About CLEW

Motivation

Germany’s transformation of its energy system from fossil fuels and nuclear power to one based on renewables and efficiency is one of the country’s defining stories. The move to a climate-friendly economy has far-reaching implications: The Energiewende changes not only markets and business models but reaches deep into society and well beyond Germany’s borders. This creates many fascinating stories and requires strong journalism to keep track of the progress and inform the debates.

What we do

Clean Energy Wire CLEW produces and facilitates top-quality journalism about the energy transition in Germany and and the European Union. Our CLEW Journalism Network with some 450 members fosters cross-border cooperation among reporters covering the move towards a climate-friendly society.

Why we do it

A global energy transition is the key to getting the climate crisis under control. As a real-world laboratory, renewable energy pioneer Germany showcases what the shift to a climate-friendly future means for citizens, businesses and society as a whole. Good journalism is central to drawing the right conclusions from the experience of Europe’s biggest economy, and to inform the public debate across the globe. 

How we do it

Clean Energy Wire CLEW covers the big stories and news of Germany’s energy and climate policy with well-researched, fact-based and nuanced reporting and background information. As a foundation-funded non-profit outfit, we are independent of business, political or other special interests. Our charter sets out the principles that govern our own journalistic work.

We encourage other journalists to use our material and get in touch with us when working on this defining story of our time. We help with research, dig out data, and establish contacts with relevant players in Germany and beyond. We also offer research tours and workshops that put international journalists right at the heart of the energy transition.

In addition, the CLEW Journalism Network provides a platform run by and for journalists for the exchange of knowledge and ideas, and for collaborative projects on climate and energy.   

Who pays for it

As a non-profit organisation, Clean Energy Wire CLEW can offer its services free of charge to journalists thanks to its funders, Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation. The team behind Clean Energy Wire also runs the multiple-award-winning German-language climate science communication site klimafakten.de. The annual budget for both projects together is on average 1.29 million euros for the funding phase 2022-2026.

Clean Energy Wire CLEW is a joint initiative of the European Climate Foundation and Stiftung Mercator under the roof of the 2050 Media Projekt gGmbH.

More details on our funders here.

Who we are

Please find details about the CLEW team in Berlin here.

Who we collaborate with

The Clean Energy Wire cooperates with organisations that share our commitment to climate action and quality journalism – our guidelines explain the principles.

More details on our cooperations here.

Who are our users

More than 5,500 subscribers have signed up for a CLEW newsletter, some 2,650 of them get the daily briefing.

Our 2018 user survey showed that the journalists who use our website are experienced professionals from all types of media, mostly focusing on energy and climate topics. Overall, over 1,500 international journalists from all across the globe have participated in CLEW workshops, events, study tours and collaborative projects, or have received direct research support from the team.

Our other users work for a wide range of employers, from companies and business associations to NGOs and government agencies. Their main interest are energy, climate and sustainability topics.

Our website gets about 130,000 users a month (Q4/2023) from all over the world, with visitors from the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom accounting for the largest share.

Journalism for the energy transition

Get our Newsletter
Join our Network
Find an interviewee