GridStatus API Skill

Query electricity grid data from US Independent System Operators (ISOs) using the GridStatus.io API. Access real-time and historical data for load, pricing (LMP), generation, fuel mix, and more.

Quick Start

IMPORTANT: Always use the Python SDK. The direct curl API has issues with date filtering on the free tier and returns stale sample data. The Python SDK correctly handles all parameters.

Setup

1. Install SDK (use uv for isolation):

cd /tmp && uv venv -q && source .venv/bin/activate && uv pip install gridstatusio pandas -q

2. API Key: Check for GRIDSTATUS_API_KEY in the user's .env file. If not present, instruct the user to:

   • Create account at https://www.gridstatus.io
   • Get API key from Settings page
   • Add to .env: GRIDSTATUS_API_KEY=your_key_here

3. Query data:

import os
os.environ['GRIDSTATUS_API_KEY'] = 'key_from_dotenv'

from gridstatusio import GridStatusClient
client = GridStatusClient()

df = client.get_dataset(
    dataset="isone_fuel_mix",
    start="2026-01-25",
    end="2026-01-26",
    limit=100
)
print(df.tail())

Free tier limit: 500,000 rows per month. Always use limit parameter.

Supported ISOs

ISO	Region	Key Datasets
ERCOT	Texas	ercot_load, ercot_spp_*, ercot_fuel_mix
CAISO	California	caiso_load, caiso_lmp_*, caiso_fuel_mix
PJM	Mid-Atlantic/Midwest	pjm_load, pjm_lmp_*, pjm_standardized_*
MISO	Midwest	miso_load, miso_lmp_*
NYISO	New York	nyiso_load, nyiso_lmp_*
ISO-NE	New England	isone_load, isone_lmp_*, isone_fuel_mix
SPP	Southwest/Central	spp_load, spp_lmp_*

See references/datasets-by-iso.md for complete dataset catalog.

Standard Query Template

Use this template for all queries. Run in a Python heredoc:

cd /tmp && source .venv/bin/activate && python3 << 'EOF'
import os
os.environ['GRIDSTATUS_API_KEY'] = 'YOUR_KEY_HERE'

from gridstatusio import GridStatusClient
client = GridStatusClient()

df = client.get_dataset(
    dataset="DATASET_NAME",
    start="YYYY-MM-DD",
    end="YYYY-MM-DD",
    limit=100
)
print(df.to_string())
EOF

Common Query Patterns

Current Fuel Mix (What's generating now?)

df = client.get_dataset(
    dataset="isone_fuel_mix",  # or ercot_fuel_mix, caiso_fuel_mix
    start="2026-01-25",
    end="2026-01-26",
    limit=500
)
latest = df.iloc[-1]
total = latest[['coal','hydro','natural_gas','nuclear','oil','solar','wind','wood','refuse','other']].sum()
print(f"Oil: {latest['oil']:.0f} MW ({latest['oil']/total*100:.1f}%)")

System Load

df = client.get_dataset(
    dataset="pjm_load",
    start="2026-01-25",
    end="2026-01-26",
    timezone="US/Eastern",
    limit=100
)
print(f"Current load: {df.iloc[-1]['load']:,.0f} MW")

Electricity Prices (LMP)

df = client.get_dataset(
    dataset="ercot_spp_real_time_15_min",
    start="2026-01-25",
    end="2026-01-26",
    filter_column="location",
    filter_value="HB_HOUSTON",
    limit=100
)
print(f"Houston price: ${df.iloc[-1]['spp']:.2f}/MWh")

Zone-Specific Load (Standardized Datasets)

df = client.get_dataset(
    dataset="pjm_standardized_hourly",
    start="2026-01-25",
    end="2026-01-26",
    timezone="market"
)
# Zone data in columns: df['load.comed'], df['load.aep'], etc.
print(f"ComEd load: {df.iloc[-1]['load.comed']:,.0f} MW")

Dataset Discovery

Check Dataset Metadata (date range, columns)

# Get dataset info including available date range
import requests
import os

api_key = os.environ.get('GRIDSTATUS_API_KEY')
r = requests.get(f"https://api.gridstatus.io/v1/datasets/pjm_load",
                 headers={"x-api-key": api_key})
meta = r.json()
print(f"Available: {meta['earliest_available_time_utc']} to {meta['latest_available_time_utc']}")
print(f"Columns: {[c['name'] for c in meta['all_columns']]}")

List Datasets

client.list_datasets(filter_term="ercot")  # Search by keyword
datasets = client.list_datasets(filter_term="fuel_mix", return_list=True)

Dataset naming convention: {iso}_{data_type}_{frequency}

• ercot_load - ERCOT system load
• caiso_lmp_real_time_5_min - CAISO 5-minute real-time LMPs
• pjm_lmp_day_ahead_hourly - PJM day-ahead hourly LMPs

Energy Calculations

Load (MW) measures instantaneous power. Energy (MWh) = power x time.

Data Frequency	Energy Formula	Example
5-minute	energy_MWh = load_MW * (5/60)	100,000 MW x 0.0833 = 8,333 MWh
15-minute	energy_MWh = load_MW * (15/60)	100,000 MW x 0.25 = 25,000 MWh
Hourly	energy_MWh = load_MW * 1	100,000 MW x 1 = 100,000 MWh

# Total energy for a period (5-min data)
total_mwh = (df['load'] * (5/60)).sum()
total_gwh = total_mwh / 1000

Query Parameters Reference

Parameter	Type	Description
dataset	str	Required. Dataset ID (e.g., ercot_load)
start	str	Start date (YYYY-MM-DD or ISO format)
end	str	End date
limit	int	Max rows to return
timezone	str	"market" for ISO local time, or "US/Central" etc.
filter_column	str	Column to filter on
filter_value	str/list	Value(s) to match
filter_operator	str	=, !=, >, <, >=, <=, in
resample	str	Aggregate frequency ("1 hour", "1 day")
resample_function	str	mean, sum, min, max

See references/api-reference.md for complete documentation.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Fix
Old/stale data returned	Using curl directly	Use Python SDK instead - curl has date filtering issues on free tier
401 Unauthorized	Invalid/missing API key	Check GRIDSTATUS_API_KEY is set correctly
Empty DataFrame	Date range outside coverage	Check dataset metadata for available date range
ModuleNotFoundError	SDK not installed	Run: cd /tmp && uv venv -q && source .venv/bin/activate && uv pip install gridstatusio pandas -q
"Unknown column" error	Wrong filter column	Zone data is in columns after fetch, not filterable. Use df['load.comed']
429 Rate Limited	Too many requests	SDK auto-retries with backoff

Why Not curl?

The direct HTTP API has a critical issue on the free tier: date parameters are ignored and it returns sample data from years ago. The Python SDK correctly handles date filtering and returns current data.

If you must use curl (e.g., for dataset metadata), it works for non-query endpoints:

# This works - metadata endpoint
curl -s -H "x-api-key: $GRIDSTATUS_API_KEY" \
  "https://api.gridstatus.io/v1/datasets/pjm_load"

# This returns stale data - query endpoint has issues
curl -s -H "x-api-key: $GRIDSTATUS_API_KEY" \
  "https://api.gridstatus.io/v1/datasets/pjm_load/query?start=2026-01-25"  # BROKEN

Additional Resources

Reference Files

• references/datasets-by-iso.md - Complete dataset catalog by ISO
• references/api-reference.md - Full API parameter documentation
• references/common-queries.md - Ready-to-use query patterns

Example Files

• examples/python-query.py - Python SDK examples