---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 18772"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "18772"
heading: "Data collection in the electricity sector"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/18772"
units:
  - "Chapter 162 — Energy Infrastructure"
  - "Subchapter IV — Energy Information Administration"
---

# §18772. Data collection in the electricity sector

- (a) **Dashboard—**
  - (1) **Establishment—**
    - (A) **In general—** Not later than 90 days after November 15, 2021, the [Administrator](/usc/42/18771.md?p=1) shall establish an online database to track the operation of the bulk power system in the contiguous 48 [States](/usc/42/18791.md?p=3) (referred to in this section as the “Dashboard”).
    - (B) **Improvement of existing dashboard—** The Dashboard may be established through the improvement, in accordance with this subsection, of an existing dashboard of the Energy Information Administration, such as—
      - (i) the U.S. Electric System Operating Data dashboard; or
      - (ii) the Hourly Electric Grid Monitor.
  - (2) **Expansion—**
    - (A) **In general—** Not later than 1 year after November 15, 2021, the [Administrator](/usc/42/18771.md?p=1) shall expand the Dashboard to include, to the maximum extent practicable, hourly operating data collected from the electricity balancing authorities that operate the bulk power system in all of the several [States](/usc/42/18791.md?p=3), each territory of the United States, and the District of Columbia.
    - (B) **Types of data—** The hourly operating data collected under [subparagraph (A)](#a-2-A) may include data relating to—
      - (i) total electricity demand;
      - (ii) electricity demand by subregion;
      - (iii) short-term electricity demand forecasts;
      - (iv) total electricity generation;
      - (v) net electricity generation by fuel type, including renewables;
      - (vi) electricity stored and discharged;
      - (vii) total net electricity interchange;
      - (viii) electricity interchange with directly interconnected balancing authorities; and
      - (ix) where available, the estimated marginal greenhouse gas emissions per megawatt hour of electricity generated—
        - (I) within the metered boundaries of each balancing authority; and
        - (II) for each pricing node.
- (b) **Mix of energy sources—**
  - (1) **In general—** Not later than 1 year after November 15, 2021, the [Administrator](/usc/42/18771.md?p=1) shall establish, in accordance with [section 18777 of this title](/usc/42/18777.md) and this subsection and to the extent the [Administrator](/usc/42/18771.md?p=1) determines to be appropriate, a system to harmonize the operating data on electricity generation collected under [subsection (a)](#a) with—
    - (A) measurements of greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions collected by the Environmental Protection [Agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1);
    - (B) other data collected by the Environmental Protection [Agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) or other relevant Federal [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), as the [Administrator](/usc/42/18771.md?p=1) determines to be appropriate; and
    - (C) data collected by [State](/usc/42/18791.md?p=3) or regional energy credit registries.
  - (2) **Outcomes—** The system established under [paragraph (1)](#b-1) shall result in an integrated dataset that includes, for any given time—
    - (A) the net generation of electricity by megawatt hour within the metered boundaries of each balancing authority; and
    - (B) where available, the average and marginal greenhouse gas emissions by megawatt hour of electricity generated within the metered boundaries of each balancing authority.
  - (3) **Real-time data dissemination—** To the maximum extent practicable, the system established under [paragraph (1)](#b-1) shall disseminate data—
    - (A) on a real-time basis; and
    - (B) through an application programming interface that is publicly accessible.
  - (4) **Complementary efforts—** The system established under [paragraph (1)](#b-1) shall complement any existing data dissemination efforts of the [Administrator](/usc/42/18771.md?p=1) that make use of electricity generation data, such as electricity demand by subregion and electricity interchange with directly interconnected balancing authorities.
- (c) **Observed characteristics of bulk power system resource integration—**
