Santa Clara (CA) - Intel announced on Wednesday the winners of its Contest On Renewable Energy (CORE) competition.  The goal was to develop a renewable form of energy for powering portable devices.  The winner was a Spanish team from the Polytechnic of Madrid.  Their solution involved a mechanical pedal device which created electricity by the user's physical activity, a type of bicycle-like aparatus (no pictures were given).

The two runners up were from Italy's Polytechnic of Milan and Netherlands' Delft University of Technology.  Italy's solution involved a hydrogen-powered fuel cell.  The Netherlands' solution was a form of rocking-motion pedal solution, unlike the Spanish team's version.

The grand prize was 10,000 Euros.  The two runner-ups each received a top-of-the-line notebook computer.  According to Intel, "The Spanish device is particularly user-friendly as it enables the user to adopt a flexible, customizable rhythm including any required breaks. Original features include the power electronic converter specifically designed to minimize charging time and keep energy flow at a constant level."

Read more ... Intel's press release.