Cost of Battery Storage Over Time: Algebra 2 and Physics

Lesson Plans

Grades9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences, Mathematics

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by MIT Climate Action Through Education

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What it is

In this lesson, students will graph the change in the cost of battery storage from 1991 to 2018 and determine the economic and climate implications of having cost-effective battery storage for clean energy.
Students will determine the best curve fit for the data, use the data to make predictions about the cost of battery storage in the future, and understand the economic implications of renewable energy.

Teaching tips

Positives

The opportunity for place-based connections in the extensions section will help students understand the relevance of the lesson to their local reality.
In completing the section about the risks of and solutions for climate change, students will see the importance of scaleable battery storage.

Prerequisites

Students should know how to use base-10 logs.
Students should understand how to determine the best graph for a dataset and how to use that graph to interpret the data.

Differentiation & Implementation

After reading the information on the Energy Saver website, students can complete an Energy Efficiency Audit.
Teachers can split students into groups, having each group listen to a different podcast episode in the background section and presenting a brief summary of the key details for the rest of the class.
In a similar lesson, Cost of Solar Over Time, students can explore the evolution of solar power technology.

From the scientist review

This data-rich resource from MIT's Climate Action through Education (CATE) initiative provides teachers with a lesson plan to explore the cost of battery storage. The lesson plan includes teacher notes, resources, materials, and the technology needed. Links within the plan provide additional information, data, maps, graphs, and links to even more related information. All links work and the references and source material utilized for this lesson plan are from reliable organizations and present up-to-date information. This activity is a valuable resource for educators seeking to enhance climate-related learning experiences in the classroom.

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At a glance

Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Mathematics
Other types: Articles/Websites, Data, Graphs, and Maps, Activity - Classroom, Worksheets, Interactive Media, Podcasts
Format: Google Docs, PDF
Language: English
Location: Earth, North America > United States
Provider: MIT Climate Action Through Education
Authors: Gary Smith
Published: January 18, 2025
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · D2.Eco.1.9-12 + 21 more

Core

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

D2.Eco.1.9-12Analyze how incentives influence choices that may result in policies with a range of costs and benefits for different groups.
D2.Eco.15.9-12Explain how current globalization trends and policies affect economic growth, labor markets, rights of citizens, the environment, and resource and income distribution in different nations.
D2.Eco.3.9-12Analyze the ways in which incentives influence what is produced and distributed in a market system.
D2.Eco.6.9-12Generate possible explanations for a government role in markets when market inefficiencies exist.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.7Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.

Common Core Math Standards (CCSS.MATH)

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSF.LE.A.4For exponential models, express as a logarithm the solution to abct = d where a, c, and d are numbers and the base b is 2, 10, or e; evaluate the logarithm using technology.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

HS-ESS3-A.2.All forms of energy production and other resource extraction have associated economic, social, environmental, and geopolitical costs and risks as well as benefits. New technologies and social regulations can change the balance of these factors. (HS-ESS3-2)
HS-ESS3-B.Natural hazards and other geologic events have shaped the course of human history; [they] have significantly altered the sizes of human populations and have driven human migrations. (HS-ESS3-1) (HS-ESS3-1)
HS-ESS3-C.1.The sustainability of human societies and the biodiversity that supports them requires responsible management of natural resources. (HS-ESS3-3)

New Jersey Climate Education Hub

English Language Arts

RI.CI.9–10.2Determine one or more central ideas of an informational text and analyze how it is developed and refined over the course of a text, including how it emerges and is shaped by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

Mathematics

HSN.Q.A.1Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and data displays.
HSN.Q.A.2Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling.
HSF.IF.B.4For a function that models a relationship between two quantities, interpret key features of graphs and tables in terms of the quantities, and sketch graphs showing key features given a verbal description of the relationship. Key features include: intercepts; intervals where the function is increasing, decreasing, positive, or negative; relative maximums and minimums; symmetries; end behavior; and periodicity.
HSF.LE.A.1Distinguish between situations that can be modeled with linear functions and with exponential functions.
HSS.ID.B.6Represent data on two quantitative variables on a scatter plot, and describe how the variables are related.
HSS.ID.C.8Compute (using technology) and interpret the correlation coefficient of a linear fit.
HSF.LE.A.4Understand the inverse relationship between exponents and logarithms. For exponential models, express as a logarithm the solution to abct = d where a, c, and d are numbers and the base b is 2, 10, or e; evaluate the logarithm using technology.

Science

HS-ESS3-1.Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
HS-ESS3-2.Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.
HS-ESS3-3.Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among the management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity.
HS-ESS3-4.Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
HS-ETS1-1.Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.

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