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Stand-alone PV applications that supply a constant load can benefit from a small reliable back-up generator. It allows to reduce the size of the PV array and the battery significantly with only a very small contribution from the back-up generator in the range of 5 to 10% of the total energy demand. In addition, a significant reduction of the investment cost and improvements of operational safety of remote PV applications can be achieved. In the power range from some W to some kW, a TPV generator can be competitive to other established electric generator technologies. TPV offers a compact, reliable, quiet and safe technology with the potential for low cost and versatile fuel usage, including bio fuels. Starting in 1994, a TPV-system has been developed for grid independent operation of gas heating systems. With improving efficiency, the focus was shifted towards a CHP development based on natural gas for households. The realised system concept can theoretically achieve 7% efficiency based on a Kanthal emitter operating at 1300°C and GaSb cells. In the framework of the research and training network TPVCell the system will be used to realise a TPV generator with a minimum efficiency of 2%. In the next step it is planned to improve the existing recuperative burner concept by software based design methods and to realise a new prototype. For the long term, the overall system efficiency target is 10%. In 1st part, the paper will briefly explain the system concept and show the achieved results. In the 2nd part, the authors will present simulation results for the application of such a TPV system in stand-alone photovoltaic systems. © 2004 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]