Foreword &)YQv Tzs
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body &X`C%h
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2;[D;Y}
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 P]<4R:yb
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. N@;?CKU
The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D \n" {qfn`r
agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a y>R=`A1b
variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into Ot$-!Y;<
electricity. Qwz}B
The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative Y_Eb'*PY
from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks) \(~y? l
is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the ?RX3MUN
IEA PVPS programme. w4_ U0
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The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark O1rvaOlr
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), qBU-~"2t
Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway ZufR{^W
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United JHW"-b
Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA). 4]rnY~
Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, 'UkxS b
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV zUDg&-J3
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing x"eRJii?
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA Okgv!Nt8)A
countries are sharing their experiences in this area. cO-7ke
This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the 68bQ;Dv
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle Q0$8j-1I
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic Om \o#{D
environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of #:%&x@@c3P
Task III by: rjl`&POqc
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) 5VRYO"D:
Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) pEw"8U
Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) f'8kish
06 December 1999