Foreword ]W^F!p~eC
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body 3mI(5~4A]?
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development v]UT1d=_T
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 i ^SuVca
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. iI|mFc|V
The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D [Yr }:B
<
agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a =hZ#Z]f
variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into M3m!u[6|
electricity. 6'Y T3=
The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative PE $sF ]/
from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks) or~2r8
is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the 1>I4=mj
IEA PVPS programme. P%VEJ5,]b
The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark b.mcP@
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), |\/`YRg>
Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway *3.K; Ic;
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United RLy(Wz3%
Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA). 7+_TdDBYs
Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, U"nk AW
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV Rcg q7W
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing " Y%fk/v8
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA Blw AD
countries are sharing their experiences in this area. L qNt.d @
This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the O+iNR9O
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle ?4k/V6n@y
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic WP*xu-(:
environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of b# ~K>
Task III by: _C`&(? }
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) ;Gc,-BDFw
Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) #`Af
Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) J,iS<lV_
06 December 1999
