Foreword a hw y_\
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body <p)Z/
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development cdN/Qy
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 fwH`}<o
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. ` #=fA
The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D lJ'trYaq7
agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a s<d!+<
variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into Y.9~Bo<<r
electricity. u/#&0_
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The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative 7 7^
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from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks) s~)L_ p
is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the `1$y( w]
IEA PVPS programme. ~ z>BfL
The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark i[8NO$tN1)
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), gj Q=8 &i
Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway }/ 4 9T
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United _l<| 1nH
Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA). 1GUqT 9)
Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, 2@4x"F]U;
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV N-D( y
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing {:3.27jQ
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA 2DUr7r M
countries are sharing their experiences in this area. C# ZhsWS!b
This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the [pr 9 $Jr
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle T 6 , V
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic G{/; AK
environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of fWd~-U0M^
Task III by: W\'Nv/L
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) @uoT{E[
Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) #jhQBb4?,
Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) g>UBZA4
06 December 1999
