Foreword xP{-19s1]
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body , /&Z3e
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development MiJ6 n[iv
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 WL l_'2h
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. h4(JUio
The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D :a.0he s
agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a mc
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variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into "j R] MZ
electricity. txq~+'A:+
The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative *| YU]b;W
from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks) rjUBLY1(
is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the <Ct_d
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IEA PVPS programme. =&Xdm(
The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark Uk,g> LG
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), )iU^&@[S
Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway .:y5 U}vR
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United -[DWM2C$K4
Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA). 9t K>gwb
Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, p@y gne 4
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV 5& !'^!
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing |]W2EV ,b
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA k4{:9zL1#?
countries are sharing their experiences in this area. J8<J8x4
This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the {.CMD9F[
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle Jdj?I'XtY
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic zizk7<?L .
environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of [2
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Task III by: 3c #s|qW
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) p|qyTeg
Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) *1^$. Q &
Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) n ~,t QV
06 December 1999
