Foreword -Z\UYt
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body TZ [F u{gZ
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development lHj7O &+
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 BT*K ,p
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. OFPd6,(E
The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D ><Mbea=U+
agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a ]i_) :@
variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into R!M|k%(
electricity. j:vD9sdQ
The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative
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from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks) lw/
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is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the 9g^./k\8%
IEA PVPS programme. < 8W:ij.`
The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark @Ig,_i\UY:
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), '!|E+P-
Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway "b+3 &i|
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United [/2@=Uh-
Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA). O M"T)4z
Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, }O- %kl
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV iM-hWhU
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing >f 9]Nj
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA |SJ%
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countries are sharing their experiences in this area. h.+,*9T\
This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the Pq_ApUZa
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle |RbUmuj
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic _o=`-iy9
environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of B )3SiU
Task III by: K+ aJ`V
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) oq m{<g?2
Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) V[2<ha[n>
Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) W3{5Do.h
06 December 1999
