specification: API Commons Plans
specificationVersion: '0.1'
schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/interface-research/main/schema/api-commons.yml#/$defs/Plans
provider: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
providerId: national-renewable-energy-laboratory
created: '2026-05-04'
# Provenance stamped 2026-08-11: this artifact was written by the API Evangelist
# bulk sweep dated 2026-05-04, not harvested from the provider. See roadmap#35.
method: generated
modified: '2026-05-05'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - Government
  - Energy
  - Renewables
  - Open Data
description: NREL's developer network (now hosted at developer.nlr.gov, with developer.nrel.gov scheduled
  to shut down on 2026-05-29) provides free public APIs for renewable energy data and tools (PVWatts,
  Solar Resource, Utility Rates, Alternative Fuel Stations, etc.). All access is free; the only differentiation
  is between the shared DEMO_KEY and a free signed-up API key.
sources:
  - https://developer.nlr.gov/
  - https://developer.nlr.gov/signup/
  - https://developer.nlr.gov/docs/rate-limits/
plans:
  - id: nrel-demo-key
    name: DEMO_KEY
    type: freemium
    description: Shared evaluation key intended only for prototyping. Strict per-IP throttling.
    entries:
      - label: Hourly limit (per IP)
        name: demo_hourly
        type: quota
        metric: request
        limit: 30
        timeFrame: hour
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: '0.00'
        userMultiplied: false
      - label: Daily limit (per IP)
        name: demo_daily
        type: quota
        metric: request
        limit: 50
        timeFrame: day
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: '0.00'
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: All NREL APIs (PVWatts, Solar Resource, Utility Rates, Alternative Fuel Stations, etc.)
      - name: No signup required
  - id: nrel-signed-up
    name: Signed-up API Key
    type: freemium
    description: Free API key obtained via the developer.nlr.gov signup form. Default rate cap of 1,000
      requests per hour per key, applied across all NREL APIs.
    entries:
      - label: Hourly limit (per key)
        name: keyed_hourly
        type: quota
        metric: request
        limit: 1000
        timeFrame: hour
        geo: global
        unit: 1
        price: '0.00'
        userMultiplied: false
    elements:
      - name: All NREL APIs
      - name: Free signup
      - name: Shared api.data.gov gateway infrastructure
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com
x-canonical:
  generated: '2026-10-08'
  vocabulary: all/0-working/economics/plans-canonical.yml
  models:
  - free
  units:
  - request
  plans:
  - name: DEMO_KEY
    access: freemium
    model: free
    model_how: derived
    units:
    - request
    periods:
    - day
    - hour
  - name: Signed-up API Key
    access: freemium
    model: free
    model_how: derived
    units:
    - request
    periods:
    - hour