To a federal statistical agency like the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), there’s nothing more satisfying than providing needed information that can facilitate more informed analysis and policy decisions on a national and regional level. EIA recently launched a new U.S. Electric System Operating Data tool, which provides hourly electricity operating data, including actual and forecast demand, net generation, and the power flowing between electric systems. The tool features nearly real-time demand data, plus analysis and visualizations of hourly, daily, and weekly electricity supply and demand on a national and regional level for all of the 66 electric system balancing authorities that make up the U.S. electric grid.
The information is collected directly from each interconnected electric system on the EIA-930 survey, the first hourly data collection conducted by a federal statistical agency. Although electric system balancing authorities covering most of the United States have released voluminous public, nearly real-time information on grid operations since the late 1990s, EIA’s U.S. Electric System Operating Data tool expands the availability of data to the entire contiguous 48 states, and makes it available in a consistent format from a single source.
Among other applications, the data can be used to provide timely information on electric system recovery after power interruptions and to help evaluate the effects of renewable energy, smart grid, and demand-response programs on power system operations. The tool allows you to visualize and analyze:
- Total U.S. and regional electricity demand on an hourly basis
- The hourly flow of electricity between electric systems
- The wide variety in electric systems’ daily demand shapes and the seasonality of daily demand patterns
- The extent to which electric systems rely on internal and external sources of supply to meet their demand
- Potential stress on electric systems when actual demand significantly exceeds forecasted demand
- Total hourly flows of electricity with Canada and Mexico
To learn more, watch the U.S. Electric System Operating data tool promotional video, along with a set of four video tutorials.
And have fun exploring!
