Docs/Features/MCP Server

MCP Server

Public MCP server: query renewablesinfo.org data from Claude Desktop, Claude.ai, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf, Zed via one shareable URL. 12 tools, anonymous, rate-limited.

renewablesinfo.org runs a public MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that exposes the platform's energy data — 15,500+ operating plants, 9,800+ interconnection-queue projects, and 57K+ classified news articles — to any LLM client that speaks MCP. Plug one URL into Claude.ai, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT (Apps SDK), Cursor, Windsurf, or Zed and ask natural-language questions over the same data the website serves.

Public, anonymous, free. Rate-limited at 30 requests/minute per IP. No login or API key required.

Connection URL

text
https://www.renewablesinfo.org/api/mcp

Streamable HTTP transport per the MCP 2025-11-25 spec. Use the www. subdomain — the apex redirects 307 and some MCP clients don't follow redirects.

Three ways to connect

Claude.ai web (no install)

  1. Go to claude.ai → Settings → Connectors
  2. Click Add custom connector
  3. Paste the URL above

Claude Desktop

On newer builds: Settings → Developer (or Connectors) → Add MCP server → paste the URL.

For older builds, edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "renewables-info": {
      "url": "https://www.renewablesinfo.org/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Then quit and re-open Claude Desktop fully (Cmd-Q on macOS).

Cursor / Windsurf / Zed

Each has its own MCP settings location, but the URL above is what you paste. Cursor caps tools at 40 per agent — this server publishes 12, well within the limit.

Tool catalog

Twelve tools span entity lookups, search, news, comparison, and aggregation. Each response carries _meta.as_of and _meta.source attribution.

ToolWhat it does
search_plantsFilter operating plants by query, fuel, state, ISO, capacity, owner.
get_plantFull JSONB blob for one plant by EIA plant_id.
search_projectsFilter queue projects by query, state, region, technology, status, MW, developer, queue year.
get_projectFull JSONB blob for one queue project by slug.
search_newsSearch news articles by query, entity link, lane (COMMITMENT/CONSTRAINT/CONTEXT), event type, date.
get_news_extractedResolution-layer canonical facts (developer, EPC, PPA, milestones) for one entity.
find_by_extracted_factReverse-lookup: every entity where a fact has a specific value. The differentiator.
compare_entitiesSide-by-side grid of 2–8 entities (plants and/or projects). Supports nested-field paths.
aggregateGROUP BY plants/projects on state/fuel/iso/tech/status/owner with count/sum/avg metrics.
nearby_plantsPlants near a given plant_id by Haversine distance, pre-computed.
plants_by_ownerPlants owned/operated by a company (substring across canonical_owner / utility / parent).
get_aggregate_news_statsPre-computed news distribution by category/state/fuel/source/owner.

Example prompts

Once connected, ask in plain language. The LLM picks the right tool(s) and renders the result.

  • “Find solar plants in Texas above 500 MW.”
  • “Who owns the largest plants in CAISO?”
  • “Show me NextEra Energy's biggest solar projects.”
  • “What battery projects in Texas are over 100 MW in the queue?”
  • “Total solar capacity by state, top 10.”
  • “Compare Palo Verde Nuclear and Diablo Canyon.”
  • “Recent CONSTRAINT-lane news about wind projects.”
  • “Every project where the developer is Primergy Solar.”

Provenance

Every response carries source attribution. Where a fact comes from a single underlying source (a plant's EIA-reported capacity, a FERC-filed financial line), that source is named. Where a fact is resolved from multiple news articles (developer, EPC, PPA terms), the resolution carries an as_of date, confidence score, and counts of supporting + total articles. Downstream LLMs can cite back to the primary source — they don't need to invent attribution.

Discovery

A machine-readable server card lives at /.well-known/mcp/server-card.json for directory crawlers (PulseMCP, mcp.so) and clients that probe before connecting.

Send to a friend

Copy this verbatim:

text
Hey — there's a public MCP server with US power-plant data
(15K plants, owners, capacity, fuel, ISO, news). Plug this URL
into any LLM client (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor):

  https://www.renewablesinfo.org/api/mcp

In Claude.ai or Claude Desktop: Settings → Connectors →
Add custom connector → paste URL.

Then ask things like "find solar plants in Texas above 500 MW"
or "who owns Palo Verde". Free, anonymous, 30 req/min per IP.

Limits + roadmap

  • 30 requests/minute per IP (sliding window). Heavy tools (compare_entities, aggregate) cost more rate-limit budget.
  • 429s carry standard X-RateLimit-* headers + a JSON-RPC error response.
  • Section-gating on get_plant / get_project to trim payload by section is on the roadmap. Today these return the full JSONB blob.
  • Per-tool API keys + OAuth 2.1 are deferred. Anonymous + rate limit is the v1 model.
  • A .mcpb Desktop Extension for one-click install is planned but not shipped yet.
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