China has the world's third-largest territory, rich in coal but lacking gas and oil.

Report: Energy costs to hit $5.7t

Energy, emissions goals appear cloudy for 2015

In June, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for restructuring of the country's energy sector to be stepped up in light of changing dynamics in the global energy market.

While acknowledging the challenges, he promised to take steps to rein in irrational energy use and establish a diversified system featuring cleaner coal, as well as use of other fuels and new energy.

Tsinghua's He said Xi's aspirations are in line with the current world trend in energy development, as European countries are all encouraging energy saving, improving efficiency and promoting new energy use.

To propel the revolution, China should promote new consumption habits and make technological innovations to save energy, Wu said.

China should also expand international energy cooperation to ensure external supplies, he added.

Eyeing improvement in China's energy structure, Tsinghua's He predicted that the proportion of non-fossil energy use will reach 15 percent in China, equivalent to 700 million tons of standard coal, or the combined annual energy demand of Britain and Germany, in 2020.

In 2030, the ratio will increase to 20 to 25 percent and that of coal will fall below 50 percent, he said.