Last week Tesla Motors closed on another $40mm in bridge financing co-led by Chairman Elon Musk and Valor Equity Partners -- haven't seen yet anywhere if other investors took part, but it wouldn't be surprising. At the Piper Jaffray Clean Technology and Renewables Conference in NYC, where a Tesla Roadster is parked right out front in the Madison Ave. courtyard of the New York Palace, the company presenter also mentioned that they have a "clear path to our Series D E later this year," which the FT reported could be as much as $250mm including equity and debt, "and an IPO next year," which may also be part of that $250mm total. I think I also heard the presenter say that Musk now owns 40% of the company, which would be surprisingly high to me, but as always yours truly is no journalist -- I could have heard wrong on any of the above, so happy to correct that if so... I look forward to my test drive. Cleantech investors around the world:

• In South Africa, German billionaire Hasso Plattner is announcing a R350mm (approx. $45mm) venture capital fund, to invest in local tech startups -- including cleantech and, given South Africa's current major electricity shortages, alternative energy.

• The government of Abu Dhabi is committing $15 billion to cleantech and sustainable business opportunities. The money will flow through the Masdar Initiative into a number of different efforts including investments, projects, and education.

• Meanwhile, a coalition of 40 institutional investors and corporations under the Ceres umbrella has committed to invest $10 billion into cleantech over the next two years.

Other news and notes: More on the ongoing corn-based ethanol debate... Neal identifies the low-hanging fruit... And finally, uh oh, looks like I'm out of a job.