Germany has one of the largest economies in the world, with a 2004 nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $2.7 trillion. However, in recent years, a combination of high unemployment and sluggish domestic demand has dampened German economic growth. The country posted real GDP growth of 1.6 percent in 2004, after GDP contracted by 0.7 percent in 2003.

Owning to its large economy, Germany is one of the world’s largest energy consumers. In 2003, the country consumed 14.2 quadrillion British Thermal Units (Btu) of total energy, the fifth-largest amount in the world. Besides Coal, Germany does not possess any sizable hydrocarbon reserves, so the country must rely upon imports to meet much of its energy needs.
 
In 2003, Germany imported 63 percent of its total energy needs, up from 44 percent in 1991. The lack of domestic energy resources has led Germany to become a world leader in the development of renewable energy technologies, with the country becoming the world’s largest generator of electricity from wind.