Foreword g ut[ q
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body fZ QL!j4
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development t<~WDI|AN
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 /zt9;^e
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. . <xzf4C
The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D 7
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agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a #Z;6f{yWf
variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into 8H2zM IB
electricity. I+JWDYk
The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative ku2g FO
from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks) q%H`/~AYM
is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the TcB ^Sctf
IEA PVPS programme. @|I:A
The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark m(2(Caz{
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), NO$n-<ag
Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway D.7,xgH
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United ^3>Qf
Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA). T6/d[SH>
Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, (tZ#E L0
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV \R!.VL3Tx$
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing Qu 7#^%=
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA Iw07P2
countries are sharing their experiences in this area. >Xz=E0;^Ua
This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the bxxazsj^
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle ] lBe
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic `2Wt A_
environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of L#
Task III by: ,(1n(FZ
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) U,G!u =+
Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) eA4dDKX+
Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) ~Onj| w7
06 December 1999
