Sustainability Graduate Spotlight - Donna Gartland
Energy demand is rising while much of the world still relies heavily on fossil fuels, driving carbon emissions and environmental impact. As the transition to cleaner, renewable sources become increasingly urgent, there is a growing need to rethink how energy is generated, used, and conserved.
This month we are shining a spotlight on Donna Gartland, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Codema, Dublin's Energy Agency, a not-for-profit social enterprise, whose mission is to accelerate low-carbon energy transition for Dublin. This edition of the Sustainability Spotlight Series focuses on United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7: Affordable & Clean Energy. Donna is a graduate from BSc in Energy and Environmental Engineering in the former Institute of Technology Tallaght (now TU Dublin and the course is now called Sustainable Energy Engineering - TU 801), within the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment.
Donna Garland
Donna Gartland, CEO of Codema is driving several exciting renewable energy projects for Ireland. Codema has implemented District Heating (DH) - systems which capture heat from a central source and deliver it as heat and hot water to residential and commercial buildings. Donna was thrilled to be able to connect her old college campus in Tallaght to the Tallaght District Heating network, the first large-scale DH project in Ireland.
Donna continues to work on the DH schemes and is developing another large scheme in Blanchardstown that will connect the TU Dublin campus there. A new wave of innovation is unfolding at the TU Dublin Grangegorman campus with the conversion from heat beneath the ground (geothermal) into energy that can be used by nearby energy consumers. Over time, it is anticipated that the campus will move from gas-based energy to geothermal sources. This would take all 3 TU Dublin campuses off fossil fuels.
In 2026, Donna won the award ‘Women in Energy’, a European Sustainable Energy Award recognising women who lead outstanding activities that, if replicated, help to advance the clean energy transition in Europe.
Educational Experience
Donna’s educational journey has been far from linear. Donna first pursued an arts degree but later decided a trade would suit her better, leading her to train and qualify as an Electrician. Shortly after she became qualified, the economic downturn struck, making it challenging to secure work. With a growing interest in energy this led her to complete the BSc in Energy and Environmental Engineering in TU Dublin in 2012.
Speaking about choosing this course Donna said:
I chose this degree because it was one of the few engineering degrees that looked at energy, rather than either electrical or mechanical elements only, it mixed the two and concentrated on renewable energy specifically.
As far as I remember we were the first graduates of this degree programme, so it was new and exciting to be part of it. There was also a woman who was head of the Engineering Department, Fiona Cranley, which was very encouraging for me, especially since I was the only woman in my class! I remember she gave me lots of encouragement to join the course on the open day.
Applying new skills and knowledge
Reflecting on skills that stood her in her career progression, Donna found that modelling and programming were useful as they would later help her to design, analyse, and optimise energy systems. Donna got to develop these skills further with a master’s degree in Energy Planning and Management in Denmark.
What does #TUDublinSustainability mean to you?
I think it means preparing and equipping students with the knowledge and tools to make the world a more sustainable place and embedding sustainability in everything that the University does.