| Energy
from Batteries
Cost per battery
Cost per kilowatt-hour |
A flashlight battery (D-cell) will
deliver about one watt-hour of energy before it is depleted. (Yes,
alkaline batteries have more energy than carbon-zinc batteries, but any
pretense at precision here would be entirely out of place.)
That battery may cost about a dollar. (Again, we make no pretense at precision.) To obtain one kilowatt-hour of energy from D-cells, then, requires on the order of 1000 such batteries, at a cost of $1000. To obtain one kWh of energy from a utility costs a bit less --- about a dime. |
