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State Energy Data Needs Assessment
 

Chapter 2.  Integrated State Energy Data Programs

EIA receives comments and questions about State-level data every day.  Some users are looking for comprehensive datasets, such as total energy consumption for all 50 States (and U.S. territories) for the past 10 years. Other users are looking for quick access to a comprehensive profile of their State’s current energy situation.  All users expect to find timely, technically accurate, and complete State-level data on the EIA web site.  One participant in EIA’s October 2008 State Energy Workshop told EIA, “We need the data for use in making policy.  Energy data makes the markets work.”  Another participant said, “We rely on EIA’s data–it’s absolutely critical.  It’s the only source that’s reliable State to State.”

EIA has two State energy data compilation programs (referred to as “integrated energy” programs) that cover all of the major sources and uses of energy: the State Energy Profiles (SEPs) and the State Energy Data System (SEDS).  Both programs seek to address the needs of a wide variety of data users.  The SEPs program was launched in December 2006 as an innovative web application to improve user access to and understanding of EIA’s State-level data.  It is a continually updated web-based portal to all of EIA’s State energy data; it also includes individual profiles that present key facts and statistics about State energy markets and industries.  Because SEPs is a compilation program, it can only include available data. Expanding the scope of SEPs to include, for example, more State-level or U.S. territory end-use data, would require expansion in EIA’s data collection programs, discussed in other chapters of this report.  

The SEDS has provided annual estimates of State-level consumption, prices, and expenditures since 1978.   In the past few years, an intensive effort has led to significant improvements in timeliness and scope.  EIA has begun posting updated estimates for individual energy sources as soon as they are processed.  In addition, the time lag from the close of the data year to the release date of SEDS integrated totals (all energy sources) has been shortened from 34 months in October 2006 to 23 months in November 2008, with an ultimate goal of an 18-month time lag in the current system.  In addition, SEDS began providing State-level production estimates in 2008 for all energy sources and States for 1960 forward.

In 2009, EIA will more closely align the programs to gain efficiencies and to provide users with an up-to-date, comprehensive, and accurate State Energy Profile for each State as quickly as possible after the data become available.

Improved Integrated State Energy Data Products

  • Improve Timeliness of the SEDS.  The SEDS provides annual estimates of consumption, prices, expenditures, and production for all energy sources and States.  Many stakeholders, including the Northeast-Midwest Coalition and the National Association of State Energy Officials, have expressed concern about the timeliness of SEDS data, which are used as inputs for forecasting and for the estimation of greenhouse gas emissions. State administrative and energy officials also use the data for planning and analysis.  The timeliness of SEDS depends on the availability of annual data from various EIA program offices and external sources.  It would be difficult to improve timeliness to less than 18 months after the data year with the current schedule of data inputs into SEDS, but it would be possible to use estimation procedures to compute a set of preliminary SEDS estimates by using preliminary data from monthly and quarterly surveys.  Using model-based estimates would allow the first set of SEDS data (for example, coal consumption) to be released 6 months after the end of the data year, and total energy estimates to be released in 15 months. Initiative 2.1.  Start-up Cost: $300,000; Annual Operating Cost $300,000 (increment over EIA’s 2009 budget request).
  • Improve Quality of the SEDS.  In order to evaluate total energy use in the SEDS, a complete set of State-level consumption and price data for all energy sources must be compiled.  There are gaps, however, in the data inputs needed to calculate total energy use.  In some cases, source data come solely from non-EIA sources, and EIA has no control over the timeliness or quality of those exogenous data sources.  For example, EIA uses asphalt and road oil consumption data from the Asphalt Institute and liquefied petroleum gas by end-use sector from the American Petroleum Institute.  EIA has no control over the data quality, data collection, or publication schedule for those data.  In other cases, there are no data available from any source.  For example, there are no consumption data for lubricants used in the industrial or transportation sectors.  When data are not available from EIA or non-EIA sources, they must be estimated.  If the missing data could be filled in with EIA survey data, the quality of the SEDS data would be improved.  It is unclear, however, what resources would be required to obtain all of the missing data.  Therefore, EIA could conduct research to define the level of effort required to obtain the missing data.  Initiative 2.2. Start-up Cost: $130,000; Annual Operating Cost: $130,000 (increment over EIA’s 2009 budget). 

  • Create a State Data Application Programming Interface (API).  Upgrading EIA’s databases would also make it possible to implement a State Data Application Programming Interface (API), a computer model that makes it easy to access and exchange EIA’s State energy data.  An API would allow Federal and State agencies, financial markets, research institutions, analysts, and others to quickly access EIA State data and process it into new services beyond the scope and resources of EIA.  Such an interface would allow EIA to give customers direct access to EIA data for a variety of purposes.  EIA would be able to deliver State energy data in multiple formats in the timeliest manner possible.  An API is also the first step to developing a global energy navigator–a database management tool that links multiple databases through a single interface.  Initiative 2.3. Start-up Cost: $500,000; Annual Operating Cost: $194,000 (increment over EIA’s 2009 budget request).
  • Develop System to Support User-Generated State Energy Maps.Computer system upgrades would help make it possible for users to create their own State energy data maps.  Congressional staffers, members of the press, and energy analysts routinely call EIA to request high-resolution copies of EIA’s State energy maps, which display energy infrastructure sites such as electric power plants, transmission lines, natural gas pipeline flow and hubs, oil ports and refineries, and renewable energy potential at a glance.  The maps are unique in that they display geospatial data for several different major energy sources.  Currently, EIA’s mapping environment does not support the specific geospatial analysis needs of some users.  EIA is frequently asked but unable to provide maps showing crude oil and petroleum product pipelines.  The addition of biomass potential and more detailed data on solar, wind, and geothermal potential are other common requests.  A more robust computing environment would make it possible to include the large amounts of data required to display detailed oil pipelines, energy potentials, and other energy map elements.  The analytical value of the maps would also be enhanced if they were published as a system that would allow users to generate their own maps, adding and subtracting map layers and creating customized, high-resolution maps suitable for analysis and publication.  Initiative 2.4.  Start-up Cost: $330,000; Annual Operating Cost: $150,000 (increment over EIA’s 2009 budget request).