Energy, power and air solution leaders Probe now supply the Sirius supercapacitor from Infusion Solar, a global distributor of advanced energy storage and power equipment. Kilowatt Labs is behind the research and development, while Infusion Solar focuses on manufacturing and distribution.  Probe is the only company bringing all of the Infusion Solar products it into the SADC market, including Sirius, Centuari Energy Servers, Vega supercapacitors, WRL server and UPS products. 

These products are ushering in a real revolution in energy storage solutions,  says Probe CEO Rick Rovelli. “Supercapacitors have many clear advantages for industry. With 10 times the power density of traditional chemical batteries, supercapacitors reduce battery size, weight and cost – minimising space requirements. Your charge and discharge time is cut to just seconds, 16 to 30 seconds in the case of the Sirius, making them very efficient.  They offer an extended battery run time and an extraodinary battery lifecycle of more than 40 years as these storage systems do not degrade when completely discharged, overcharged or kept at 100% capacity. The supercapacitor can handle low and high temperature operation, while providing both peak power and backup power. They are shown to improve load balancing when used in parallel, and provide energy storage and source balancing when used with energy harvesters. They use no heavy metals, meet environmental standards and cut pulse current noise.”

The Sirius supercapacitors have made breakthroughs in energy density of 18kg/KWh at cell level, constantly improving as they are increasingly integrated into complex power management systems, says Rick Rovelli of Probe.  “Unlike a battery, there is no chemical reaction required to charge or discharge a supercapacitor, so it can be charged and discharged very quickly, we’re talking milliseconds to seconds. Because there are no chemical reactions going on, the charge-discharge cycle life of a supercapacitor is almost unlimited.”

Using the Infusion Solar products, Probe provides containerised solutions that can supply energy for a large factory in a simple container that can be delivered and connected to a company’s energy system. “We will analyse and identify energy requirements. If a company requires 1MW hours for example, we design the container accordingly with the best quality inverters and supercapacitors, and deliver an energy solution that a business can immediately start reaping benefits from. This is especially useful in the current environment where we’re faced with intermittent power supply.

With the long life, reliability, efficiency and reduced carbon emissions they offer,  supercapacitors have also become a vital innovation for forklifts, AGVs, cranes and internal combustion engines.  Probe has acquired a share in materials handling company Orizen, and together they are exploring supercapacitor options for forklifts and other materials handling vehicles. “Lithium iron and supercapacitors can provide significant gains in run time, truck performance, reliability, battery life, and lower energy costs, with more work can be completed at a faster rate per battery and short recharge times. We already provide lithium iron battery solutions, and supercapacitors will be next,” says Rovelli.