SWG3 is a Scottish nightclub that’s testing a new energy system that converts body heat into electricity that can power the venue’s lights, music, and electricity.
We all know how hot and sweaty a dancefloor can get, so this innovative idea is something that could help reduce the carbon footprint of nightclubs across the world.
‘BODYHEAT’ is the name of the technology used to make this possible, and SWG3 will trial it, as part of November’s COP26 climate summit, which is an international event held every year.
OP26 climate is a United Nations conference where nations discuss climate change, and how to prevent further climate damage. This year it will be held in Glasgow, and that’s why one of the Scottish city’s venues was picked for the trial.
The club’s renewable heating and cooling system will work by, transforming the heat emitted from dancers and staff into energy. SWG3’s official website says that “BODYHEAT’s technology uses pumps and fluids to capture the heat before “channelling their combined energy into twelve 150m-deep boreholes drilled beneath the venue.”
“This heat can then either be used immediately to cool the audience, or stored under the ground until it’s needed to heat the building.”
Apparently, the human body emits around 100 watts of excess heat, and this is even before dancing or doing any kind of exercise. So, when people are raving in close proximity on a dancefloor, there is a prediction that they could create enough excess heat to power the entire venue.
This captured energy will be stored up, and it’s estimated that the system could save 70 tonnes of CO2 each year, which is a significant reduction taken off the average carbon footprint of most venues.
Andrew Fleming Brown, is the Managing Director of SWG3, and talking about the trial system, he said: “BODYHEAT is our innovative contribution to a global issue, and will help us to dramatically decrease our energy consumption – bringing us one step closer to becoming a carbon-neutral venue in the not-so-distant future.”
The Glaswegian venue aims to go carbon neutral as part of Going Net Zero, a scheme helping businesses across the world reduce their carbon emissions completely.
