Abstract: China’s energy resource endowment characterized by “abundant coal, scarce oil and gas” determines the dominant role of coal in the energy structure. As the energy transition strategy continues to advance, the traditional coal industry faces dual pressures of declining economic returns and low-carbon transformation, making technological innovation imperative. This work focuses on the green, low-carbon and high-value transformation of the modern coal industry. Firstly, it highlights key directions in clean coal utilization, and reviews the current development of related technologies from the perspectives of energy-oriented and resource-oriented utilization, providing insights for the low-carbon upgrading of the industry. Secondly, considering the future shift of coal from a “dominant energy source” to a “safety-net energy source,” this paper explores technological pathways aimed at the synthesis of high-quality solar fuels through the coupled utilization of solar energy and coal for energy and resource purposes, with the goal of opening up a high-value model for the synergistic development of coal and renewable energy. Based on the proposed innovative pathway “from clean coal utilization to solar fuel synthesis,” the existing coal industry should focus on advancing low-carbon production technologies such as supercritical/ultra-supercritical power generation and circulating fluidized bed low-nitrogen combustion/oxyfuel combustion; concurrently, circular economy technologies, including the preparation of high-value carbon-based materials and the reuse of coal-based solid waste, should be prioritized to enhance the clean utilization of coal in both public welfare and advanced materials sectors. Furthermore, integrating green fuel synthesis technologies such as solar thermochemical processes into coal industry upgrades will gradually deepen the coupled utilization of renewable energy and coal resources, providing fresh impetus for building a sustainable energy system. Facing the future demand for zero-carbon energy development, the coal industry is advancing breakthroughs in key directions: clean energy utilization, high-value resource utilization, and systematic integration of new energy sources. Through the full-chain industrial upgrade encompassing “carbon reduction, carbon fixation, and negative carbon emissions,” a key technological system supporting energy transformation will eventually be formed.