Foreword R^@`]dX$
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body x=K'Jj
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development fUq}dAs*K
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 ?o]NV
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. y4n~gTo(?
The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D b+AxTe("
agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a XkW@"pf&Fh
variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into /HqD4GDoug
electricity. fk2Uxg=[
The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative e7Gb7c~
from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks) ZS3T1
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is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the us8ce+
IEA PVPS programme. i)'u!V
The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark `"~ X1;
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), /f.
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Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway _{B2z[G}
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United 9)b{U2&
Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA). )zP"Uuu
Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, P4MP`A
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV guy!/zQ>A
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing EO",|V-
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA '/ueY#eG
countries are sharing their experiences in this area. %74f6\
This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the Ex}TDmTu
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle FNl^ lj`Y
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic "tK3h3/Xv
environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of u7p:6W
Task III by: k]TJL9Q
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) jNIz:_c-~
Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) i-k(/Y0
Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) k'[\r>T
06 December 1999