Mining solutions company Probe IMT has gone solar at its Witbank and Kuruman offices with a range of highly efficient bi-facial solar panels, hybrid inverters and super capacitor batteries and lithium batteries that form part of the alternative energy solutions the company supplies. The sites can now use solar energy during the day and stored energy at night or during load-shedding, reducing costs, improving productivity and making them less reliant on the grid, says Probe IMT CEO Gert Roselt.

“Sustainability is no longer a checklist exercise. It is a critical investment area where organisations can realise genuine returns and opportunities for competitive advantage,” says Probe IMT CEO Gert Roselt. “Given that 80% of energy use over a building’s lifecycle is from the building’s operation, at Probe IMT, we’re committed to leading a drive towards zero emissions and a more sustainable future. We are firm believers in the alternative energy solutions we supply.”

Now, 22kWp of solar PV power is available for loads and demand, with excess solar power generated during the day stored for use at night.

In the Witbank installation, 52 Bi-Facial 410W Solar Panels, two 12kW Sunsynk Hybrid Inverters and five GreenFox GTEM-48V5500-E Super Capacitor batteries were used . Each battery offers more than 20,000 cycles and 100A charge and discharge capability, and is able to fully charge in 30 minutes.
The Sunsynk Hybrid inverters were wired in parallel, allowing double output Amperage on the AC side, as well as providing 24kW of power on the three phase network. Each Sunsynk Hybrid inverter has been wired with three strings of nine panels in series, of which two strings were wired in parallel mode, effectively doubling the DC amps and providing a more stable PV DC supply. The PV array can provide a peak of 11kWp per inverter, which effectively provides 22kWp of solar PV power available for loads and demand.

Both inverters were wired onto a common battery bus, and both are able to charge and discharge at peak power. The existing generator has been integrated into the system, and can be used to charge the batteries in case of long power outages, and when solar PV is not sufficient. The working mode is currently set to provide priority to battery, which means that the battery must be kept full, for usage during unpredictable load shedding. The batteries are charged during the daytime when PV is available, and only topped up with grid power if needed, which makes the consumption much less.

Since the GreenFox Super Capacitor batteries have such a fast charging rate and high cycle count, they can be used to further lower the consumption of the property, as excess solar power can be stored during the day, and be used during the night. The batteries have a total of 25kWh power available which means that a load of 5kW constant can be provided for five hours continuously. By adding more battery storage, the autonomy can be greatly increased.

In Kuruman, 108 Bi-Facial 410W Solar Panels, three 16kW Deye Hybrid Inverters with
Six Shoto 100Ah lithium batteries. Each inverter was wired with 3 strings of panels, consisting of 12 panels per string. All three inverters were wired onto a common battery bus bar, with all three inverters being able to charge and discharge at standard setup Amperage.
The inverters were wired in parallel, allowing 63A constant per phase on the AC side, as well as providing 48KW of power on the three phase network.

The batteries have a total of 30.72kWh power available which means that a load of 5kW constant can be provided for six hours continously. The generation capability of the solar panels is 221 400kW or 221.4 units per day.

In both cases, the load of the building was wired onto the load port of the inverters, effectively taking the buildings off-grid. The loads consist of geysers, aircons, lights, network hub, security cameras, halogen lights in the warehouse and spotlights running during the night.

“We’re firm believers in the alternative energy solutions we supply and we are applying these solutions effectively for our own offices, says Roselt. “Probe IMT is ready to assist with scaleable alternative energy solutions tailored for business operations and we look forward to supporting more clients to effectively harness alternative energy. Through our Rent-to-Own structures, financing is available, and the system effectively pays for itself. The time is right to embrace smart, sustainable buildings and pave the way towards net-zero emissions,” says Roselt. “In the current energy environment, it makes absolute sense.”