  - (1) **In general—** Not later than 1 year after November 15, 2021, the [Administrator](/usc/42/18771.md?p=1) shall establish a system to provide to the public timely data on the integration of energy resources into the bulk power system and the electric distribution grids in the United States, and the observed effects of that integration.
  - (2) **Requirements—** In carrying out [paragraph (1)](#c-1), the [Administrator](/usc/42/18771.md?p=1) shall seek to improve the temporal and spatial resolution of data relating to how grid operations are changing, such as through—
    - (A) thermal generator cycling to accommodate intermittent generation;
    - (B) generation unit self-scheduling [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19);
    - (C) renewable source curtailment;
    - (D) utility-scale storage;
    - (E) load response;
    - (F) aggregations of distributed energy resources at the distribution system level;
    - (G) power interchange between directly connected balancing authorities;
    - (H) expanding [Regional Transmission Organization](/usc/42/18771.md?p=9) balancing authorities;
    - (I) improvements in real-time—
      - (i) accuracy of locational marginal prices; and
      - (ii) signals to flexible demand; and
    - (J) disruptions to grid operations, including disruptions caused by cyber sources, physical sources, extreme weather events, or other sources.
- (d) **Distribution system operations—**
  - (1) **In general—** Not later than 1 year after November 15, 2021, the [Administrator](/usc/42/18771.md?p=1) shall establish a system to provide to the public timely data on the operations of [load-serving entities](/usc/42/18771.md?p=7) in the electricity grids of the United States.
  - (2) **Requirements—**
    - (A) **In general—** In carrying out [paragraph (1)](#d-1), the [Administrator](/usc/42/18771.md?p=1) shall—
      - (i) not less frequently than annually, provide data on—
        - (I) the delivered generation resource mix for each [load-serving entity](/usc/42/18771.md?p=7); and
        - (II) the distributed energy resources operating within each service area of a [load-serving entity](/usc/42/18771.md?p=7);
      - (ii) harmonize the data on delivered generation resource mix described in [clause (i)(I)](#d-2-A-i-I) with measurements of greenhouse gas emissions collected by the Environmental Protection [Agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1);
      - (iii) to the maximum extent practicable, disseminate the data described in [clause (i)(I)](#d-2-A-i-I) and the harmonized data described in [clause (ii)](#d-2-A-ii) on a real-time basis; and
      - (iv) provide historical data, beginning with the earliest calendar year practicable, but not later than calendar year 2020, on the delivered generation resource mix described in [clause (i)(I)](#d-2-A-i-I).
    - (B) **Data on the delivered generation resource mix—** In collecting the data described in [subparagraph (A)(i)(I)](#d-2-A-i-I), the [Administrator](/usc/42/18771.md?p=1) shall—
      - (i) use existing voluntary industry methodologies, including reporting protocols, databases, and emissions and energy use tracking software that provide consistent, timely, and accessible carbon emissions intensity rates for delivered electricity;
      - (ii) consider that generation and transmission entities may provide data on behalf of [load-serving entities](/usc/42/18771.md?p=7);
      - (iii) to the extent that the [Administrator](/usc/42/18771.md?p=1) determines necessary, and in a manner designed to protect confidential information, require each [load-serving entity](/usc/42/18771.md?p=7) to submit additional information as needed to determine the delivered generation resource mix of the [load-serving entity](/usc/42/18771.md?p=7), including financial or contractual agreements for power and generation resource type attributes with respect to power owned by or retired by the [load-serving entity](/usc/42/18771.md?p=7); and
      - (iv) for any portion of the generation resource mix of a [load-serving entity](/usc/42/18771.md?p=7) that is otherwise unaccounted for, develop a methodology to assign to the [load-serving entity](/usc/42/18771.md?p=7) a share of the otherwise unaccounted for resource mix of the relevant balancing authority.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 117–58, div. D, title IV, § 40412, Nov. 15, 2021, 135 Stat. 1039.)

## Notes

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Wage Rate Requirements

For provisions relating to rates of wages to be paid to laborers and mechanics on projects for construction, alteration, or repair work funded under div. D or an amendment by div. D of Pub. L. 117–58, including authority of Secretary of Labor, see section 18851 of this title.