Foreword QO fqW@g
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body Lt< KRs
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development r=S 6yq}
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 <0%X:q<
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. &a/F"?9jL
The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D S|_} 0
agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a m h5ozv$
variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into O)Wc\-
electricity. )^D:VY9 2
The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative ` 6'dhB
from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks) C{5^UCJkg
is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the )|Il@unp/
IEA PVPS programme. -nsI5\]
The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark z}gfH|
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), rB<za I\V
Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway d^.@~
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United n#.~XNbxv
Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA). #("/ 1N6
Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, Gs0x;91
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV E\GD hfTQ
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing q ad`muAd
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA vz^w %67&
countries are sharing their experiences in this area. HHZGu8tzt
This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the a YC[15?'
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle Mu~DB:Y9e
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic >axf_k
environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of / }tMb
Task III by: _$f XK
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) hj<h]dhp
Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) kv)IG$S 0
Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) z4UJo!{S
06 December 1999
