By Calvin Jones. This innovative and beautifully designed keyboard case brings distraction free typing to the reMarkable 2 - but what's it like to use?

When reMarkable announced the Type Folio, I was intrigued. I'd reviewed the reMarkable 2 here on Irish Tech News a while back, and loved it for the things it did well, but just as much for the things it didn't try to do. This was a device designed specifically to replace paper notebooks for handwritten notes, sketches and doodles, or for marking up document files with handwritten annotations - and it did those things spectacularly well.

reMarkable Type Folio reviewed

But is it a device I'd want to type on? I wasn't so sure.

I remember when I reviewed the tablet itself other reviewers lamented the fact there was no bluetooth, which meant you couldn't pair the reMarkable 2 with an external keyboard. I remember thinking "so what": this is for handwriting with a stylus, not typing.

At the time that was true, and in many ways still is, but in the meantime the software experience on the reMarkable 2 has evolved. A succession of updates has improved the device's ability to handle typed text, and to integrate it with handwritten notes and annotations in the same notebook and even on the same page. It seemed a strange direction given that entering text on the on-screen keyboard was so clunky on an e-ink display. Yes, you could sync your notes and type up text on another device then re-sync. but that still seemed a bit of a faff for most use-cases.

Then the company announced the Type Folio, and everything made sense. Sort of.

I still couldn't quite work out why the self-appointed champions of distraction free note-taking were introducing another facet to their device. Surely the reMarkable was for jotting down ideas, fleshing them out and developing them before moving over to a more powerful and versatile device with a keyboard to produce the finished article? When I needed a keyboard, I surmised, I'd just move over to my desktop or laptop computer and use the array of powerful apps at my disposal to create whatever I needed to create. building on the thoughts and ideas so efficiently captured on the reMarkable 2.

Then the Type Folio arrived. I typed a few lines, and those initial doubts mostly evaporated. Not only is this a sublimely designed piece of tech (like the reMarkable 2 itself, which still more than holds its own design-wise more than 2 years after its launch), it also does the job it's designed to do extremely well. It is the typing embodiment of reMarkable's distraction free ethos.

Type Folio, and the reMarkable 2's new text features, give you just enough, and no more. You can create headings, sub-headings, paragraph text and bullet points. add bold and italic, you can copy, cut and paste text. and that's about it. This is no word-processing powerhouse. There's not a spell-check in sight, and when it comes to grammar, you're on your own.

This is essentially an electronic typewriter for e-paper, and I love its simplicity and, yes, at the risk of falling in step with the marketing hype, the fact that it's distraction free. On my laptop, I would almost certainly have left this piece several times by now to look something up, check my email, respond to a social media notification. With the reMarkable and Type Folio there's none of that. There's also the added benefit of an e-ink display with absolutely no light emanating from it - so typing on the Type Folio is as easy on the eyes as it gets.

When paired with the Type Folio the reMarkable 2 becomes an exquisitely compact, yet surprisingly tactile and functional typing station, coupled with just enough software chops to get the job done. It's pared back to a point that maximises usability and focus, and eliminates distraction. That's a tricky balance to strike, but typing this review on the Type Folio I can't help feeling that reMarkable has pulled it off. again.

You're never sucked into the deep, dark productivity black hole o...

Top social media giants recycle competitor's features

The social media landscape has been chaotic over the past few years, with few effective innovations except for high profile rebranding exercises and little more than repackaged variations of the same features. Meta's metaverse flopped. The largest social platforms seem to be competing to deploy new versions of the same features: text, image and video posts. Twitter is focusing on a subscription model and partially re-branding to "x". In a recent x-post the new Twitter CEO said:

For years, fans and critics alike have pushed Twitter to dream bigger, to innovate faster, and to fulfill our great potential. X will do that and more. We've already started to see X take shape over the past 8 months through our rapid feature launches, but we're just getting.

Linda Yaccarino (@lindayacc) July 23, 2023

Reddit deploys blockchain-based reputation system

Future Twitter users may have x-videos, x-messaging and x-payments to look forward to.

