• Energy Research

This study investigates to what extent the gender of the enterprise owner impacts the productive use of energy. Specifically, it explores how women and men differ in their productive use within micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSME). Data collection methodology: - Period: January 2023 to January 2024. - Sampling Approach: Deliberate and convenience sampling. - Data Collection Tool: Structured questionnaire distributed via a web-based platform. Description of data: The dataset offers a gender-focused analysis of productive energy use, assessing 65 women-owned food and textile businesses across seven African countries: Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Tunisia. These data complement the research article by providing in-depth insights into energy use patterns and business profiles. Structure of the dataset: - Sheet 1: This sheet contains the cleaned initial responses from participants, with basic assumptions added for calculation clarity and transparency. - Sheet 2: This sheet contains analysed data and calculations as presented in the accompanying research paper. It covers business profiles, legal statuses of women-owned enterprises, energy use patterns (demand levels, types of energy carriers, access type), and energy expenditure. Notable findings: 1. Energy carriers: Female-owned businesses typically rely on one or two energy carriers, whereas female-male co-owned enterprises use multiple energy carriers. 2. Fuel use: A variance in fuel use among different ownership structures is observed, with diesel, biomass, and liquefied petroleum gas being notable choices. 3. Awareness and demand levels: Increasing ownership diversity correlates with greater awareness of energy metrics and higher monthly demand for electric and mechanical power. A similar trend - with some variance - is observed for thermal energy. 4. Energy expenditure: Enterprises with diverse ownership structures tend to have lower energy expenditure per kilogram of production output (USD/kg/month). Some sole female-owned enterprises have energy expenditures exceeding 100 USD/kg/month, female-female partnerships may reach 100 USD/kg/month while female-male co-owned enterprises stay below 10 USD/kg/month. Conclusions and recommendations: This research highlights the importance of understanding gendered productive energy practices and the need for gender mainstreaming in energy access and use interventions. It underscores the necessity for renewable energy solutions and capacity-building programs to address the efficiency and accessibility challenges women entrepreneurs face. Additionally, it recommends further research to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of energy use in women-owned enterprises. Use of data: Researchers, policymakers, and practitioners can use this data to develop targeted energy access interventions for women-owned MSME, and design renewable energy solutions tailored to the specific needs of female entrepreneurs.

The current body of research on the gender-energy nexus has largely concentrated on the effects of energy poverty within households, highlighting the impact on women in domestic settings. Nonetheless, women entrepreneurs involved in various productive activities are also crucial in adopting new energy technologies. This dataset presents raw and processed data obtained from 27 face-to-face interviews conducted across multiple African countries, focusing on micro and small-sized enterprises with at least one female owner. The data can be used to assess energy access among women entrepreneurs in Africa, focusing on the potential for renewable energy adoption. The data collection through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews occurred between February and September 2023. The semi-structured interviews were guided by a predetermined questionnaire featuring predominantly open-ended questions designed to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The main areas of data collection presented in this dataset span socio-economic factors related to the enterprise and entrepreneur, energy access characteristics including appliances, processes, and energy supply, and the potential for adopting renewable energy technologies, highlighting current barriers to and drivers for future energy access implementation. Key components of the dataset include the following: Socio-economic factors: Enterprise location, ISIC division and industry sector classification, main production goods, gender-based ownership structures, enterprise formality (based on registration), year of establishment or business start, enterprise size (number of employees), profit margins, and business challenges related to the owner's gender. Energy access characteristics: Type of energy carriers used, subapplication, grid blackout or fuel shortage, energy consumption levels, type, number and power rating of appliances used, temperature requirements, and energy expenditure. Potential for renewable energy adoption: Type and amount of process waste, perceived barriers and drivers for renewable energy adoption, willingness to invest in new technologies, and preferred financing methods for these new technologies. The dataset is valuable for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners aiming to understand the energy access landscape for women entrepreneurs in Africa. It provides a foundation for developing targeted interventions that promote gender equity in energy access and foster the adoption of renewable energy technologies. Researchers can use the data to perform analyses of the socio-economic and technical factors influencing energy use in micro- and small-sized enterprises. Policymakers can leverage the insights to design gender-sensitive energy policies and support mechanisms that address the specific needs of women entrepreneurs. Practitioners can develop innovative business models and financing solutions tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities identified in the dataset.

This paper presents a descriptive study focusing on the productive energy use of women-owned micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises that operate in Africa's food and textile sectors. Through a multidisciplinary approach, combining primary and secondary data collection methods, and integrating quantitative and qualitative tools, this study examines the relationship between the gender-based ownership structure of enterprises (i.e., sole female, female-female, and female-male) and energy consumption patterns, including demand levels, carrier use, access type (on-grid or off-grid), and expenditure. Despite limitations in scope and sample size, the findings shed light on gender-specific productive use practices. Findings show that female-owned businesses primarily rely on single or dual energy carriers, contrasting with female-male enterprises, which typically employ two or more energy carriers. Fuel usage varies among ownership structures, with diesel, biomass, and liquified petroleum gas being notable choices. Increasing diversity in ownership correlates with heightened awareness of energy metrics and monthly demand for electric and mechanical power, with some of the latter correlation also observed for thermal energy. Moreover, as ownership diversity increases, energy expenditure per kilogramme of production output decreases. Some sole female-owned enterprises surpass 100 USD/kg/month, female-female partnerships may reach 100 USD/kg/month, whereas female-male co-owned enterprises remain below 10 USD/kg/month. Beyond contributing to understanding gendered productive energy practices, this research also emphasises the importance of gender mainstreaming in productive use and energy access interventions. It highlights the need for renewable energy solutions, capacity-building programmes, and further research to address efficiency and accessibility challenges faced by women entrepreneurs.

The current body of research on the gender-energy nexus has largely concentrated on the effects of energy poverty within households, highlighting the impact on women in domestic settings. Nonetheless, women entrepreneurs engaged in productive activities are also pivotal in adopting new energy technologies. The second version was built on the first version of the dataset and incorporated significant updates, presenting raw and processed data from 40 face-to-face interviews conducted across multiple African countries, including Nigeria, which was previously excluded. The current Version 3 includes additional data cleaning, improved consistency checks, and is the most updated and reliable version for reference or analysis compared to previous versions. The dataset focuses on micro and small-sized enterprises with at least one female owner, offering a unified and comprehensive sample to assess energy access among women entrepreneurs in Africa and explore the potential for renewable energy adoption. The data collection through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews occurred between February and October 2024. The interviews followed a predetermined semi-structured questionnaire designed to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The notes section explains the main methods and references used in the dataset. Distinctions are also made between primary and secondary data for appliance power ratings, ensuring transparency in cases where secondary data supplements gaps. This version (as did Version 2) includes updated technical data, such as time-of-use information for appliances, enhancing the dataset's strength in providing technical insights. Key components of the dataset include: - Socio-economic characteristics: Enterprise location, ISIC division and industry sector classification, main production goods, gender-based ownership structures, enterprise formality (based on registration), year of establishment or business start, enterprise size (number of employees), profit margins, and business challenges related to the owner's gender. - Energy access and use: Type of energy carriers used, subapplications, energy supply shortages, energy consumption levels, type, number, power rating of appliances used, temperature requirements, time-of-use data, and energy expenditure. - Potential for renewable energy adoption: Type and amount of process waste, perceived barriers and drivers for renewable energy adoption, willingness to invest in or pay for new technologies, and preferred financing methods for such technologies.