Whats the difference between alkaline and rechargeable batteries?
Capacity: Typical NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) Rechargeable AA cells have a capacity ranging from 1300mAh to 1600mAh; the higher the figure, the more energy it stores. Alkaline AA’s usually have a capacity of 2800mAh, so initially it appears that alkaline batteries can last longer. In addition to capacity, however, an additional critical criteria that affects both battery performance and run time is the energy rating, or discharge characteristic, of the appliance. Discharge Characteristic: Alkaline battery is very different from rechargeable batteries in this aspect. The voltage of an alkaline battery will drop linearly from 1.5V to about 0.7V, and then cut off, while a rechargeable battery will deliver 1.2V to 1.0V output constantly, then cut off sharply when it drops to 1.0V (or when 90% of its energy is released). Due to this, alkaline batteries are more suitable to use in low-energy consumption appliances like radio alarms or remote controls, which voltage drops from 1.5V to 0.7V st