Capitalising on Twitters declining user activity and plummeting advertising revenue, Meta launched Threads, a Twitter competitor, demonstrating that the best way to attract 100 million new app users in one week is to have an existing user base of 3 billion people inside one of the world's largest media and advertising companies. Tiktok is still capturing the internet's attention with 4% of global web traffic, just slightly lower than Disney+. TikTok launched their own text-based post feature this week to "empower creators" to "expand the boundaries of content creation" with text posts.

None of these ideas are new. To find innovation among the larger social media platforms we can look to Reddit's development and rollout of blockchain-based Community Points.

Reddit is a large social media platform and link aggregator, but is small compared to the monthly active user base of networks like Facebook (2.9 billion), Youtube (2.6 billion), Tiktok (1.7 billion) but has a similar number of monthly active users to Twitter at about 450 million.

Reddit grows into web3 with blockchain-based reputation system

Reddit is expanding their Community Points system, a blockchain-based reputation score that users earn based on their contribution to specific communities.

These points are digital tokens that are awarded to users based on their participation in specific communities. To earn Community Points, users can engage in different ways, such as posting content, leaving comments, or receiving upvotes (positive feedback) from other users. The more active users are, and the more other users react positively to their posts or comments, the more points are earned.

These points can used to unlock specific digital rewards in the communities, membership features, and gain more influence in community decisions through voting power that is weighted based on a user's Community Points. The points are not just a counter on a scoreboard though, they are also recorded on the Ethereum blockchain and can be accessed through a web3 wallet. That means the points are digital tokens that users can buy, sell and send independent of Reddit. Users can even exchange them for popular cryptocurrencies like Ether or USDC, and exchange those for cash.

The top scoring users on Reddit's cryptocurrency subreddit last month earned over 9,000 Cryptocurrency Community Points (MOONS) each in a 28-day period (worth over €2,800; USD$3,100 on July, 26 2023).

Reddit Moons

In June 2020, Reddit's cryptocurrency community introduced a digital token called Moons. These tokens are unique to the r/Cryptocurrency community and were created as part of Reddit's strategy to reward content creation and encourage user engagement. Moons have developed over the past three years, transitioning from a testing phase to deploying live on the blockchain. Along the way, the community has implemented various rules to determine how users can earn Moons, with specific types of contributions being recognised and rewarded based on ...

As part of its Pan European expansion plan, Integrity360 has acquired leading European PCI QSA (Payment Card Industry Qualified Security Assessor) and cyber security services company Advantio. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition will enable Integrity360 to expand further into continental Europe and provides an additional cyber services practice focused on PCI compliance - complementing Integrity360's existing service practices which include cyber risk and assurance, cyber security testing, incident response, infrastructure, end-point and SIEM professional services and a highly comprehensive range of cyber security managed services.

Advantio will continue to operate from its existing wide-ranging European facilities but with the benefit of the full resources and capability of the existing Integrity360 business. In addition, Integrity360 has formed a strategic partnership with the Advantio founders to expand the footprint of ZeroRisk, an innovative SaaS platform providing compliance and cyber risk management profiling services for the payment industry.

Advantio was founded in 2009, employs approximately 115 employees and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland and operates from facilities in Italy, Spain, UK, Lithuania, and Ukraine serving more than 250 customers across Europe, the USA and Asia. For the last three years, Advantio has achieved growth rates of circa 25% pa, and during the next 12 months expects revenues of circa €10m.

The combination of Advantio with Integrity360 brings group revenues to approximately €115m in 2023, from circa €85m in 2022, and expands group resources to approximately 450 employees. Advantio's cyber services capabilities include PCI compliance, cyber security testing, cyber risk and assurance and MDR services (Managed Detection and Response) and are both expansive and complementary to those of Integrity360.

