Foreword Ax"I$6 n>
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body TLiA>`r =
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 7z4u?>pne*
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 {;j@-=pV
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. sKuPV
The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D +jpC%o}C
agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a I6,sN9`
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variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into Zfn390 _
electricity. .3*VkAs
The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative RXU#.=xvy
from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks)
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is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the ?{M!syD<
IEA PVPS programme. k7ODQ(*v
The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark /]*#+;;%
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), b(McH*_8e
Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway "7tEk<x
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United /o=,\kM
Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA).
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Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, hV4\#K[
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV a,U@ !}K
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing 9QryW\6.@z
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA HJ,sZ4* ]]
countries are sharing their experiences in this area. m+/-SG
This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the 1*Ui=M4
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle WxF rqUz
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic Z2dy|e(c
environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of h f1f
Task III by: "x$RTuWA9
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) Kzd`|+?'`M
Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) -j 6U{l
Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) >@o}l:*
06 December 1999
