Glasgow Music Venue Is Powered By Dancers' Moves

A system that generates renewable energy from the body heat on its dancefloor has been switched on at Glasgow arts venue SWG3.

To 200m (650ft) bore holes that can be charged as thermal batteries, when heat is pumped through a carrier fluid. After returning to the heat pumps, the energy is upgraded to a suitable temperature and released back into SWG3.

The venue's owners claim that they will be able to totally disconnect the gas boilers as a result, cutting its annual carbon emissions by about 70 tonnes.

Bodyheat was created by David Townsend, creator of geothermal energy consultancy TownRock Energy, who told a News agency that when you start dancing at a moderate pace to the Rolling Stones or another song, you might be generating 250W.

"But if you've got a big DJ, absolutely slamming basslines and making everyone jump up and down, you could be generating 500-600W of thermal energy."

Although implementing the system required "a leap of faith," SWG3 managing director Andrew Fleming-Brown said the venue was committed to attaining "net-zero" carbon emissions by 2025.

He remarked,"Someone has to be that first investment," The thermal heating and cooling system took three years to develop and little more than £600,000 to install.

Mr. Fleming-Brown stated that "To put in perspective, if we were to go down a more conventional route with typical air conditioning, then your costs would probably be about 10% of that - so £60,000,"