Energy transition is crucial for realizing sustainable development and environmental friendliness; it is also vital for maintaining national energy security and promoting social equity of China. Therefore, studying the potential risks and their coping strategies regarding energy transition has practical and strategic significance. This study analyzes the essential requirements of China's modernization for energy transition, identifies the risks during energy transiton based on the essential requirements, and proposes the coping strategies and safeguard mechanisms. The results of the study reveal that China's modernization puts forward three essential requirements for energy transition, namely energy security, environmental friendliness, and social equity. In terms of energy security, China's energy transition faces security risks regarding the coal industry, oil and gas supply, and new power system operation; in terms of environmental friendliness, it faces constraints from low-carbon technologies and the supply risk of key metals and minerals for new energy; it also faces the risk of social inequity and certain financial risks. Furthermore, strategies are proposed to coping with the risks regarding energy security, environmental friendliness, social equity, and finance; safeguard mechanisms for each type of coping strategies are established from two perspectives: short-term prioritized implementation and long-term sustainable enforcement.

Energy security is a critical component of national security and a prerequisite for the green and low-carbon transition of the energy system. The concept of energy security has broadened from a traditional focus on fossil fuel supply to include the stable supply and sustainable utilization of energy resources. This study constructs a new energy security assessment framework targeting green and low-carbon transition, analyzing the evolution of energy security in 18 countries worldwide. The findings are as follows: (1) Within a diversified evaluation system aligned with green and low-carbon objectives, energy security has significantly improved in countries with limited oil and gas resources, such as the United Kingdom, Japan, and China. Conversely, the dominant position of countries like the United Arab Emirates and Russia in the international energy market has been reduced. Continued development in renewable energy will reinforce this trend. (2) A strong positive correlation exists between energy security and sustainable development levels in the context of a green and low-carbon transition. Countries with higher sustainability levels have greater advantages in the energy transition process. (3) Sensitivity analysis reveals that although fossil fuel supply remains a key factor in energy security, the importance of diversified supply and sustainable utilization has significantly increased. Therefore, it is recommended that China seize the transition opportunity by leveraging China's resource advantages in renewable energy, enhancing the energy governance system, and focusing on sustainable development. These actions will improve energy security and support China in increasing its influence and proactivity in the international energy market.

Research on the effectiveness of coal stable supply and carbon reduction can provide robust decision-making support for the development planning of the coal sector. This study examines the potential, capacity, and resilience of coal to maintain its primary energy status, focusing on the secure supply and carbon reduction perspectives. A system dynamics model is constructed to predict the effectiveness of coal stable supply, and the carbon reduction effectiveness within the coal sector until 2060 is evaluated. The results indicate that the recoverable reserves and resource distribution of coal in China are basic guarantee for ensuring energy security. Based on the coal supply and consumption relationship in the past 20 years, it can be concluded that coal supply in China is stable and secure. In the future, the secure supply effectiveness of coal will gradually achieve a dynamic flexible balance with fluctuations. Transitioning from traditional coal-dominated energy to coal-based energy is crucial for establishing a new energy system. China's coal industry has shown significant potential for carbon emission reduction in processing and utilization, and will demonstrate strong carbon-reduction effectiveness through the development and application of technologies such as underground gasification of coal and development and utilization of oil-rich coal. By 2060, the overall carbon reduction effectiveness will reach approximately 1 × 10⁹ t.

The integrated development of coal and new energy sources is crucial for the smooth transition of China's energy system and the security and stable supply of energy. Considering China's resource endowment and its demand for energy supply security and transformation, this study elaborates on the significance and fundamental conditions regarding the integrated development of coal and new energy sources. Moreover, it summarizes the major forms, technical characteristics, and application status of the integrated development from the aspects of four scenarios: integration of coal mining, coal-fired power generation, coal chemical industry, and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) with new energy sources. Emphasis is placed on five types of technologies: integration of coal development with new energy sources; combined dispatching of wind, solar, thermal, and storage; integration of solar thermal and coal-fired power generation; integration of solar thermal power generation with CCUS; and integration of green hydrogen with the coal chemical industry. Furthermore, this study explores the key technological challenges and breakthrough directions, and proposes the following suggestions: (1) incorporating the integrated development of coal and new energy sources into national strategies; (2) formulating action goals and roadmaps to systematically support the integrated development; (3) strengthening the research and development of technologies regarding coal and new energy sources; and (4) improving fiscal, financial, and talent support policies related to the integrated development.

