Bringing PV systems to the commercial market: Lessons from the UPVG's TEAM-UP program

The TEAM-UP program (Building Technology Experience to Accelerate Markets in Utility Photovoltaics) is a partnership between the utility industry, energy service organizations, and DOE, and is managed by the Utility Photo Voltaic Group (UPVG). The program is the largest PV demonstration and validation effort supported by the federal government in the US. It was initiated in 1993 with the objective of demonstrating and validating PV technologies leading to the domestic commercialization of PV. Thus far, over $70 million in PV installations have been made or committed to as part of the program. A total of 36 ventures (Rounds One, Two, and Three) have been awarded cost-shared funding and over 7.0 MWs of new PV capacity will be installed by these ventures by September 2000. To help document and disseminate the lessons learned and experience gained by the participating organizations, the UPVG contracted with Sol y Mer, Ltd. and an independent consultant to interview personnel at selected ventures and document the findings. The ventures selected are from the first two rounds of the program (RFPs issued in Dec. 1994 and Dec. 1995).