Partiers might soon be able to help save the planet, too (Peter Byrne/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)Who said saving the world can’t be fun? Revellers at a club in Glasgow will soon be able to power the building with heat captured from their dancing.
Arts venue SWG3, which trialled the tech last year during COP26, has now switched on a system that captures the body heat released on its dancefloor, according to a BBC report. The heat is then converted into thermal energy and stores it into specialised bore holes that funnel it back to the club when needed.
The venue’s owners said the new system will allow them to shut off SWG3’s gas boilers, helping to reduce its carbon emissions considerably.
But not all dancing will deliver the same energy payout. Medium pace jiving, such as that you might see to the Rolling Stones, will generate around 250W.
On the other hand, electronic bangers that get everyone jumping around can help capture 500-600W, David Townsend, founder of geothermal energy consultancy TownRock Energy, who designed the system, Bodyheat, told BBC News.
Should the technology be adopted in London’s clubs, it would surely prove to be popular among the city’s eco-conscious young crowd. It might also help add to the case for nightlife institutions staying open, following several closures in Soho, Shoreditch, and King’s Cross over the last few years.
SWG3 managing director Andrew Fleming-Brown told BBC News that installing the system had been "a leap of faith", but also that someone “had to be the first” to make such an investment.
The system was estimated to cost just over £600,000 to install. The venue should be able to recoup the costs over five years, thanks to the savings on energy bills.
According to Fleming-Brown, they’ve already seen interest in the technology from the SchwuZ nightclub in Berlin, one of the German party city’s longest running clubs.
"You know they don’t want to be kind of beaten at cool clubbing technology. They’ve seen what we’ve done in Glasgow and really want it in Berlin,” said Fleming-Brown.
