Foreword t Dah@_
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body k$m'ebrS.~
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development *0@Z+'M?
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 B8T5?bl
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. i
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The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D `L <sZ;Cj
agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a c)N_"#&
variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into NX(IX6^y
electricity. |}e"6e%
The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative h(}#s1Fzq
from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks) >YXb"g@.
is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the -L2 +4
IEA PVPS programme. Pq35w#`!
The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark S/y(1.wh
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), K*'AjT9wX+
Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway pX>wMc+
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United A>F&b1
Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA). s5{H15
Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, @q]!C5
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV i>G:*? a
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing >b3IZ^SB#$
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA &.z-itiV
countries are sharing their experiences in this area. Qd% (]L[N.
This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the wT;;B=u}G
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle 2 y8FP#
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic P??pWzb6HH
environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of M _75bU
Task III by: j `3IizN2
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) ci ( BP nQ
Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) C;70 ,!3
Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) \[+':o`LH
06 December 1999
