Thanksgiving was proclaimed a national holiday in the U.S. in 1863, by none other than President Abraham Lincoln. Americans have sincegathered with their families, on the last Thursday in November, to break bread and express thanks.

We at SolarCity are celebrating Thanksgiving too - we're thankful for recent advancements and trends in clean energy that are changing our industry, and changing the way we power our lives.

Here are five of them:

Storage

Simple, effective and affordable battery storage solutions have the potential to change the solar game. We're thankful that many people have been working on the challenge for a long time. Earlier this year, we made a breakthrough by announcing our own battery backup service.

High-efficiency home appliances

For a homeowner wanting to benefit from clean energy, usage is the flip side of generation. Thankfully, many modern appliances are dramatically more efficient than those of even a few years ago. It's a story that probably doesn't get the attention it deserves. If, for instance, every gas furnace sold in the U.S. met Energy Star requirements, people would save about $171 million per year. Greenhouse gas emissions would drop annually by an amount equivalent to that produced by 177,000 cars.

EVs

Few clean-energy products have captured peoples' attention like electric vehicles. EV sales in the U.S. are flourishing, with an impressive four-year CAGR of 309%. We're thankful that EV battery prices are trending downward, and more options are available to consumers - a range of manufacturers are offering EVs now, headlined, of course, by our sister company, Tesla. This year saw the release of its highly anticipated Model X crossover. Would anything be cooler than charging your Tesla with a SolarCity system on your roof?

Wind efficiency

It's possible that our clean energy future will be fueled by a variety of technologies. So, while we're pro-solar, we're also thankful for advancements in wind. According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), modern turbines generate close to the theoretical limit of power that can be extracted from a stream of air. GWEC also estimates wind could provide more than a quarter of our power by 2050.

Support for solar

According to our 2015 national poll of homeowners, conducted by national polling firm Zogby Analytics, nearly nine in 10 Americans say renewable energy is important to the country's future. Solar power was the top choice among a wide range of demographics. Republicans, Democrats, Independents, conservatives, liberals, city and rural dwellers, youth, and the elderly all voiced their support.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. And thank you for helping make SolarCity America's #1 solar provider.

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