Online Service Gives Us New Ways to Access Key U.S. Electric Power Data

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Originally published on the U.S. Energy Information Administration website.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) today makes key electricity data more accessible than ever before with the release of a new online service. The agency’s first-ever Application Programming Interface (API) allows developers to design web and mobile apps that harness a wealth of information about the U.S. electricity sector.

The free API will give developers access to data on electricity generation, retail sales, and average prices, and the types of fuel that are used to generate electricity at the state and national levels. Electricity generation and fuel consumption data for individual power plants with more than 1 megawatt of capacity also are available. These data are structured into a hierarchical set of 39,000 categories, grouping related series and assisting in the exploration of EIA’s data.
 

 
“EIA’s API will enable independent developers to create innovative information technology applications that can be used to improve energy decision-making. The value of EIA’s data will be enhanced even further when it is combined with data beyond what the agency collects, such as market or environmental data,” said EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski.

Of particular interest to developers will be the geographical metadata provided with each series (for example, the longitude and latitude information of individual electricity plants). Standards-based country and state codes are provided, where applicable. These metadata will permit advanced mapping applications.

Planned additions to EIA’s API include petroleum and natural gas data, along with state energy estimates. As these data sets are added over the coming months, the total number of data series available through EIA’s API will grow.

APIs are an important element of a government-wide Digital Strategy to make information more transparent and customer-centered.

To get your free API key and learn more, visit www.eia.gov/developer.