ABSTRACT
Solar Home Systems (SHS) are small Photovoltaic systems consisting of a PV module, a charge controller, a battery, and directly connected DC appliances. They represent the majority of stand-alone PV systems in remote regions. To allow an optimum operation of the SHS, it is necessary that all components work optimally under the typical conditions of PV systems. To get a view over the different components in the power range of a SHS and to have the possibility to compare the different products among themselves, a European market survey was realised. Over 500 manufacturers and distributors, which offer products like inverters (up to 400 W), charge controllers (12 V, up to 15 A), PV modules (up to 30 Wp) and DC lamps (12 V, up to 18 W) were written down. The information is prompted in a MS-Access database containing today 250 different components and is commercially available as a CD-ROM from the Fraunhofer ISE. Beside the standard characteristics like address of the manufacturer and/or distributor and type with nominal data, the information in the database comprise detailed information about electrical and physical properties, like self consumption and efficiency dimension and weight. Information about price, protection class and check digits are also available.
