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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 |
1100mAh |
2500mAh |
7100mAh |
14,300mAh |
600mAh |
Energy |
1.4 Wh |
3 Wh |
9 Wh |
18 Wh |
4.2 Wh |
Cost per Cell |
$1.25 |
$1.00 |
$1.60 |
$1.60 |
$3.10 |
Cost per KWh |
$890 |
$330 |
$180 |
$90 |
$730 |
Note: all costs are in 1998 US $
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 |
NiMH |
SLA |
Li-ion |
RAM |
|
|
AA Cell |
AA Cell |
typical pack |
18650 Cell |
AA Cell |
|
|
Capacity (mAh) |
600 |
1000 |
2000 |
1200 |
1400 |
|
Battery Voltage (V) |
7.5 |
7.5 |
12 |
7.2 |
7.5 |
|
Energy per cycle (Wh) |
4.5 |
7.5 |
24 |
8.6 |
6.3 |
|
Cycle life |
1500 |
500 |
250 |
500 |
10 |
|
Cost per battery |
$50 |
$70 |
$50 |
$100 |
$6 |
|
Cost per KWh |
$7.50 |
$18.50 |
$8.50 |
$24.00 |
$95.00 |
SLA = Sealed Lead Acid
RAM = Reusable Alkaline Manganese. For the cost calculation of this technology, 840mA is used since all cycles, except for the first one, are rated at 840mA (60% of initial capacity