Advantio's existing SOC (Security Operations Centre) operation in Naples will be combined with Integrity360's other three SOCs in Dublin, Sofia, and Stockholm - now operating with over 100 dedicated engineers, consultants and cyber experts in delivering a wide-ranging set of managed services for customers including EDR, XDR and MDR (Endpoint Detection and Response, Extended Detection and Response, and Managed Detection and Response). Integrity360's innovative range of services were recently recognised for a third time in a Gartner market guide, namely as a Representative Vendor in the Gartner market guide for Managed Detection and Response services.

Advantio has a leading position in PCI compliance and operates as one of the leading Qualified Security Assessor organisations in Europe and across the world. Its position is reflected by its standing as being the No 1 most chosen QSA organisation by Visa service provider organisations across Europe, and No 4 most chosen by Mastercard service provider organisations. Advantio has also been a proud member of the PCI GEAR (Global Executive Assessor Roundtable) since 2018, helping to refine and define PCI standards for the benefit of the industry. Advantio's PCI expertise adds to Integrity360's existing regulatory and cyber framework services capability including ISO27001, Cyber Essentials, cyber security strategy, and third-party risk management.

Ian Brown, Executive Chairman at Integrity360, commented: "We are delighted to be welcoming the Advantio team to Integrity360. The enhanced group will now significantly expand our existing activities and cyber services throughout continental Europe, and further develop Advantio's considerable expertise in PCI compliance. The combination of the two businesses provides a powerhouse of technical cyber and security payments expertise for the group's customer base, including preparing for the impending arrival of the new PCI DSS 4.0 standard which requires comprehensive threat detection and incident response services.

"The two companies are highly complementary, with common strengths in ...

Ennomotive and Colbún launch the first open innovation social challenge to contribute to the sustainability of rural schools.

The contest will reward innovative solutions related to water, energy, and thermal comfort from two schools in rural areas in Chile.

Colbún SA ( ) is a leading Chilean company in the generation and trading of electricity and the provision of energy solutions.

New tech challenge to make rural schools more sustainable

Through its foundation (Fundación Colbún), Colbún promotes, encourages, and supports activities to improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable. Among its main lines of cooperation are the strengthening and modernization of access to energy and water (SDG 6 and 7).

The "Transforming Schools" program seeks to support rural schools in Chile, close to Colbún's operations, with improvements that help them become more sustainable. In a first stage, it is intended to find solutions to the problems of schools in the communes of San Esteban (Río Colorado sector) and Quillota (San Pedro sector).

To this end, Colbún has launched an online challenge with the aim of finding innovative and sustainable solutions, in collaboration with the innovation platform ennomotive and the NGO Desafío Levantemos Chile.

The challenge focuses on three fundamental areas, such as the interruption in the supply of water for daily use and the low temperatures in the classrooms, providing the opportunity to introduce renewable energy:

Water : Design a system that ensures the availability of water when interruptions occur due to lack of pressure in the general network.

Thermal comfort : Design and select insulating materials to ensure thermal comfort and a heating system that complements it. The aim is to improve the temperature that, inside the classrooms, drops excessively during classes, up to values from 5 to 8ºC.

3. Energy : Search for energy sources for these new consumptions that contribute to the sustainability of the school, and, as far as possible, lead to self-consumption.

Participation in this innovation challenge is open to professionals and companies, technology centers, start-ups, engineers, or academics at a national and international level, individually or in teams. Those interested in participating can register at www.ennomotive.com , where you can learn more about the challenge and download information about the schools. Colbún will offer up to 15,000 USD in total for prizes to the winning solutions and the deadline to submit proposals is August 28, 2023.

About the "Transforming Schools" program

"Transforming Schools" is the pilot project developed by Colbún, which seeks to support rural schools in areas where the company is present, with the aim of contributing to their transformation through sustainable and innovative solutions that respond to real needs.

The initiative will benefit, in a first stage, the Río Colorado school in the San Esteban commune, and the Abel Guerrero school in the town of San Pedro, in the Quillota commune, through the search for solutions related to water efficiency, thermal comfort, and energy.

