Southern African energy, air and power solutions company Probe has been keeping pace with the shift to renewable energy technologies, expanding its automotive, mining and industrial segment focus in recent years to include alternative energy solutions, material handling and recycling.  Probe made three major acquisitions in 2021, including Sinetech, Greenfox Agencies and Orizen International, positioning the company to become a significant player in each of these segments.

Alternative energy and energy storage solutions are delivered by the Probenergy division, with a vision to deliver energy solutions with uncompromising service, quality and end-of-life value to maximise the return on investment for different market segments from domestic to commercial users.

Probenergy is able to deliver exceptional energy solutions through the value chain, from harnessing solar energy with Tier 1 panels, to effectively converting it with inverters, to maximising energy storage and optimising round trip efficiency with the best super capacitor, battery and server technology.  

 What are the new evolving technologies and products you have recently added to the Probenergy stable, from domestic to business to utility users?

 Building on Probe’s own Probenergy ranges, a number of new leading brands in the alternative energy space have been added to the stable, enabling both business and domestic users to revolutionise their energy sources. 

Probenergy solutions include lithium batteries, All-in-One Fox Ess systems, Infusion Solar/KiloWatt Labs supercapacitors, inverters, solar kits and Tier 1 Trina PV panels. The range further includes next generation battery chargers and boosters. 
Probe now represents solar and battery technology leaders Huawei, Victron Energy, Fronius, TBB, Monbat, Must, Voltronic Power, Schneider Electric, Maxli, Okaya and Tudor. Solutions for electric vehicles and material handling vehicles are included, with Sirius EV charging stations and batteries joining the portfolio.  An energy consulting service has been added through Jacara. Our range of supercapacitors expand our offer for Containerised Storage Solutions.

What are some of the services Probe offers to business and domestic users?

We conduct energy audits and site assessments to identify needs. We can then design and simulate systems,  taking it right through to installation, implementation and commissioning.
Monitoring and maintenance is vital and we pride ourselves on expert after-sales service.

 What are your new energy consulting options?

The Jacara Designer and Simulation tool enables us to design any system type across different inverter brands and compare different systems types, down to the direction and inclination required for panels to perform best.   We also have the Snitch Energy Data Logger which is easy to install and monitors your usage over a week, enabling us to have a good assessment of how much power you would need.

 What are the different industries and applications you cater for?

 Probenergy offers high-quality, cost-effective power solutions for a wide range of applications, including solar, back-up solutions, UPS, industrial, marine and telecommunications.   From domestic use to retail, education, telecoms, technology, mining and agriculture, through to the utility market and Independent Power Producers, our solutions are specialised and scaleable.  From gate motors to golfcarts, smart cities to datacentres, we’ve got you covered with the right product.

 Please detail the Solar PV modules you have available through your new distribution partnerships?

We are an exclusive distributor for TrinaSolar and RenewSys solar PV modules. TrinaSolar was rated the number one PV manufacturer in the world, with 79 patents and 17 world records. We offer 330w to 660w panels and Trina Tracker Systems.

 The new Fox ESS All-In-One (AIO) Integrated System is ideal for domestic and small business use. Can you tell us more about this?

The FOX ESS – 6kW Hybrid Inverter is an all-in-one solar and storage solution that integrates a 6kW inverter, 10.4kWh high voltage Li-ion storage, solar charge controllers, battery charger, UPS, LAN Port, and Solar DB Board into a pre-wired complete system for easier and faster installation that requires less space. It works as a uninterrupted power supply (UPS) charged from the grid, or seamlessly with solar panels for a full solar energy solution. Depending on your location, 9kW of solar panels will give you up to 42kW hours per day. The compact all-aluminum floor mounted system is expertly designed to require limited space and is easy to install, inside or outside. A key benefit is that the system can be easily expanded by simply adding additional batteries. 

Probe is known for a whole range of battery technologies. When it comes to back-up power for home use, what are the stars of the Probenergy show?

The MaxLi Lithium iron phosphate battery (LiFeP04) range is a new addition to Probe’s trusted automotive, multipurpose and deep cycle battery technologies. Compact and stackable, these batteries are ideal for small home usage through to offices and small businesses.

 Supercapacitors are big news. What are the new developments there?

Probe has partnered with world-renowned manufacturer of energy storage equipment, Kilowatt-Labs and Infusion Solar, to exclusively bring the Sirius Supercapacitor and other Infusion Solar ranges to the market, including Vega as well as WRL energy servers and UPS.

Supercapacitors combine the energy storage properties of batteries with the power discharge characteristics of capacitors. While supercapacitors are able to deliver and absorb a high current, they remain extremely temperature tolerant and maintain a long life cycle. Super-capacitor-based energy storage systems that are light-weight, efficient, low-maintenance, work in a wide range of temperatures and can charge and discharge under a few minutes.

Features of Sirius super-capacitor battery include:
– Breakthrough in energy density of 100Wh/kg
– Facilitate recharging in just 16~30 seconds
– Functions optimally for 40-plus years
– Safest temperature tolerance from -40 degree Celsius to 80 degree Celsius
– Round-trip efficiency of 99.121 per cent with 1,000,000 cycles at 100 per cent Depth of Discharge (DoD)

Infusion Solar supercapacitor-based energy storage is a breakthrough technology that solves current challenges of intermittency caused by renewable sources connected to the grid. Besides, supercapacitor storage is more advanced than existing lithium-ion batteries and it can be scaled up to fit various applications from cell towers and EVs to mini-grids and on-grid.

We also offer the VEGA,  a cost effective supercapacitor-based energy storage device. It’s a plug-and-play replacement for conventional12v monoblock lead-acid batteries.

Is Probe entering the Electric Vehicle segment, and what do you have available?

We have Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, Material Handling Chargers and a range of Electric Vehicle batteries. 

The Probenergy team is excited about the new partnerships with Sinetech and Green Fox Agencies. With the depth of knowledge and range of products we can now offer, Probe should be the first port of call for both individuals and companies needing to optimise their energy efficiency.