The US utility industry's TEAM-UP commercialization initiative: program implementation

TEAM-UP is a partnership program of the US electric utility industry and the US Department of Energy to accelerate commercialization of PV systems for electric utilities and their customers that will lead to earlier sustainable utility photovoltaic (PV) markets. TEAM-UP is a utility-directed, hardware-oriented program to significantly increase utility PV utilization by cofunding opportunities for PV involvement. Two primary hardware initiatives are included in the TEAM-UP program; (1) grid-independent applications (GIA)-an initiative to aggregate utility purchases of grid-independent applications, and (2) grid-connected applications (GCA)-an initiative to identify and competitively award cost-sharing contracts for grid-connected PV systems with high market growth potential, or collective purchase programs involving multiple buyers. A third major initiative involves outreach and communications to utilities and other organizations to support PV commercialization activities. This paper describes these efforts and outlines the schedule, the hardware procurement status, and the results of surveys, public review workshops, and notices that are part of the TEAM-UP program.