"At Colbún, we are seeking to generate social innovation in energy and water issues for rural schools in our territories. In this context, we have contacted 2 schools close to our operations in the Valparaíso Region to, together with them, seek solutions to real needs in the field of sustainability, which improve the conditions in which these schools provide education. We trust that there will be a lot of participation in the dialogue with these schools in order to efficiently improve the quality of life of both school communities", said Colbún's Corporate Affairs Manager, Pedro Vial.

For his part, Pablo Díaz, Director of the Abel Guerrero School, pointed out that " we have had two meetings to identify the challenges that these solutions could address in the school, such as the insulation of spaces or heating, especially today, during the winter season. It is essential to start ...

Change is inevitable. The scary bit is that the changes are now so quick and dramatic, whether it's forest fires, flooding, or layoffs in the Tech industry, once thought to be invincible.

The same applies to your business.

If you are doing business the same way you were ten or five years ago, you better look out as your competitors change, adapt, and find ways to attract your customers.

Doing what you've always done is not an option!

A Clients Story

Some time ago, I was contacted by a successful Irish company trading in Ireland and the UK for over twenty years.

What they wanted help with was the following:

They have been successfully offering their specialist industry support and hardware for all this time, upgrading their offering as technology moved forward.

However, they now believe it is time to bring a Cloud offering to an industry long established in their working methods and could be resistant to change.

The company also needed a new story to encourage its existing customers to take a leap of faith and move to the cloud with them.

Over a short time, we have created a story and a deck in partnership, which they are very comfortable and confident presenting to their clients.

Their new offering is transformative, and when clients take their advice and move forward in partnership, their efficiency and new business opportunities are limitless.

Here are some of the advantages to their existing and potential new customers:

The latest support technology will be available to them. While their older, slower processing equipment, over time will not need to be upgraded.

The opportunity to bid for bigger contracts knowing they have the technology on tap to meet their customer's needs immediately.

Delays in seeking approval or availability of capital expenditure no longer necessary.

Put very simply:

My client is offering their customers the opportunity to execute their existing business with greater efficiency with the bonus of reducing energy costs and carbon output.

Call to action:

Whatever business you are in, I am sure AI and Cloud are disrupting your marketplace.

With my guidance we can create a new story to propel your business forward into this exciting marketplace.

By Executive Coach Andrew Keogh of Aristo.ie

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Vault365, a leading provider of data protection services, has announced it expects to achieve revenues in excess of €2M in the next 18 months. Following significant demand for its data backup and security capabilities in the first year since its launch in Ireland, Vault365 is now also launching its services in the UK market.

Headquartered in Dublin and with a base in London, Vault365 provides an all-in-one backup, ransomware, and data protection solution, powered by Veeam Technology. It enables the fastest data restore in the industry for information stored both on premise and in cloud applications, including Microsoft 365. In addition, Backup as a Service (BaaS) forms a core part of Vault365's product suite, delivering air gap offsite immutable protection.

Vault365 has onboarded three resellers in Ireland who are delivering the service to 30 large enterprises across all industries. Vault365 is now securely backing up critical data for over 25,000 Microsoft 365 accounts. It will engage a further two resellers in the Irish market in 2023. It is also seeking channel partnerships with suitable resellers in the UK to drive further business growth. To help meet this demand, Vault365 is creating four new jobs in technical and sales roles across Ireland and the UK in 2023. Mike Basile has been appointed as UK&I Channel Manager for Vault365 in the UK.

In addition, the company has recently added Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) to the Vault365 portfolio which ensures that all data is securely hosted at, and immediately recoverable from, Vault365's Irish and UK data centres. This eliminates the risk of data loss and means minimal downtime for organisations in the event of a major incident or loss of company data.

As Office 365 will only retain data for up to 30 days if deleted and up to 90 days after a subscription ends, Vault365 securely backs up and eliminates the risk of data loss on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business and Microsoft Teams. The easily-managed solution also protects physical servers, virtual servers, cloud and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications. Businesses can leverage powerful search tools, fast and flexible recovery, and export options to perform eDiscovery across their entire backup environment.

