Arkaya Energy’s Milk Source Heat Pump, a one-stop solution delivering milk cooling, hot water generation and improved energy efficiency, has been crowned the winner of the Royal Dairy Innovation Award at Dairy-Tech 2026, held on 4 February.
The award was judged and announced at the one-day event at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, and is presented to an exhibiting company showcasing a practical product or service that demonstrates the most significant innovation for the future of dairying.
The Milk Source Heat Pump instantly cools milk to 4°C while simultaneously producing hot water up to 90°C for dairy wash-downs. By recovering heat from the milk cooling process, the system can significantly reduce electricity usage, lower carbon footprint and cut energy costs, helping modern dairy businesses save time, energy and money.
Competition judge and RABDF Council Member Tim Downes said Arkaya Energy stood out for the strength of its presentation and the clear, proven benefits of the technology.
“They put across a really strong presentation on energy savings and a genuinely novel technology that simply isn’t available elsewhere. The savings were backed up by independent observations from NFU Energy, and the level of innovation fitted the Innovation Award criteria 100%.”
He added: “The judges were particularly impressed with how the system could be easily installed, delivering savings equivalent to 127 kilowatts per day on a new installation. The scale of the savings, combined with the professionalism and approach, really blew us away.”
The two runners-up for the 2026 Royal Dairy Innovation Award were:
· EpiHerd from Antler Bio, which helps dairy farmers unlock herd potential by combining gene expression data with practical, actionable insights.
· CowToilet from Hanskamp, which offers a novel approach to reducing on-farm emissions by separating urine and faeces at source.
Commenting on the finalists, Mr Downes said: “This year’s finalists were a very strong and diverse group and distinguishing between innovations is a real challenge for the judges, but the quality was exceptionally high.”
This year’s judging panel comprised independent judges Tim Downes, Karen Halton (RABDF Council Member), and Anthony and Jane Marsh of HoofCount, winners of last year’s award.
Kumodak Sharma of Arkaya Energy received a signed and framed certificate at the event and will be presented with the Royal Dairy Innovation Award trophy by HRH The Princess Royal later this year.
For more information on Dairy Tech, visit dairy-tech.uk/