Batteries Not Included

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.

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