Cillian McCarthy, CEO, Vault365: "We believe that having secure and reliable backups is the first line of defence in cybersecurity. We are seeing a huge demand for data backup solutions among businesses in the face of an evolving cyber threat landscape, and this crucial service offers peace of mind to customers that their data is secure and operations can continue uninterrupted should an incident occur.

"We are excited to scale up our Vault365 capabilities and expand our footprint into the UK, and are working closely with our partners to bring the full benefit of each solution to customers. Our growing team will provide our customers with the skills and expertise they need at every stage of their data backup and security journeys."

See more stories here.

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Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too.

You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here:

If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at [email protected] now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience.

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The AgTechUCD Innovation Centre today announced that it is seeking applications from early-stage start-ups with innovative products and services in the AgTech, agri-food, equine and veterinary sectors and who have the ambition to grow globally, to join its dedicated accelerator programme, which is now in its third year.

For more information and to apply, visit www.ucd.ie/innovation/agtechucd-agccelerator-programme/.

The 2023 AgTechUCD Agccelerator Programme, commencing this October, is an intensive 12-week hybrid programme, which includes dedicated business development workshops and investor readiness training, mentoring from industry experts and business advisors, guest speakers and facilitated introductions to AgTechUCD's venture capital and business angel networks.

The in-person workshops will take place at the new AgTechUCD Innovation Centre which is currently under construction at UCD Lyons Farm. Once completed in September, this ca. 890 sq.m. facility will include flexible lab spaces, meeting rooms, offices and an exhibition and seminar space.

Niamh Collins, Director, AgTechUCD, said, "Our dedicated Agccelerator programme, which is now open for applications, is tailored to address the particular needs and challenges facing start-ups in the AgTech and Agri-foods sectors. The aim of the programme is to fast track the business development and leadership skills of participants and to provide them with the support and guidance needed to accelerate their start-ups on the global stage."

AgTechUCD is focused on promoting and accelerating the launch and scaling of start-ups and SMEs, with disruptive innovations in Ireland and Europe, in the AgTech, Agri-food, equine and veterinary sectors as they build their innovative businesses into leading companies on the global stage. AgTechUCD also provides additional support such as access to incubation space and to on-farm testing for new products and services at UCD Lyons Farm.

Among the nineteen (19) start-ups which have completed the programme over the last two years are; Cotter Agritech, Farm Fayre, MyGug and Proveye.

Farm Fayre, based in Co. Kilkenny, is developing a complete field-to-field solution for farmers to buy and sell their livestock online in a convenient, safe, secure and transparent ecosystem.

Kevin O'Connor, CEO and Founder of Farm Fayre, said, "Our experience with last year's AgTechUCD Agccelerator Programme was very beneficial. For any early-stage venture with limited time and resources, this programme is a definitive 'yes'. The outcomes far exceeded our time inputs. It's well organised and professional."

MyGug, based in Co. Cork, has developed a micro-scale anaerobic digester that turns food waste into a green renewable energy source suitable for homes, schools and small food businesses.

Fiona Kelleher, CEO, MyGug, said, "MyGug continues to benefit from participation in the AgTechUCD Agccelerator Programme. The combination of excellent support and encouragement from the highly talented team and access to the best of entrepreneurs in this space set us on a fast-track path to increased media exposure, sales and investment opportunities. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to achieve success in their business."

Partners on the AgTechUCD Agccelerator Programme include; Enterprise Ireland, AIB, The Yield Lab Europe, Devenish, Ornua, Herdwatch, IFAC, Thrive/SVG Ventures and support from AgTech Ireland member companies.

David Bowles, Managing Partner, The Yield Lab Europe, said, "We are happy to support the AgTechUCD Agccelerator programme as they find and support exciting early-stage companies in Ireland and internationally, who have innovative agri-food technologies that will lead the way for Ireland to deliver on its climate change commitments. As Europe's leading early-stage sustainable AgTech investor, we have supported this programme since its inauguration in 2021 and look forward to working with the AgTechUCD team once again this year."

AgTechUCD, which is part...

