/education-and-research/main-content-07/industry-strongly-engaged-in-research.html |date=21 November 2011}} Facts about Germany. Retrieved 2010-29-08.</ref>

According to [[Winfried Kretschmann]], who is premier of the region where Daimler is based, "China dominates the production of solar cells. Tesla is ahead in electric cars and Germany has lost the first round of digitalization to [[Google]], [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], and the like. Whether Germany has a future as an industrial economy will depend on whether we can manage the ecological and digital transformation of our economy".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-election-economy-idUSKBN1AC1YC|title=Asleep at the wheel? Germany frets about economic car crash|first=Emma|last=Thomasson|website=reuters.com|date=28 July 2017|access-date=28 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001235048/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-election-economy-idUSKBN1AC1YC|archive-date=1 October 2017}}</ref>