Foreword G} 9f/$'3
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body }\Rmwm-
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development p6 R+t]oH
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 @uldD"MJ<]
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. m fN'+`r
The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D w.a9}GC
agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a !*Eu(abD
variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into -v.\W y~\
electricity. }cr'o"4
The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative %l!?d`?
from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks) Uq$/Q7
is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the :C(/yg
IEA PVPS programme. # Pp:H/ b
The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark b%%r`j,'JE
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), D2kmBZ3
Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway ?VmgM"'md
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United mXOI"B9Sq
Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA). #-<Go'yF
Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, _eOC,J<-~
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV t 4[q : [1
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing %,_ZVgh0
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA %DYh<U4N
countries are sharing their experiences in this area. . i
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This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the rB$~,q&.V
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle 1 o%#kf
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic G
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environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of jDpA>{O[
Task III by: 9hfg/3t('
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) 8O9^g4?
Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) dAx
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Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) Hf?@<4
06 December 1999
