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WSP’s sponsorship of the Trial Reservoir, an innovation piloting initiative by Isle Utilities, demonstrates our commitment to accelerate the adoption of technologies that will decarbonise the Water industry. 

The Reservoir provides trial validation and loan financing to trial innovations that have climate change mitigation benefits. 
map marker United Kingdom | 04 October 2023
Reading Time : 4 minutes

One of the Trial Reservoir’s prerequisites is a trial and purchase agreement between the technology vendor and end-user that commits the end-user to a purchase, lease or subscription after the trial – but only if the trial is a success. The loan is only repaid if the trial is a success. This removes the financial barrier for the technology developer and the end-user.

Removing barriers to innovation, with a focus on funding models and fast-tracking the roll-out of new technologies, is at the heart of this initiative. This is coupled to reducing the risk for the technology providers and end-users, and the time between a successful trial and roll-out for the water companies involved.  

For WPS’s projects and clients, this involvement with the Trial Reservoir means we benefit from having the foresight of the range of technologies being trialled and can identify (and ‘de-risk’) potential partnerships where technologies align. We’re also able to use the Trial Reservoir ourselves, to validate and fund the solutions that we develop.  

Project example

The first trial in the UK was of SLG, a sludge conditioner technology from Orège Ltd that can be integrated with existing thickening and dewatering equipment. It uses air and energy exchange to modify the structure of the sludge and to create an emulsion. The end-user was Yorkshire Water, who installed one SLG unit at a WWTW. The trial unit consistently achieved sludge with >6.5% dry solids from a feed of 0.9 - 1.2% dry solids. Yorkshire Water purchased the unit, and additionally are preparing to install more SLG units at their other WWTWs.

This means that the site has almost halved the 15,000 tonnes of sludge per annum that needs to be tankered away, resulting in 40,000 kg CO2e saving p/a in transport alone, as well as electricity savings on site from processing a lower volume of sludge and additional benefits, such as reduced road congestion, noise nuisance, and air pollution in the area.

If you would like to know more, visit isleutilities.com/services/trial-reservoir or contact Andrea Gysin. 


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