PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server for Claude Desktop 8 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Claude Desktop is Anthropic's native application for interacting with Claude AI models on macOS and Windows. It was the first consumer application to ship with built-in MCP support, making it the reference implementation for the Model Context Protocol standard.
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{
"mcpServers": {
"pge-public-datasets": {
// Your Vinkius token — get it at cloud.vinkius.com
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
}
}
}
* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
About PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server
Access PG&E Public Datasets directly from any AI agent and explore energy consumption, billing trends, efficiency savings, and regional comparisons without any authentication.
Claude Desktop is the definitive way to connect PG&E Public Datasets to your AI workflow. Add the Vinkius Edge URL to your config, restart the app, and Claude immediately exposes all 8 tools in the chat interface — ask a question, Claude calls the right tool, and you see the answer. Zero code, zero context switching.
What you can do
- Monthly Usage — Get monthly electricity and gas consumption by ZIP code and customer segment
- Customer Segments — View energy usage breakdown across Residential, Commercial, Industrial, and Agricultural sectors
- Yearly Trends — Analyze year-over-year energy consumption trends
- Electricity by ZIP — Access ZIP code-level electricity consumption data
- Gas by ZIP — Access ZIP code-level natural gas consumption data
- Billing Data — Retrieve average bills and cost metrics by region
- Savings Data — Analyze energy efficiency program savings and cost-effectiveness
- Regional Comparisons — Compare energy usage across multiple ZIP codes side-by-side
The PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server exposes 8 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Claude Desktop in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.
How to Connect PG&E Public Datasets to Claude Desktop via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server with Claude Desktop.
Open Claude Desktop Settings
Go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config to open claude_desktop_config.json
Add the MCP Server
Paste the configuration above into the mcpServers section
Restart Claude Desktop
Close and reopen Claude Desktop to load the new server
Start using PG&E Public Datasets
Look for the 🔌 icon in the chat — your 8 tools are now available
Why Use Claude Desktop with the PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server
Claude Desktop by Anthropic provides unique advantages when paired with PG&E Public Datasets through the Model Context Protocol.
Claude Desktop is the reference MCP client — it was designed alongside the protocol itself, ensuring the most complete and stable MCP implementation available
Zero-code configuration: add a server URL to a JSON file and Claude instantly discovers and exposes all available tools in the chat interface
Claude's extended thinking capability lets it reason through multi-step tool usage, chaining multiple API calls to answer complex questions
Enterprise-grade security with local config storage — your tokens never leave your machine, and connections go directly to the Vinkius Edge network
PG&E Public Datasets + Claude Desktop Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Claude Desktop combined with the PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Interactive data exploration: ask Claude to query DNS records, look up WHOIS data, and cross-reference results in a single conversation
Ad-hoc security audits: type a domain name and let Claude enumerate subdomains, check DNS history, and flag configuration anomalies — all through natural language
Executive briefings: generate comprehensive domain intelligence reports by asking Claude to compile findings into a formatted summary
Learning and training: new team members can explore API capabilities conversationally without needing to read documentation
PG&E Public Datasets MCP Tools for Claude Desktop (8)
These 8 tools become available when you connect PG&E Public Datasets to Claude Desktop via MCP:
compare_regions
Returns side-by-side usage figures (kWh and therms), customer counts, and average bills for each region. Use this to identify regional differences in energy consumption, support geographic targeting for efficiency programs, or compare urban vs. rural usage patterns. ZIP codes are comma-separated (e.g., "94102,94103,94104"). Optional dataType and year filters. Compare energy usage data between multiple ZIP codes/regions
get_billing_data
Data is available by ZIP code and customer segment. Use this to analyze energy affordability, compare costs across regions, or identify rate impact on customers. Optional zipCode and year filters. Get billing data and average costs from PG&E public datasets
get_electricity_by_zip
Returns monthly or annual usage figures broken down by geographic area. Use this to compare electricity usage across neighborhoods, identify high-consumption areas, or support energy efficiency targeting. Optional year filter. Get electricity consumption data for specific ZIP codes in PG&E service area
get_gas_by_zip
Returns monthly or annual gas usage figures by geographic area. Use this to analyze heating demand patterns, compare gas usage across regions, or identify electrification opportunities. Optional year filter. Get natural gas consumption data for specific ZIP codes in PG&E service area
get_monthly_usage
Data is organized by ZIP code, month, year, and customer segment (Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Agricultural). Returns kWh for electric and therms for gas. Use this to analyze consumption patterns over time. Optional filters: dataType ("electric" or "gas"), customerType, zipCode (5-digit), and year (YYYY). Get monthly energy consumption data by ZIP code and customer segment from PG&E public datasets
get_savings_data
Includes program participation counts, kWh/therms saved, program costs, and cost-effectiveness metrics by program type. Use this to evaluate program ROI, compare effectiveness across initiatives, or identify high-impact efficiency strategies. Optional programType and year filters. Get energy efficiency program savings data from PG&E
get_usage_by_customer_type
Shows total consumption for Residential, Commercial, Industrial, and Agricultural sectors. Use this to understand the energy consumption distribution across different customer categories. Optional dataType ("electric"/"gas") and year filters. Get energy usage broken down by customer segment (residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural)
get_yearly_trends
Shows how electricity and gas usage has changed over multiple years. Use this to identify long-term patterns, growth/decline in energy demand, and seasonal variations. Optional dataType filter ("electric" or "gas"). Get yearly energy consumption trends from PG&E public data
Example Prompts for PG&E Public Datasets in Claude Desktop
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Claude Desktop agent to start working with PG&E Public Datasets immediately.
"Show monthly electricity usage by customer type."
"Compare ZIP codes 94102, 94301, and 95054."
"Show yearly energy consumption trends."
Troubleshooting PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server with Claude Desktop
Common issues when connecting PG&E Public Datasets to Claude Desktop through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
Server not appearing after restart
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\\Claude\\ (Windows).Authentication error
Tools not showing in chat
PG&E Public Datasets + Claude Desktop FAQ
Common questions about integrating PG&E Public Datasets MCP Server with Claude Desktop.
How does Claude Desktop discover MCP tools?
claude_desktop_config.json file and connects to each configured MCP server. It calls the tools/list endpoint to fetch the schema for every available tool, then surfaces them as clickable options in the chat interface via the 🔌 icon.What happens if the MCP server is temporarily unavailable?
Can I connect multiple MCP servers simultaneously?
mcpServers section of the config file. Each server appears as a separate tool provider, and Claude can use tools from multiple servers in a single conversation turn.Is there a limit on the number of tools per server?
Does Claude Desktop support Streamable HTTP transport?
Connect PG&E Public Datasets with your favorite client
Step-by-step setup guides for every MCP-compatible client and framework:
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TypeScript-native agent framework for modern web stacks.
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Leading Python framework for composable LLM applications.
Data-aware AI agent framework for structured and unstructured sources.
Microsoft's framework for multi-agent collaborative conversations.
Connect PG&E Public Datasets to Claude Desktop
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 8 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.