Clean Energy Communications: 5 Trends Shaping 2026
Today is International Day of Clean Energy, a global call to action to accelerate the transition to clean, affordable and sustainable energy for people and the planet. Observed every January 26, this UN-designated day highlights the importance of renewable energy and fuels collaboration to build a just and inclusive energy future.
Clean energy is the foundation of our collective future. Every solar panel basking in the rays, or wind turbine peeking over the horizon, is helping us build a world where human life is carefully balanced with our planetary boundaries. Each project is a story that has resonated with investors, policymakers and communities. How rapidly and equitably we achieve the transition will be determined by how it’s communicated, from macro-scale ambitions of national security down to local livelihoods and wellbeing.
At Greenhouse Communications, we collaborate with organisations at the forefront of the energy transition, crafting bespoke campaigns that turn complex technologies into compelling, credible narratives. This International Clean Energy Day, we’re spotlighting the top communications trends shaping the energy transition in 2026, affecting how we help our clients position themselves and their mission in a changing world. Here are five key communications approaches that help us power up investment, innovation and uptake for a fossil fuel free future.
1. Positive about the direction, honest about challenges
Energy has always sat at the nexus of geopolitical priorities and tensions, and in a world of increasing conflict, economic volatility and energy insecurity, it is clear that clean energy has been inextricably politicised.
An emboldened US is punishing clean innovation and taking fossil fuel markets by force, while China’s huge investments in electrification have both brought down global costs and heightened fears of supply chain domination. Mirroring and amplifying these difficulties is a disjointed media landscape that is quick to pick up on issues of cost and security – often shaped by misinformation. Here in Europe, fossil fuel dependence has deepened vulnerabilities, while creating space for denialism and disruption to leak in.
Yet positive, practical stories about clean energy can – and must – be told. The energy transition is accelerating, not slowing down, with clean energy investment exceeding $2tn in 2024, outpacing fossil fuels. Public and business support for renewables remains high, with transformation driven both within the EU and by countries like Morocco, Brazil and India striving for clean energy independence. Value and investment is shifting to manufacturing, grids and electrification, while innovations in battery storage capacity continue to soar. The role of effective communicators is not to mourn the challenges clean energy faces, but galvanise the momentum as fearless advocates for the transformation we need.
2. Keep clean energy close to home
In a sector as ambitious and globally connected as clean energy, the overwhelming data and head-spinning scale can be daunting to tackle as communicators. One key way to cut through the noise is to root messaging in the everyday concerns of the public, particularly on issues of affordability and stability.
Framing the clean energy revolution in terms that resonate with people’s daily lives provides a vital antidote to the increasing voices of climate denialism and climate grief, both of which can lead audiences to switch off or scroll past. Instead, we can underscore how clean energy means lower bills, energy security, grid resilience and quality of life.
The long shadow of the 2022-23 energy crisis has not fully lifted, and high costs have a stranglehold over the industry and investment. Research shows that concern about energy bills remains a hot topic for the British public, with 91% concerned about future price rises in the next 10 years. Clean energy communicators shouldn’t shy away from this reality, but instead meet audiences where they’re at. Positive messages that position clean energy as a long-term cost saver will resonate with those concerned about spiralling prices, positioning sustainability as one of a string of integrated benefits for the public good.
3. Transparent, science-backed storytelling builds trust
Faced with mounting challenges, clean energy communicators must proactively prepare themselves for scrutiny. Grounding messaging in measurable and auditable data is vital. Keeping the stats and the story intertwined doesn’t have to mean dull and dry communications. Instead, creators can work closely with their design and data analyst colleagues to create dashboards and visuals that bring data to life, anchored by verified metrics and third-party benchmarks. Greenhouse works with climate data leaders like Tracker Group and Copernicus to support communications with credible, independently verified data that can be confidently translated into clear, compelling narratives.
Both within the clean energy sector and outside of it, climate transparency and rigorous reporting are becoming the norm. Under the EU’s ESG reporting frameworks and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), companies will need to present verified mapping of emissions reductions, renewables and transition plans. Ambitious targets are still important, but investors and policymakers will expect proven progress rather than rhetoric.
Successful clean energy communicators will be connecting these benchmarks and metrics with tangible wins for people and the planet. Ditching the vague eco-babble all too prevalent in greenwashing – terms like “climate friendly” and “eco-conscious” – and instead using specific metrics backed up by evidence, will build trust and confidence with key audiences.
4. Place human stories at the heart of clean energy
Human-centric storytelling is vital to ground stories advancing the global clean energy transition in real people’s lives – whether that’s experts sharing their findings, or community projects placing clean power in the hands of local people. The rise of ‘AI slop’ and hyper-contentification have already crowned 2026 the year of logging off social media. AI has super-powered low-quality or misleading PR content, drawing fatigue from audiences while rapidly consuming energy and water. AI tools have an important role in communications, especially in efficiency and analysis, but they can’t replace compelling case studies. Communicators who can share optimistic messages through the humans already on the frontlines will be best positioned to cut through the noise.
Finding and amplifying those real stories isn’t always easy. It takes hard work and due diligence establishing relationships of trust. But building strategic collaboration across diverse stakeholders in the clean energy ecosystem is vital for authentic communications that are participatory and effective. The energy sector has moved beyond target setting and into implementation. Communicators must also move on to telling stories of the long-term positive impact that clean energy is already delivering within communities.
Just take The National Wildlife Federation’s recent documentary Coast to Coast, spotlighting offshore wind projects across the United States. Produced by Duna Films as part of creative collaboration with Greenhouse, their short film centred the diverse communities impacted by offshore wind projects, from traditional fishers in Louisiana to environmental justice advocates in San Francisco. By bypassing the squeaky-clean studio visuals and foregrounding real people in real communities, Coast to Coast has helped draw bipartisan support for clean energy projects by co-creating authentic, place-based narratives.
5. Understand stakeholders expectations
‘Know your audience’ is the timeless truism of all media and communications work. That’s only become more pressing for communicators in the clean energy space, who must juggle diverse and competing expectations in a time of momentum and transformation, but also uncertainty and politicisation.
Investors want credibility: are companies really driving the innovation and uptake they aim for, and can they back this up with the bottom line? Customers want clarity: is clean energy delivering on its promise of a sustainable, cheaper and secure power supply? And regulators want compliance: transparency and verifiable evidence of processes and outcomes, minus the PR spin.
Balancing these stakeholders and audiences can be tricky given the huge ambition and interconnectedness of the clean energy sector, which is why Greenhouse supports our clients with mapping audiences and priority messaging. Climate communications can be reimagined as a tool for embracing education for energy literacy. Turning complex systems into simple, relatable stories without losing nuance or drive. This way, the audiences of today can become the advocates of tomorrow.
From ambition to action: the role of communications in clean energy’s next chapter
The success of the energy transition will depend not just on the speed of deployment, but on the quality of the conversations that surround it. How we strategically communicate the innovations and opportunities of clean power will determine what’s funded, which policies are pushed through and who benefits. Creating positive impact in a crowded and politicised landscape means being honest about challenges without surrendering to them; grounding in local relevance and verifiable data; and centring the communities already living the transition. At Greenhouse, we’re partnering with climate leaders and using communications to build trust, unlock action and bring people along with us as the energy transition accelerates.
If you need support with clean energy communications strategy or campaigns, get in touch with our team.
