Foreword =mcQe^M
The international Energy Agency (IEA) founded in November 1974, is an autonomous body qn{9vr
within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development vs$. i
(OECD) which carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its 23 /=#~ 8
member countries. The European Commission also participates in the work of the Agency. ,}>b\(Lk
The IEA PhotoVoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) is one of the collaborative R&D |VyN>&r~6
agreements established within the IEA, and since 1993, its Participants have been conducting a i"DyX Irk2
variety of joint projects in the applications of Photovoltaic conversion of solar energy into 6y?uH; SL
electricity. 0d~?|Nv -
The Overall programme is headed by an Executive Committee composed of one representative [(8 s\>T
from each participating country, while the management of individual research projects (Tasks) W_/$H_04+
is the responsibility of Operating Agents. Currently nine Tasks have been established in the mQU t 'j4
IEA PVPS programme. ao (Lv+
The Twenty one members are: Australia (AUS), Austria (AUT), Canada (CAN), Denmark ?e+y7K }"]
(DNK), European Commission, Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Germany (DEU), Israel (ISR), G$/Qc r6W<
Italy (ITA), Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), Mexico (MEX), The Netherlands (NLD), Norway mmNn,>AO!
(NOR), Portugal (PRT), Spain (ESP), Sweden (SWE), Switzerland (CHE), The United I>-1kFma;
Kingdom (GBR), and The United States (USA). Pum& \.l
Task III of the PVPS programme, active since 1993, focuses on the exchange of information, Ts=TaRwWf
quality assurance and technical surveys on stand alone PV applications. Stand-alone PV fp 3`O9+em
systems will continue to represent a significant PV market segment, not only in developing pOl6x iMx
countries, but also in the important home markets of industrial countries. Experts from 15 IEA 7fT_]H8
countries are sharing their experiences in this area. (X2[}K
This battery guide is intended for a wide use also close to the end customers to increase the k#V\O2lb
hands on battery knowledge and thereby increase the system reliability and reduce the lifecycle =XSupM[T
cost for battery storage in small stand alone photovoltaic systems. Also some basic {[{jl G4H
environmental concerns are addressed. The report has been prepared under the supervision of sVnpO $
Task III by: k%N$eO$
Bo Andersson, Catella Generics, (battery expertise) (SWE) {irl}EeyC
Staffan Ulvönäs, (illustrations) (SWE) :2A-;P4
Bengt Perers, Vattenfall Utveckling AB (PV system and applications expertise) (SWE) LiGECqWBa'
06 December 1999
