Many of us take power for granted in the developed world, but a billion people across the globe still have no access to electricity.

A similar number have access only to unreliable and intermittent supplies.

Striving to change that is Anthony Price, chief executive of Swanbarton Ltd, who has been made Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to the Energy Storage Industry in the New Year’s Honours List.

Anthony lives in Sherston, near Malmesbury, and works in the nearby Pinkey.

He established Swanbarton as a consultancy business, specialising in energy storage, in 2003.

His work covers the research, design, development and commercialisation of innovative energy storage devices and systems - and how access to power can be improved across the world.

He said: “I was surprised to find an email about the OBE, I still no idea who nominated me.

“I had a variety of jobs in civil engineering before Swanbarton, and I used skills picked up from National Power when we first started out.

“2003 was the start of the renewable energy era, it was incredibly different, so I suppose I was a bit of a pioneer.

“We can forget the importance of power when we always have access to it. Electricity can help pump clean water, power fridges to hold food and power lights so children can study at night and have education standards raised.

“A reliable sense of power is immensely helpful.”

Anthony has also served as a director of the Electricity Storage Association for seven years and is the Founding Director of the Electricity Storage Network, the UK’s industry group for the development of Electricity Storage.

Huge congratulations to Sherston’s very own Anthony Price. Chief executive of Swanbarton Ltd (and church treasurer!) who was awarded an OBE for services to the energy storage industry in the New Year’s Honours.

Posted by The Gauzebrook Group of Churches on Wednesday, 30 December 2020

Moving forward, Anthony hints at many exciting plans for Swanbarton - including a ‘micro grid’ idea that means access to power could be tailored to individual communities, instead of a national system.

In his spare time, he has also been a school governor of Sherston Primary School, Scout Leader in 1st Sherston Scout Group and chair of the town’s building committee, responsible for the move of the school from the High Street to its present site on Knockdown Road.

He said: “It was very nice to hear the news, and I was absolutely thrilled to receive messages of support from the Sherston community.

“It’s been a difficult company to runs at times, especially to begin with, so to recognised and share the award with my staff and family is special.”