Battery Academy

Looking to get into the energy technology industry? Battery Academy offers free, flexible online training pathway for battery technology! Scroll to learn more and enroll!

Gain foundational, focused training designed to equip you with the skills, knowledge, and experience employers in the energy industry value most. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to expand your expertise, our short courses and programs offer a flexible way to build toward your career goals. Each completed course adds to your resume and helps you stand out in a competitive job market. Take the next step, and give your career goals a battery boost.

Batteries aren’t “containers of electricity.” They’re compact chemical engines that convert stored chemical energy into usable electrical power, on demand.

In this course, you’ll build a clear mental model of what’s happening inside a cell (electrons outside, ions inside), then compare the most common rechargeable battery families and why they’re chosen for different jobs. Finally, you’ll learn some practical safety and environmental habits so you can work more confidently around stored energy in the real world.

You’ll learn about:

• Battery fundamentals (voltage, charge flow, redox basics)
• Cell component literacy (separator/electrolyte/current collector roles)
• Chemistry comparison framework (choosing the right battery for the job)
• Safe handling, storage, and escalation habits

• Explain how batteries store and release energy through electrochemical (redox) processes.
• Identify core battery cell components (anode, cathode, electrolyte, separator) and describe what each one does.
• Describe how electrons and ions move during charging vs. discharging.
• Compare lead-acid, NiMH, and lithium-ion batteries by key performance tradeoffs and typical use cases.
• Apply practical battery safety habits for handling, charging, and storage.
• Explain best-practice steps for recycling/disposal and why improper disposal creates environmental and safety risks.

Batteries don’t just “hold electricity.” They store energy in a form that can be delivered as electrical power, and the same core ideas that explain a flashlight or cordless drill also explain how homes, buildings, and even whole communities use battery storage.

In this course, you’ll learn the language of battery power and energy, including voltage, current, resistance, power, and capacity. You’ll use simple equations to estimate runtime, compare batteries in series and parallel, and interpret the information on labels and datasheets. Then you’ll scale up from individual devices to home backup systems and finally to grid-scale storage, where energy, power, efficiency, losses, and resilience shape how batteries support homes and communities.

You’ll learn about:

• Electrical concept fluency for batteries and battery-powered devices
• Equation-based reasoning with voltage, current, resistance, power, and energy
• Runtime estimation and load analysis
• Datasheet interpretation and battery comparison
• Home energy and backup storage sizing basics
• Grid-scale storage literacy, including losses, resilience, and distributed storage concepts

• Explain core electrical quantities used in battery math and what each indicates about battery behavior (V, I, R, P, Wh, Ah).
• Apply Ohm’s Law (V = I × R), Power Law (P = V × I), and other foundational electrical formulas used in battery systems.
• Convert common battery and electrical units, including metric prefixes (milli-, kilo-), to support battery calculations (e.g., W ⇄ kW, Wh ⇄ kWh, A ⇄ mA).
• Calculate total voltage and capacity for batteries connected in series and in parallel.
• Estimate battery runtime and efficiency given load and capacity data.
• Analyze how factors such as temperature, internal resistance, and aging affect battery performance and lifespan.
• Explain performance changes across conditions by analyzing how temperature, internal resistance, and aging influence usable power, usable energy, and overall lifespan.
• Read a basic battery label or datasheet to make safe decisions, including identifying power limits, energy/capacity, expected runtime, and operating/safety constraints.

Are you curious about the future of clean energy? Start with our latest short course, Introduction to Energy Storage, featuring expert lectures from Binghamton University faculty. This accessible, foundational online course is designed to prepare learners for careers in the growing field of energy storage—a critical component of the renewable energy transition.

Discover how energy storage works, its role in supporting a renewable energy system, and the groundbreaking technologies shaping this vital industry. This is your chance to gain essential knowledge that positions you for success in one of the fastest-growing sectors in clean energy.

• The Science of Energy Storage: Explore the principles behind capturing and storing energy.
• Comparative Storage Methods: Understand the differences between batteries, thermal systems, and mechanical storage.
• Energy Storage and the Grid: See how energy storage integrates with the electric grid to create a more sustainable energy future.
• Emerging Technologies: Get insights into cutting-edge battery technologies and grid innovations driving the next generation of clean energy

• 3 Self-Paced Modules: Each module builds on your understanding of energy storage, offering a step-by-step learning journey.
• Engaging Video Lessons: Expert-led video lessons are paired with knowledge checks and real-world case studies to solidify your learning.
• Downloadable Resources: Access a full course transcript and a downloadable guide for on-the-go learning.
• Completion Badge: Pass a graded assessment and earn a completion badge to showcase your new skills.