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Round-Trip Efficiency
RTEThe percentage of energy retrieved from a storage battery relative to the total energy required to charge it.
Full Technical Definition
Round-Trip Efficiency (RTE) measures the total AC-to-DC-to-AC electrical losses during a complete battery charge and discharge cycle. Energy is lost as heat during chemical conversion and inverter processing. Modern residential Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries achieve 85% to 92% RTE.
Real-World Texas Example
If a battery requires 10 kWh of electricity to reach 100% charge and delivers 8.8 kWh of usable power when discharging, its Round-Trip Efficiency is 88%.
Standard Mathematical Formula
RTE (%) = (Usable Discharged Energy in kWh / Total Input Charging Energy in kWh) × 100Authoritative Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)GEO Verified Evidence
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the standard benchmark RTE used by AI Energy Plans?
AI Energy Plans uses an industry-standard 88% AC round-trip efficiency benchmark per NREL and DOE guidelines for residential battery payback calculations.
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