The global scale of current environmental concerns has put the responsible use of the Earth's natural resources firmly on the agenda of today's political and industrial plans. Incontrovertible evidence points to an energy and environmental crisis unless we improve the way in which we utilise available energy sources.
Europe has long been leading the global campaign towards environmentally conscious behaviour. In the spirit of encouraging European innovation towards energy-efficient technology, Intel launched a challenge to European universities, in April 2007, to design a device capable of powering laptops by using renewable, sustainable energy sources. At the official award ceremony held in Tel Aviv, Israel on 28 November 2007, Intel officially awarded the winners of the Intel University Competition On Renewable Energy (CORE), the culmination of seven months of creative endeavours from the participating teams.
The jury, composed of Nir Tessler, professor at the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Eszter Morvay from the international IT analyst house IDC and Intel Fellow Ofri Wechsler had the arduous task of selecting amongst the imaginative solutions submitted by universities from Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands and Spain. Each entry was judged according to several criteria - from ecological value to ingenuity of design to commercial viability.
The winning solution - presented by the Spanish team (Polytechnic of Madrid) - is based on a pedal machine powered by human energy. The cycling action produces energy which is turned into the electricity necessary to power the laptop by a power electronics converter.
The solution was chosen as it demonstrates the team's systematic approach to deal with all aspects of the challenge - from its ease of implementation to the innovative quality of its electronic components - with special features to allow for a realistic usage model. The Spanish device is particularly user-friendly as it enables the user to adopt a flexible, customisable rhythm including any required breaks. Original features include the power electronic converter, specifically designed to minimise charging time and keep energy flow at a constant level.
The runners-up - the Polytechnic of Milan (Italy) and Delft's University of Technology (The Netherlands) - will also be recognised on the respective merits of their solutions.
The Italian team devised an ingenious way to utilise hydrogen fuel cell to power a laptop - particularly noteworthy for its duration and for being environmentally clean. Hydrogen is a renewable and sustainable source of energy, the most common element in the universe and although it is not present on earth in its elemental form it can be obtained from water through electrolysis. This presents an additional advantage in terms of utilising time-sensitive energy (such as energy obtained through solar panels) and converting it back into electrical energy through the hydrogen-producing electrolysis process.
Delft University's design is remarkably innovative and consists mainly of a rocking-motion pedal mechanism. An integrated design approach, drawing knowledge from a range of disciplines, was used to optimise the design.
The winning team was awarded 10 000 Euros as funding to support scientific research, while the two runners-up received a top-of-the-range laptop.
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