Elon Musk plans Tesla battery-swapping tech demo for June 20

Electric-car company Tesla is planing to hold a demonstration of its battery-swapping technology, which should enable its vehicles to travel nonstop on long road trips.

Kyocera announces $89M deal to provide solar energy to Japan’s farming community

Kyocera will provide 30MW of solar power generating systems to alternative energy project that powers Japan's agricultural community.

Mercatus raises $2M to introduce energy industry credit score

The credit score, a first for the industry, is calculated using eight different criteria that are assembled to create an economic and risk profile for a project.

WeMonitor raises $5.3M to keep your energy bills down

San Diego-based WeMonitor provides monitoring systems that "demystify" home energy. It has raised $5.3 million in financing to expand its team and release its first product later this year.

VC firm hopes for high returns with fund for marijuana

Ghost Group, a venture capital firm located in Newport Beach, California, has raised a $1 million fund to provide people with an opportunity to invest in the growing marijuana industry.

These transparent solar cells provide 50% more battery life for your phone — and ‘infinite’ standby time

"We intend to double our efficiency next year and the year after as well," Debroca said. "Going from 20 percent more battery life to 50 percent is a rational objective."

Apple Campus 2′s impact: 7K employees, $32M in property tax, 9K construction jobs, $66M in public improvements

Apple is putting significant pressure on local communities, particularly Cupertino, to approve its construction requests.

What’s next from Elon Musk? Warp drives, and colonizing Mars

In remarks at D11 today, Musk came across as a visionary leader who, unlike his peers, actually knows what the hell he's doing and isn't afraid to say what he thinks.

Next year, you’ll be able to drive a Tesla from coast to coast

By next year, you'll be able to drive a Tesla Model S from Los Angeles to New York, recharging at Tesla Motors' "Supercharger" stations all the way.

Tesla now worth 25% of General Motors as CEO Elon Musk teases $30K electric vehicle

Tesla stock has had an amazing three months, blasting above $100 from the low $30s just in March.

Electric car company Better Place shuts down after burning through $850M

Better Place, the electric car company that hoped to change the world with its ambitious battery-swapping stations, said today it is shutting down. The closure brings to an end the most audacious "clean tech" company ever attempted.

Tesla Model S outscores every other car in Consumer Reports ratings

And just to put a cherry on top, the notoriously tough Consumer Reports writers say that the $89,650 Tesla Model S comes close, and just may be, the best car ever.

Tesla stock jumps 31% after record $562M in sales and first-ever quarterly profit

Electric car manufacturer Tesla's stock jumped in after-hours trading today after the company announced the first quarterly profit in the its 10-year history and record sales of over half a billion dollars in the first quarter of 2013.

Cool down this summer with new Nest thermostat features: Sunblocking, new cooling options, and more

The Nest smart thermostat continues to get smarter with every software update.

It’s easy being green, new Earth Day stats show

Recycling is on the rise, and more consumers are going green: 86 percent of consumers recycle, and 52 percent recycle more than they did two years ago.

Nest partners with power companies to save you energy (and money)

Nest's smart thermostat is about to get a bit smarter -- no hardware or software upgrades required.

States shine in new solar jobs interactive map

The Solar Foundation is making it easier to track solar jobs with the State Solar Jobs Map, an interactive online tool showing job numbers for all 50 states.

Over 119,000 Americans have a job in the solar industry, and with …