Four Major Energy Transition Measures (15th Five-Year Plan): New Opportunities for Sustainable Technologies
1 Policy Trends
On October 24th, when interpreting the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China at a press conference of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Zheng Shajie, the Party Secretary and Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, clearly defined the path for the green and low-carbon transformation of energy during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period and proposed the goal of "letting more green electricity cross mountains and seas and light up thousands of households". Among them, the quantitative target of achieving an annual utilization volume of around 4.5 billion tons of bulk solid waste by 2030, in combination with measures such as expanding non-fossil energy and reducing carbon emissions in industries, has defined a clear track for sustainable technological innovation.
2 Three Major Signals Behind the Policy
(1) Energy Structure Reconstruction: Non-fossil Energy Becomes the "main force"
Zheng Shajie emphasized "developing non-fossil energy with greater efforts", which is underpinned by the accelerated implementation of a new energy system. Data shows that China has achieved the target of a total installed capacity of 1.2 billion kilowatts of wind and solar power by 2030 more than six years ahead of schedule. As of August 2025, the installed capacity of solar and wind power will reach 1.12 billion and 580 million kilowatts respectively. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, projects such as wind and photovoltaic bases in Northwest China, hydropower in Southwest China, and offshore wind power will be advanced intensively. Meanwhile, coal-fired power will shift from being a "basic guarantee power source" to a "supporting and regulating power source". This means that fields such as energy storage technology, smart grids, and green power consumption will witness a market space of hundreds of billions of yuan.
The escalation of this trade confrontation is no accident but an inevitable outbreak of the battle for control of the global industrial chain. Its core battlefield has extended from traditional commodities to strategic resources and core technologies.
(2) Industrial Upgrading: The Value Leap from "carbon reduction" to "green Increase"
"Enhancing the economic 'gold content' by increasing the 'green content' of industries" has become the core logic. On the one hand, key industries such as steel and nonferrous metals will carry out special actions for energy conservation and carbon reduction, striving to achieve energy savings of 150 million tons of standard coal (corresponding to a carbon reduction of approximately 400 million tons). On the other hand, the construction of national-level zero-carbon parks will be initiated. It is expected that the scale of the green and low-carbon industry will double from 11 trillion yuan in the next five years. For enterprises, low-carbon technological transformation and upgrading of circular production processes will become core competitiveness.
(3) Solid Waste Utilization: Technological Opportunities Behind the 4.5 Billion Ton Target
The target of "reaching 4.5 billion tons of bulk solid waste utilization by 2030" is not set out of thin air. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China utilized approximately 13 billion tons of bulk solid waste in total. The goal set for the 14th Five-Year Plan, which is to increase the comprehensive utilization rate of bulk solid waste by 60% by 2025, is close to being achieved. From the perspective of policy orientation, the resource utilization of solid wastes such as coal gangue, fly ash, and construction waste will be a key focus. The promotion of new wall materials in green buildings and the preparation of high-value products from industrial solid wastes are in urgent need of innovative breakthroughs in solid waste sorting technologies, resource utilization equipment, and circular economy models.
3 How can Sustainable Technologies Seize Opportunities?
In light of the transformation demands during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we have identified three core areas of focus:
Energy technology: Collaborate with industry, academia and research institutions to tackle key "bottleneck" technologies such as long-duration energy storage and hydrogen energy storage and transportation, and contribute to the construction of a new power system;
Solid waste utilization: Promote the standardization of comprehensive utilization technologies for solid waste, and facilitate the industrialization and implementation of technologies such as the production of ceramsite from coal gangue and the recycling of aggregates from construction waste.
Industrial collaboration: Build a cross-border technology exchange network, draw on international experiences such as the European HORIZON project, and accelerate the cross-regional application of green technologies.
Conclusion: Respond to Global Changes with Innovative Resilience
From the institutional upgrade from "dual control of energy consumption" to "dual control of carbon emissions", and from the adjustment of energy structure to the transformation of production and lifestyle, the green transformation during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period is no longer an optional question but a compulsory one. Behind the target of utilizing 4.5 billion tons of bulk solid waste lies the resource wisdom of "turning waste into treasure", and it is also a golden opportunity period for sustainable technological innovation.
Source:https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/l8RAHvKu4rasKEisKqhWlA