English: Graph showing voltage and energy in an AA alkaline-manganese battery during a constant current discharge of 100mA.

Because the current is constant, the area under the graph is proportional to the energy extracted from the battery (i.e. the work done in the load). An area of 1 hour * 0.1V is equivalent to an energy of 3600s * 0.1V * 100mA = 10mWh or 36J.

Marked on the graph are two voltages: 1.1 and 1.3V. The green area shows the energy extracted when the battery voltage has fallen to 1.3V. The blue area shows energy extracted from that point until the voltage is 1.1V and the orange area is energy remaining at a voltage of 1.1V. The sum of all areas (multiplied by the current of 100mA) is the total energy extractable from the cell by constant-current discharge.

Note: as the voltage and current are measured externally, the energy calculated in this way is explicitly work done in the load, that is, electrical work that the battery can do. Chemical energy dissipated as heat in the internal equivalent series resistance of the battery is explicitly not considered in this graph. Although present in the battery chemistry, this ESR-dissipated energy cannot be extracted from the battery as electrical energy, but only as heat. The ESR and the voltage of a notional ideal voltage source within the battery are theoretical constructs that represent an approximation to physical properties of the battery chemistry.

The graph data is adapted from the data-sheet for a Duracell Ultra-Power AA MX1500 Alkaline-Manganese battery.