Foreword 'Y>@t6E4
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body >+*lG>!z
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development , L8(Vo`-
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 L>,x G.oG
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. 4HyD=6V#
The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D [<#`@Kr
agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a iM{cr&0
variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into 8{p#Nl?U1
electricity. 5+*CBG}
The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative .c _qMTm"
from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks) 4I;$a;R!
is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the Qr[" .>+
IEA PVPS programme. iMp_1EXe
The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark V"|j Dnn5
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), 2!}rH w
Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway nkz^^q`5l7
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United m?`$NJST
Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA). p 4l B#
Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, a8Z{-=)
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV D;X/7 p|>
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing uq@_DPA7
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA '_o(I
countries are sharing their experiences in this area. Y!_e ,]GW
This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the vi0nJ -Xg
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle ]U3@V#*
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic 5 f# ]dgBe
environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of @5TJ]=
Task III by: t8"yAYj
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) 6 kAXE\T
Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) ;d||u
Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) ?uqPye1fc
06 December 1999
