Glasgow nightclub turns dancers’ body heat into thermal energy

In 2015, more than half of Scotland’s energy came from renewable sources, spearheading Europe’s pursuit of the transition to renewable energy. Today, a Glasgow nightclub is taking an innovative approach to sustainability by turning the heat of dancers and spectators into thermal energy. SWG3, a multi-venue complex that hosts a wide range of events – from live shows and theme parties to small receptions and art exhibitions – now features a dance floor that harnesses guests’ body heat for a future use. The system lives up to its name body heat and was created by a geothermal startup CityRock Energy.

body heat will help keep the place warm or cool, depending on the season. “Club, concert and exhibition goers, the innovative new system is now active and ready to capture the heat emitted by all of our visitors,” Explain SGW3. “The energy will then be stored in 12 boreholes underground, before being used to heat or cool our site later, whether it’s tomorrow, next month or next year!”

The versatility of sites lends itself to this model of energy harvesting. “When you start dancing, at a medium pace, to the Rolling Stones or something, you’re generating maybe 250W,” said TownRock Energy founder David Townsend. BBC. “But if you have a big DJ, slamming basslines and blasting everyone up and down, you could generate 500-600W of heat energy.”

This clean energy initiative will allow the site to say goodbye to its gas boilers, reducing its carbon emissions by around 70 tonnes of CO2 per year. While SWG3 Managing Director Andrew Fleming-Brown described body heat as a ‘leap of faith’, given that a conventional heating or cooling system would have cost around 10% of the £600,000 ($670,000) invested, they estimate they will recoup the funds in five years by lowering the energy bills. On top of that, it will help the resort achieve “net zero” carbon emissions by 2025.

“If we can make it work here in this environment, there’s no reason why we can’t take it to other places, not just here in Scotland and the UK, across Europe and beyond,” Fleming-Brown said in an interview. The good news is that clubs from other countries, such as Germany, are interested in body heat. Perhaps in the long term, thermal energy systems like this will be the key to making live entertainment fully sustainable.