Foreword BA*&N>a
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body Bac| ;+L~L
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development =mLeMk/7 w
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 Xi+n`T'i
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. Da CblX
The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D W0?JVtq0Z
agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a Ays L-sqR
variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into dk:xn X%
electricity. O m6Mmoqh
The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative |Eu*P
from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks) 5"uNj<.V
is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the eA&t %
IEA PVPS programme. i'iO H|s
The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark 6VFirLd
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), 9C=~1>S
Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway ogp{rY
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United ]_\AHnJ
Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA). v^\JWPR/
Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, )r#,M L
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV W1`Dx(g
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing 4v>o%
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA Z* Zc]hD
countries are sharing their experiences in this area. F {/>u(@3
This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the ,z oB0([
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle 9BO|1 {
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic r;'i<t{P
environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of ;Rs.rl>;t/
Task III by: []=_<]{
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) bl`D+/V
Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) Qxky^:B
Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) !YY 6o
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06 December 1999
