THE COST OF BATTERY POWER

The cost of portable battery power is very expensive when compared to mains power available from a wall receptacle. The typical daily energy consumption of a household is 25 kilowatt-hour (kWh) at a cost of US $0.05 to 0.10 per kWh. In contrast, the table below shows the cost per kWh using non-rechargeable cells.

	AAA Cell	AA Cell	C Cell	D Cell	9 Volt
Capacity (Durcell Alkaline)	1100 mAh	2500 mAh	7100mAh	14,300mAh	600mAh
Energy (single cell)	1.4 Wh	3 Wh	9 Wh	18 Wh	4.2 Wh
Cost per cell (US $)	$1.25	$1.00	$1.60	$1.60	$3.10
Cost per KWh (US $)	$890	$330	$1.80	$90	$730

The table below compares the cost per KWh when using various types of rechargeable batteries. The cost analysis is based on the purchase cost of the battery and number of discharge-charge cycles it can endure before replacement is necessary, but does not include the electricity needed for charging, nor does it account for the cost of purchasing and maintaining the charging equipment.

	NiCd AA Cell	NiMH AA Cell	SLA Typical Pack	Li-ion 18650 Cell	Reusable Alkaline AA Cell
Capacity	600mAh	1100mAh	200 mAh	1200 mAh	1400mAh
Battery Voltage	7.5V	7.5V	12V	7.2V	7.5V
Energy per cycle	4.5 Wh	7.5 Wh	24 Wh	8.6 Wh	6.3 Wh
Cycle life	1500	500	250	500	10
Cost per battery (ref. only)	$50	$70	$50	$100	$6
Cost per KWh	$7.50	$18.50	$8.50	$24.00	$95.00

1 For this calculation, 840mA is used since subsequent capacities are rated at 840mA (60% of initial capacity).

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