Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development in South Africa: Challenges, Barriers and Solutions

This chapter explores how renewable energyRenewable energy can support sustainable development in South Africa. It reviews the literature on four topics: the current and future trends of renewable energy use and production; the factors that influence renewable energy adoption and diffusionAdoption and diffusion; the effects of renewable energy on different aspects of sustainabilitySustainability; and the policy and technical measures to enhance the role of renewable energy in achieving sustainability goals. The chapter shows that South Africa has made considerable progress in using and producing renewable energyRenewable energy, but still faces some obstacles and challenges that need to be addressed. The chapter proposes some potential policy and technical solutions to create a favorable environment for renewable energy transitionEnergy transition in South Africa. The chapter also acknowledges some research gaps and limitations and suggests some areas for further research. The chapter aims to enrich the knowledge of renewable energy and sustainabilitySustainability and provide useful insights and lessons for policymakersPolicymakers, investors, developers, and users of renewable energyRenewable energy technologiesRenewable energy technologies in South Africa and other countries.