Introduce EIA API for managing U.S. Electric System Operating Data

[dt-woods]

It has to come to our attention that the EBA.zip downloaded from http://api.eia.gov/bulk/EBA.zip has strong influence on the model results. Presently, in bulk_eia_data.py, this zip file is managed using the manifest.txt (containing the latest update date for the zip file downloaded) and the manifest found on the EIA's server. When compared and enough days have passed between them, a new download even is triggered to keep your local EBA.zip up-to-date. This may be remedied by utilizing EIA's API, particularly if cut-off dates are important for reproducibility (note: this type of filtering could also be accomplished using the local zip). The challenge is that this data call requires yet another API key registration (in addition the temporary EPA data API required for accessing CAMPD as described in cems_data.py).

API reference:

• https://www.eia.gov/opendata/browser/electricity/rto/region-data
• https://www.eia.gov/opendata/ (for API key registration)