Party and save the planet as Glasgow nightclub turns body heat into renewable energy
SWG3 plans to use ground source heat technology to cut its carbon footprint
Last updated 22nd Aug 2021
Glasgow venue SWG3 is planning to use the bodyheat generated by people dancing at gigs as a renewable source of energy to go carbon neutral and help fight climate change.
In the first project of its kind in Scotland the heat will be captured and funneled into boreholes in the ground to be stored and used again to warm or cool the building.
SWG3 Operations Manager Bob Javaheri told Clyde 1 news: "Ground source heat is nothing new. Boreholes have been used for quite some time.
"What we're doing is we're capturing that heat, and then we're transferring it into boreholes which we essentially use as batteries, to store that energy for days, weeks or months - whatever is required.
"Climate change is here"
"Gone are the days when sustainability is just a buzzword which is thrown around. There have been so many moments over the last few years which show that climate change is here and if we don't take action soon it's going to be disasterous."
The £330,000 project has been developed by geothermal energy consultancy TownRock Energy Limited.
How ground source heat works
It will capture body heat from SWG3’s clubbers and gig-goers channeling their combined energy into twelve 150m-deep bore holes under the venue where it will be stored until it is needed again.
TownRock MD, David Townsend, commented, “The Body Heat project brings together two highly efficient, cutting edge technologies to create a truly innovative overall heating, cooling and multi-scale energy storage system. This is exactly the kind of ambition and innovation the world needs right now and we are excited to get to work on delivering the project next year on behalf of SWG3.”