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The Republic of South Africa is one of the leading investors in renewable energy in Africa, despite the widespread perception that the country is trapped in the carbon age due to its high dependence on fossil fuels. Renewable energy, rooted in sustainable development, requires the creation of an appropriate framework and environmentally friendly technologies to support growth. Renewable energy sources are considered more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels, which most energy processes rely on. For this reason, the scope of this article has been narrowed to focus on the motivation for renewable energy and its potential in South Africa. Furthermore, the current developments in the South African renewable energy sector, as well as the challenges and prospects for a sustainable transition to a bioeconomy, were discussed. This study shows that a sustainable energy system can only promote the integration of renewable energy into the energy mix with the help of technology, policy, and infrastructure., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.