EPAM Systems, Inc., a leading digital transformation services and product engineering company, today announced it has won the 2023 Microsoft U.S. Azure Migration Partner of the Year Award. The Company was honoured among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementing customer solutions based on Microsoft technology.

"We're honoured to be recognised as a 2023 Microsoft U.S. Azure Migration Partner of the Year for our dedication to creating and delivering leading-edge enterprise solutions," said Dmitry Tikhomirov, VP of Technology Solutions at EPAM. "Our team combines world-class consulting, design and advanced engineering to leverage Microsoft solutions and help some of the world's leading brands navigate cloud complexities, digitally transform and accelerate business value."

While cloud transformation has become essential for business success, mastering cloud complexity remains challenging for many organisations. As a global leader in cloud transformation services, EPAM was recognised for providing outstanding support in helping Louis Dreyfus Company rapidly migrate to Microsoft Azure while efficiently modernising and innovating business applications.

EPAM also secured the global finalist position in the Industry, Retail and Consumer Goods category for exceptional contributions at Estée Lauder Companies and Ahold Delhaize and placed as a U.S. finalist in the Global Retail and Consumer Goods category. Additionally, EPAM achieved the U.S. finalist position in Azure Modernise for its work at Ahold Delhaize.

"The Visually Impaired Makeup Assistant (VMA) application owes much of its success to EPAM Systems, whose expertise and collaboration have played an instrumental role in its development," said Chris Aidan, VP, Innovation and Emerging Technologies at Estée Lauder Companies.

"With EPAM's help, the VMA now offers a voice-enabled experience that caters to visually impaired users, checking for inconsistencies, providing feedback and offering recommendations for improved makeup application. By focusing on modern engineering practices and emerging technologies, EPAM has demonstrated a commitment to delivering innovative digital solutions that align with our objective of meeting and exceeding our customers' expectations."

Together, EPAM and Microsoft enhance the agility and efficiency of legacy systems using intelligent automation, specialised cloud enablement offerings and global delivery capabilities. Since 2004, EPAM's collaboration with Microsoft has helped the Company's global customers accelerate their journey to Azure by planning and architecting a strategy for executing Azure migrations at scale without compromising quality.

The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognise Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered outstanding Microsoft-based applications, services and devices during the past year. Awards were classified into various categories, with honourees chosen from more than 4,200 submitted nominations from 100+ countries worldwide.

"Congratulations to the winners and finalists of the 2023 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards," said Nicole Dezen, Chief Partner Officer and Corporate Vice President of Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft. "The innovative new solutions and services that positively impact customers and enable digital transformation from this year's winners demonstrate the best of what's possible with the Microsoft Cloud."

See more stories here.

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One in five people in Ireland never carry any cash and of those that do, almost one-third (30pc) carry €20 or less. This is according to a new survey by Royal London Ireland. Furthermore, men are more likely than women to never carry cash (24pc of men versus 16pc of women). Of those who do carry cash, however, men tend to carry higher amounts on them than women.

The Royal London Ireland survey, which examined the use of cash by people in Ireland, found that the top five reasons people needed cash regularly was to pay for small daily grocery items such as milk and bread (58pc), to pay service providers who prefer cash (38pc), to buy lunch or take-away coffee or tea (34pc), to give tips (32pc), and to donate to charity (27pc).

Other highlights from the survey include:

Almost one in five people (19pc) carry more than €100 regularly. - People in Leinster appear to be the least likely to carry cash. One in four people in Dublin (25pc) and almost a third of people in the rest of Leinster (28pc) say they never carry cash. By contrast, only one in ten (10pc) of those living in Ulster and Connacht never carry cash. - 50pc of people aged 18-24 said they never carry cash, while just 10pc of people aged 55 or older said the same.

Commenting on the survey findings, Barry McCutcheon, Proposition Lead at Royal London Ireland, said:

"We've seen an increase in cashless payments in Ireland in recent years, so the numbers of people who carry very little cash, or any at all, is unsurprising. Despite the increasingly digital nature of Irish banking and payment systems in recent years, we can see from the survey findings that cash still plays an important role in Ireland's society and economy, with many people relying on it when going about their day-to-day routines. This balances with a European Central Bank survey in 2022 which showed that the majority (54pc) of Irish consumers' in-store transactions were in cash.

