A SOUTHAMPTON firm has won a major grant to develop groundbreaking technology to reduce carbon emissions.

Bowman Power’s new turbogenerator will be able to turn engine exhaust gases into electricity, both producing power and cutting emissions at the same time.

The Belvidere Road-based company has been awarded £700,000 by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) for the project, which will create six new jobs.

The firm will team up with engine manufacturing giant Cummins Power Generation UK Ltd for the £1.4m project.

When finished, the firm says the new turbogenerator will be fitted to 0.5 to 2MW diesel and gas engines and could produce efficiency improvements of up to ten per cent. The project could be completed by early 2016.

Bowman has already developed a number of other exhaust energy recovery generators to turn exhaust gas into low-carbon electricity, but this is the biggest yet. The firm currently has 600 units over four continents.

Company chief executive Dr Toby King said: “The grant from DECC’s Energy Entrepreneurs Fund has provided the necessary financial resources for Bowman, in conjunction with Cummins, to develop our turbogenerator technology so it is suitable for use with larger engines, with all the inherent large scale benefits of increased power output and reduced fuel consumption.

“The number of biomass and biogas installations in the UK is rapidly increasing, and globally the potential is huge.

“There are also a very large number of 0.5-2MW diesel generators worldwide.

“The successful application of our technology in these areas will dramatically improve fuel efficiency with a consequent fall in CO2 emissions.”

Amber Rudd, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the DECC, said: “The UK has a long and rich history of developing innovative and exciting new technologies that can enhance our lives whilst also tackling serious problems such as climate change.

“The Bowman Power project is being supported by the Energy Entrepreneurs Scheme which has been developed to help the UK achieve our ambitions to improve energy security and reduce emissions whilst also creating new jobs.”