Foreword 7su2A>Ix
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body Ikdj?"+ O
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development a<&K^M &
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 m8L *LB
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. vL@<l^`$0
The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D 2 q4p-
agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a t)&U'^
variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into a>OYJe
electricity. )7
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The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative !MKecRG_
from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks) ;0Z -
is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the u1 Q;M`+>
IEA PVPS programme. ;}SGJ7
The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark AJ}FHym_ZQ
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), )7 & -DI1
Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway 9I/l+IS"X
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United +g
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Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA). TO.b-
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Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, ]`)5 Qe4
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV K[icVT2v~
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing dM;\)jm
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA VFf;|PHS
countries are sharing their experiences in this area. Wo
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This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the j{Px}f(=
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle A M[f
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic
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environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of 4MPy}yT *
Task III by: *>a=ku:?
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) i F+:j8
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Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) b#?sx"z
Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) ` D(V_WZ
06 December 1999