The natural gas industry is crucial for the carbon emission reduction, energy security, and structural transformation of China's energy system. Therefore, the high-quality development of the industry can inject impetus for the green transformation of the economy and society, construction of a new type of energy system, technological innovation, and international cooperation. This study analyzes the basis for and major challenges faced by the high-quality development of China's natural gas industry. Specifically, the weak links in the high-quality development of the natural gas industry is mainly manifested in the insufficient supply capacity, incomplete market mechanism, and lack of innovation capabilities regarding key technologies and equipment. In this regard, the study proposes a path for the high-quality development of China's natural gas industry: (1) guaranteeing the safe supply of natural gas, (2) improving the market system of the natural gas industry, (3) promoting the upgrading of technologies and equipment in the natural gas industry, and (4) accelerating the green and low-carbon development of the natural gas industry. This aims to innovate the development ideas of the natural gas industry and better satisfy the requirements for realizing high-quality economic development, guaranteeing energy security, promoting carbon peaking and carbon neutralization, and achieving balanced industrial development.

Energy transition has been a vital driving force for every major leap in productivity ever since the Industrial Revolution. The renewal and iteration of energy varieties is a transformative force that drives industrial transformation and upgrading, promotes the reconstruction of economic order, and gives birth to advanced productive forces. The global development wave of emerging gas energy, represented by unconventional natural gas, biogas, hydrogen, and ammonia, has been rising, injecting new momentums into the energy technology innovation and sustainable economic and social development. However, the existing research and practice lack a systematic review of the emerging gas energy development. This study summarizes the macro development background of emerging gas energy sources from the perspective of new-quality productive forces and analyzes the practical significance, industrial foundation, and policy support for developing the emerging gas energy in China. It also clarifies the development vision, direction, and mode of the emerging gas energy sources, and proposes corresponding suggestions. Developing the emerging gas energy is crucial for forming new-quality productive forces in the energy field. The large-scale utilization of emerging gas energy sources will change the energy landscape, innovate the traditional natural gas industry, and shape a new form of gas energy industry. Combined with the process of China's energy transition, this study suggests that the development value, strategy, technology, and market positioning of the emerging gas energy sources should be accurately clarified. The emerging gas energy should be listed as a core component of the new energy system to strengthen China's energy sector. This study further explores the key points of development from the aspects of top-level design, institutional guarantee, scientific and technological support, and ecological construction, thus to promote the safe, green, diversified, and integrated evolution of China's emerging gas energy industry.

To strengthen its energy sector and realize the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, China needs to accelerate the construction of a modern energy system, transform its energy development mode, and improve its energy production support capabilities. The integration and complementarity of multiple energy sources is an effective concept and scheme to solve the separation of energy subsystems, optimize the energy pattern, and improve the efficiency of clean energy utilization. Based on the analysis of the existing modes of multi-energy integration, this study summarizes the development status and bottlenecks of multi-energy integration in China and the development trend of multi-energy integration in other countries. Considering existing models, a new multi-energy integration model that integrates energy conversion, complementarity, reuse, and zero-carbon production is proposed to achieve the clean and efficient utilization of energy. To promote the planning, construction, and practice of multi-energy integration in China, we further propose a basic development path and the following suggestions: (1) formulating a medium- and long-term plan to support multi-energy integration based on resource endowment, (2) accelerating the breakthroughs in key core technologies for multi-energy integration to improve the reliability of equipment, (3) strengthening the training of talents related to multi-energy integration, and (4) optimizing the structure of the multi-energy integration industrial chain.