Partnering with water consultancy Isle Utilities, the “Trial Reservoir” is a new approach to funding and scaling breakthrough water technologies. It provides access to capital for pilot projects, with an initial focus on technologies that reduce the carbon emissions of water systems.
The Trial Reservoir will make a pool of funding available to early-stage technology companies, giving them the capacity to undertake trial deployments with water utilities. The reservoir of funding will be replenished from the proceeds of commercial contracts, when the trials move to full deployment.
“Innovation and new approaches to water management will be essential for cities and communities to solve their increasing water challenges and decrease their carbon footprint,” said Sivan Zamir, head of Xylem Innovation Labs. “This fund will help lower one of the biggest barriers to deploying and scaling breakthrough innovations: the question of who pays for the trial.”
“Xylem’s sponsorship of the Trial Reservoir does much more than just create financial capacity for innovation in water utilities,” said Dr Piers Clark, chairman of the Isle Group. “The Trial Reservoir brings together all the players needed to bring new technologies to market – utilities, investors, start-ups, non-profits. By removing financial uncertainty, partnerships between utilities and innovators can focus on solving a community’s water challenges and getting new water technologies proven in the marketplace.”
The Trial Reservoir expects to fund its first utility pilots in the first quarter of 2022.
For more information, contact Dr Jo Burgess, head of Trial Reservoir.
