The average annual electricity consumption for a U.S. residential utility customer is about 11, 000 kilowatt-hours.

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In contrast, Porsche is in line for a bumper year, after the German luxury-car maker sold its entire annual 25, 000 production run of its new sport-utility vehicle before they were released to dealers.

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Last year, the USPTO issued a record-high of 219, 614 utility patents, nearly one-third more than the previous year and the steepest annual increase on record, according to IFI analysis.

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