# Dataframe: `CAISO:caiso_load` - CAISO Load (5-Min)


## Description

CAISO system load at 5-minute resolution. Each row is one 5-minute interval, timestamped in UTC, with a single system-wide load value in megawatts.

In this project the series provides grid operational context: it is the demand backdrop for interpreting price spreads, real-time price spikes, and outage or curtailment conditions on the CAISO grid.

## Data Dictionary

- **interval_start_utc**: `datetime64[ns]` Interval start, UTC
- **interval_end_utc**: `datetime64[ns]` Interval end (start + 5 minutes), UTC
- **load**: `float64` CAISO system load in MW

## Notes

- `load` does **not** include load from storage charging. The hourly companion dataset (`caiso_load_hourly`) does include storage charging, so the two series are not directly comparable.
- Timestamps are stored in UTC; convert to US/Pacific at analysis time as needed.

## Data Preview

**Rows:** 880,751  |  **Columns:** 3  |  **Cache:** `data/opensource/caiso_load.parquet`

### Sample rows

First and latest 5 rows by `interval_start_utc`.

| interval_start_utc   | interval_end_utc   | load    |
|----------------------|--------------------|---------|
| 2018-04-10 07:00     | 2018-04-10 07:05   | 22459.0 |
| 2018-04-10 07:05     | 2018-04-10 07:10   | 22371.0 |
| 2018-04-10 07:10     | 2018-04-10 07:15   | 22330.0 |
| 2018-04-10 07:15     | 2018-04-10 07:20   | 22082.0 |
| 2018-04-10 07:20     | 2018-04-10 07:25   | 21978.0 |
| ...                  | ...                | ...     |
| 2026-08-27 06:35     | 2026-08-27 06:40   | 35228.0 |
| 2026-08-27 06:40     | 2026-08-27 06:45   | 34954.0 |
| 2026-08-27 06:45     | 2026-08-27 06:50   | 34728.0 |
| 2026-08-27 06:50     | 2026-08-27 06:55   | 34465.0 |
| 2026-08-27 06:55     | 2026-08-27 07:00   | 34156.0 |

### Column summary

| Column               | Dtype          | Nulls   | Min              | Max              |
|----------------------|----------------|---------|------------------|------------------|
| `interval_start_utc` | `Datetime[ns]` | 0       | 2018-04-10 07:00 | 2026-08-27 06:55 |
| `interval_end_utc`   | `Datetime[ns]` | 0       | 2018-04-10 07:05 | 2026-08-27 07:00 |
| `load`               | `Float64`      | 0       | -2651.0          | 72922.0          |



## DataFrame Glimpse

```
Rows: 880751
Columns: 3
$ interval_start_utc <datetime[ns]> 2026-08-27 06:55:00
$ interval_end_utc   <datetime[ns]> 2026-08-27 07:00:00
$ load                        <f64> 34156.0


```

## Dataframe Manifest

| Dataframe Name                 | CAISO Load (5-Min)                                                   |
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Dataframe ID                   | [caiso_load](../dataframes/CAISO/caiso_load.md)                                       |
| Data Sources                   | caiso.com Today's Outlook (demand)                                        |
| Data Providers                 | CAISO                                      |
| Links to Providers             | https://www.caiso.com                             |
| Topic Tags                     | Load, Grid Context                                          |
| Type of Data Access            |                                   |
| How is data pulled?            | src/pulls/pull_caiso_load.py via the open-source gridstatus library                                                    |
| Data available up to (min)     | N/A                                                             |
| Data available up to (max)     | N/A                                                             |
| Dataframe Path                 | data\opensource\caiso_load.parquet                                                   |


**Linked Charts:**

- None


## Pipeline Manifest

| Pipeline Name                   | Project-Lab-Energy-Weather-Natgas-Quanto-CAISO                       |
|---------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|
| Pipeline ID                     | [CAISO](../../../index.md)              |
| Lead Pipeline Developer         | Brian Nguyen             |
| Contributors                    | Brian Nguyen, Claire Kim           |
| Git Repo URL                    |                         |
| Pipeline Web Page               | <a href="../../../../index.html">Pipeline Web Page      |
| Date of Last Code Update        | 2026-08-27 10:08:05           |
| OS Compatibility                | Windows, Linux, macOS |
| Linked Dataframes               |  [CAISO:caiso_lmp_day_ahead_hourly](../../dataframes/CAISO/caiso_lmp_day_ahead_hourly.md)<br>  [CAISO:caiso_lmp_real_time_15_min](../../dataframes/CAISO/caiso_lmp_real_time_15_min.md)<br>  [CAISO:caiso_lmp_real_time_5_min](../../dataframes/CAISO/caiso_lmp_real_time_5_min.md)<br>  [CAISO:caiso_fuel_prices](../../dataframes/CAISO/caiso_fuel_prices.md)<br>  [CAISO:caiso_fuel_regions](../../dataframes/CAISO/caiso_fuel_regions.md)<br>  [CAISO:caiso_load](../../dataframes/CAISO/caiso_load.md)<br>  [CAISO:caiso_load_hourly](../../dataframes/CAISO/caiso_load_hourly.md)<br>  [CAISO:caiso_fuel_mix](../../dataframes/CAISO/caiso_fuel_mix.md)<br>  [CAISO:caiso_renewables_hourly](../../dataframes/CAISO/caiso_renewables_hourly.md)<br>  [CAISO:caiso_curtailed_non_operational_generator_report](../../dataframes/CAISO/caiso_curtailed_non_operational_generator_report.md)<br>  [CAISO:caiso_outages_aggregated_hourly](../../dataframes/CAISO/caiso_outages_aggregated_hourly.md)<br>  [CAISO:openmeteo_temperature_daily](../../dataframes/CAISO/openmeteo_temperature_daily.md)<br>  [CAISO:eia860m_generators](../../dataframes/CAISO/eia860m_generators.md)<br>  [CAISO:us_ba_boundaries](../../dataframes/CAISO/us_ba_boundaries.md)<br>  |


**Build Commands:**
```
doit

```