Our survey gives weight to the assertion that the younger you are, the less likely you are to carry cash. Findings from the survey revealed that half (50pc) of those aged between 18 and 24 say they never carry cash compared to only one in ten (10pc) people aged 55 or over".

The Need for Cash

Mr McCutcheon observed,

"It's clear that there is a need for cash, with 80pc of people surveyed carrying some amount daily. The survey sheds some light on just why people carry cash, and we found that the top three reasons were: to pay for small daily grocery items such as milk or bread (58pc), to pay service providers who prefer cash (38pc), and to buy takeaway lunch, coffee or teas (34pc). It would appear that pocket money in the form of cash hasn't gone out of fashion either - more than a quarter of people (27pc) between the ages of 35 and 54, the age cohort likely to have children, carry cash for this reason".

Mr McCutcheon concluded:

"In the Department of Finance's published Retail Banking Review, a recommendation was made for legislation to be introduced to safeguard the reasonable access to cash. It is clear from our research that for many, there are times when only cash will do.

Whether you are someone who prefers using cash or not, tracking and managing your finances is important when it comes to planning your financial future. If you are looking for advice about financial planning, a Financial Broker can help you assess your current situation and put a personalised plan in place that meets your individual needs and circumstances."

Bord na Móna and ESB, have commenced construction of a new solar farm at Timahoe North, Co Kildare, as part of a wider solar energy joint venture between the two companies. Timahoe North will be the first large-scale solar project that both Bord na Móna and ESB will bring to fruition as part of their respective renewable energy portfolios.

New Irish solar farm to deliver up to 500MW

International energy producer and service provider, Voltalia, has been contracted to carry out the Engineering, Procurement and Construction ("EPC") contract of the solar farm over the next year. It is expected that Timohoe North solar farm will be fully operational by the end of 2024, with an installed capacity of 108MWp of renewable energy to the national grid. This is enough energy to power around 25,000 homes, which will support the delivery of more green energy to communities and businesses across the country in line with Ireland's renewable energy targets for 2030.

The Timahoe North solar farm is part of a significant co-development agreement between Bord na Móna and ESB to develop solar power across four midlands locations in Kildare, Offaly and Roscommon. The joint venture will collectively deliver up to 500 MW of power from solar farms based on Bord na Móna lands.

This development follows the successful outcome for Bord na Móna and ESB in the Government's Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS 2) auction last year, as well as early-stage works which have taken place over the past 12 months.

Commenting on the milestone announcement, Bord na Móna's Head of Renewable Energy John Reilly said: "We are very excited to launch the construction phase of Timahoe North, Bord na Móna's first solar energy farm in partnership with ESB. Bord na Móna has made significant progress across other areas of renewable energy to date, notably onshore wind, but in line with our Brown to Green Strategy and current government policy, we are committed to continued expansion and diversification of our renewable energy portfolio.

While still in its infancy, the solar industry in Ireland has the potential to play a pivotal role in Ireland's renewable energy future. We have ambitious plans, in conjunction with ESB, to produce an impressive 500 MW of solar power in the coming years and we believe this joint venture is an important step towards supporting national renewable energy requirements for 2030 and beyond."

Jim Dollard, ESB Executive Director, Generation & Trading, said: "This project shows the importance that ESB is placing in solar and demonstrates our commitment to developing a growing portfolio of solar assets in Ireland. ESB has a proven record of delivering renewable energy projects at scale and we are looking forward to working with our partners Bord na Móna to deliver Timahoe North and other projects in the future as part of this joint venture. This project is part of ESB's wider investment in solar farms, and ESB expect to invest €200m over the next two years in the first phase of our solar roll out, as we move towards our ultimate goal of achieving Net Zero by 2040."

See more breaking stories here.

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Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too.

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If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at [email protected] now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience.

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