| Introduction
Stand-alone
PV systems are generally used in areas which do not have ready
access to mains electricity, or for low-power applications
which do not warrant a mains power supply. In many such situations,
PV stand-alone systems already provide a cost-effective energy
service.
In
the UK, stand-alone PV systems are employed for numerous industrial
applications including maritime navigation devices (lighthouses,
light ships and light buoys), telecommunications equipment,
such as repeaters and telephones in remote areas, Environmental
monitoring stations (weather, air and water-borne pollution,
and sewage), and for cathodic protection against corrosion
of pipelines and other metal structures
Numerous
commercial stand-alone devices with very low power requirements
(typically < 10 Wp) are operational in the UK, even in
urban locations for example for traffic monitoring, parking
ticket machines and greasing systems for railway points.
In
addition, stand-alone PV systems, usually in diesel-hybrid
configuration, provide mains equivalent AC power for remote
houses in several locations throughout the UK. Grant support for this type of installation is available through the Major Demonstration Programme (MDP)
IEA-PVPS
activity in the area of PV systems for stand-alone applications
took place from 1994-2004, with the UK involved from the
outset. The main objective of this work (PVPS 'Task 3') was
to improve the technical quality and cost-effectiveness of
stand-alone PV systems.
Work
is focussed on the following two main areas:
- Quality
assurance: quality assurance schemes for improving
the reliability of systems and reducing life cycle costs
such as maintenance and repair.
- Technical
issues: technical recommendations for cost reduction of
systems
The
approach used was to evaluate the performance of selected
Case
Study installations, chosen from the participating countries.
The
first five year phase of the PV systems for stand-alone applications
project focused on the experiences of PV programmes in developing
countries. Two Recommended Practice Guides for batteries
and charge
controllers were produced. In addition, two books on stand-alone
PV systems were published. The first presented selected examples
of stand-alone PV systems from member countries, and the second
presented 'lessons
learned' in the installation and management of stand-alone
PV systems, collected from the experience of PV experts around
the world.
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