An art venue in Glasgow, Scotland has launched a dance floor capable of generating electricity from the body heat emitted by enthusiastic dancers.
SWG3 has hosted some of the most vibrant dance events in Glasgow, attracting thousands of people to come together and dance. However, starting this October, those stepping onto the dance floor at SWG3 will not only burn energy through their dance moves but also contribute to heating or cooling the dance floor, depending on the season.
The heat emitted from dancers on the Bodyheat floor will be used to warm the dance space when necessary. (Source: Oddity Central)
This is made possible by the unique technology of the “Bodyheat” dance floor, which will absorb heat generated from the human body to convert it into electricity. This advanced system has been in development for three years as part of a joint project between SWG3 and a geothermal energy startup called TownRock Energy.
David Townsend, founder of TownRock Energy, stated: “When you start dancing at an average pace, you can generate 250W of thermal energy. But when there’s a skilled DJ creating incredibly exciting bass that makes the audience dance wildly, you can generate between 500 to 600W of thermal energy.”
According to TownRock Energy, Bodyheat operates by absorbing the heat emitted from the bodies of dancers. This heat, which usually causes the indoor dance space to warm up, will be transferred into 12 boreholes that are approximately 152 meters deep, leading to a large rock mass located deep underground. This rock mass acts as a “thermal battery,” storing energy to later provide warmth and hot water when needed. Additionally, the process of transferring heat to the rock mass will help cool the atmosphere inside the dance floor. When there’s a need to warm up the space, the stored energy in the rock can be utilized.
Andrew Fleming-Brown, CEO of SWG3, acknowledged that a conventional heating or cooling system would cost about 90% less than the £600,000 investment in Bodyheat. However, he believes that not having to spend excessively on electricity for heating or cooling the dance floor will allow SWG3 to recoup its investment in just a few years.
David Townsend added: “Investing in a geothermal well would cost millions of pounds. Instead of this approach, we thought of capturing the heat emitted by SWG3’s customers and storing it underground for later use.”
If everything goes as planned, SWG3 estimates that the Bodyheat dance floor will eliminate three gas-powered heaters, thereby reducing carbon emissions by up to 70 tons annually.
All eyes are on SWG3, as if this system proves successful in Glasgow, there’s no reason it couldn’t be replicated elsewhere.
