Smart Reservoir · Proposed field research

From a good idea to measured evidence.

Our animations show what a smart rainwater system could do. A real pilot should tell us what it actually does: inside a building, during storms, on solar panels—and in the maintenance budget.

One building pilot plus an independent two-panel photovoltaic experiment Rain collects from a pitched roof into a blue tank. Three rooms beneath the roof have temperature sensors. Water can be pumped to the roof or released to drainage. Two test solar panels stand beside the house. °C°C°C Roof cooling Tank PV A / PV B Room sensors

One pilot, four questions.

A single building can host roof cooling and stormwater tests. A small, independent two-panel installation can test photovoltaic cooling without waiting for the perfect roof.

01Indoor cooling
02Stormwater
03Solar panels
04Reliability
The site we're looking for

Ideally, a substantial house with rooms directly under the roof.

We need a place where differences can be measured—not just observed by eye.

Several rooms beneath the roof to compare conditions, preferably with similar sun exposure and controllable ventilation.
Concentrated roof drainage that could feed a tank, with space and an appropriate, permitted outlet or overflow path.
Accessible roof and utilities for wetting equipment, temperature and flow sensors, electricity, connectivity, and safe maintenance.

The perfect house is not a prerequisite for every experiment. The PV comparison can be done separately, at ground level, with identical panel orientation and unshaded exposure.

The experiments

Four things we want to measure.

1

Does roof evaporation cool the rooms?

Building comfort, not just roof temperature

Circulate stored rainwater across an appropriate roof surface during hot weather, then compare with matched periods without cooling.

Indoor °C and humidityRoof-surface °COutdoor weatherWater used
How we judge it: log room temperatures continuously, compare treated and untreated conditions, and control for sun, ventilation and occupancy. Temperature reductions are a hypothesis—not a promised result.
2

Can a tank prepare for the next storm?

Retention, release and safe operation

Observe rainfall entering the tank, forecast-driven preparation, controlled release, and any overflow. Test what happens when forecasts or connectivity fail.

Tank levelLitres in/outAvailable spaceRelease timing
How we judge it: balance water volumes and check compliance with permitted outlet constraints. Without calibrated sewer-network data, we cannot claim a measured reduction in combined-sewer overflow.
3

Does rainwater improve PV output?

Two identical panels, one cooled

Put two comparable photovoltaic panels side by side, as cheaply as practical. Cool one with rainwater; monitor both over sunny periods and across a season.

Electricity (Wh)Panel °CWater and pump WhSurface deposits
How we judge it: log each panel independently, establish the dry baseline, and ideally swap which panel receives water. Compare net gains after pump energy; photograph deposits and compare performance before/after cleaning.
4

What does this really cost to operate?

Reliability, surprises and maintenance

Count the things a simulation misses: installation complications, clogged lines, sensor failures, software interruptions, cleaning, repairs and human effort.

€ installedFailures and uptimeMaintenance hoursWater and power
How we judge it: keep a dated intervention and expense log. A disappointing result—or a problem nobody anticipated—is useful evidence for the next design.
Experimental design

Measure first. Compare fairly. Repeat.

Establish a baseline

Before any cooling, collect untreated roof, indoor, outdoor and PV data. Verify sensor agreement and water-meter accuracy.

Run controlled comparisons

Alternate cooled and uncooled periods under comparable conditions. For PV, use simultaneous paired panels and swap treatment if feasible.

Capture real storms and failures

Log forecasts, actual rain, tank levels, releases, connectivity outages, recovery behavior and any maintenance work.

Publish what worked—and what didn't

Report measurements, uncertainty, costs, deposits, and limitations after a meaningful monitoring period. No preselected success claim.

Important practical constraints

Roof wetting must be assessed for waterproofing, roofing materials, runoff hygiene, freeze risk and safe access. Any PV wetting must be compatible with the modules and electrical safety requirements. Sewer discharge requires approved routes and limits; simulated green/red signals are not utility authorization. Room-to-room temperature differences alone do not prove causality without appropriate controls. A season of visual observation is not a certified long-term durability test.

The point of the pilot

We have the simulations. Now we want the measurements.

The goal isn't to demonstrate that every hypothesis is correct. It's to discover which benefits are real, what installation conditions make sense, and what must change before this can scale.

One host building. Four independently testable questions. Practical evidence for the next decision.

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