Foreword c| ^ I}
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body -qIi.]/f"9
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development */;7Uv7
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 o8g7wM]M
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. t{]Ew4Y4%O
The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D 7 m{lOR
agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a 3CoZ2
variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into 1!v{#w{u7
electricity. ka9@7IFM
The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative E )_n?>Ar
from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks) d?*] /ZiR
is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the X9m^i2tk
IEA PVPS programme. k: P n.<
The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark ="voJgvw
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), Z=a%)Ki?Ag
Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway F06o-xH=
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United v76Gwu $ d
Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA). ^^N|:8 0
Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, +F8{4^w 1
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV |(>`qL{|
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing BPO5=]W 7
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA D hyR
countries are sharing their experiences in this area. n~I-mR)"
This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the xuK"pS
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle zXY8:+f
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic HOP*QX8C%
environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of )^ah, ;(
Task III by: m)Plv+R}
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) JsJP%'^/R
Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) iW` t r
Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) >(Y CZ
06 December 1999
