Where Germany Is Number One

The European economy has been dominating the international headlines recently. Amid all of Greece's and the other Southern European countries' difficulties, Germany is widely seen as Europe's economic powerhouse. We wonder:

In which of these areas does Germany rank first in the world?

A. Exports
B. Solar power
C. Cars

The correct answer is B. Looking around the world, Germany is not the place that first comes to mind as the country where the most solar power is generated. And yet, it has the world's largest capacity of installed solar panels. More than half of the world’s solar power is produced in the country.

This achievement is, in part, due to the German government’s focus on promoting environmental technologies — and a willingness to subsidize manufacturers in this growing field at a time when the unit costs are still relatively high.

Dampening Germany's enthusiasm for solar power is the fact that it lost the title of the world's largest manufacturer of solar panels to China in 2007. Today, well over two-thirds of all solar panel production now occurs in Asia.

The Marketplace Globalist Quiz is produced by Marketplace and The Globalist — and researched by The Globalist's Mike McCarthy.

The text of this Marketplace Globalist Quiz may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of The Globalist. Copyright © 2010 The Globalist.