Common Spark Consulting

What Common Spark Consulting does

Common Spark Consulting is a private, founder-led environmental consulting firm founded in 2018 by Michelle Vigen Ralston and headquartered in Berkeley, California. The firm delivers a unified set of professional services centered on stakeholder facilitation, energy policy expertise, strategy development, and the productized Energy (in)Equity training program, with a stated focus on operationalizing equity and environmental justice in clean energy policymaking. Common Spark serves California investor-owned utilities (e.g., PG&E), national advocacy NGOs (NRDC, Greenlining Institute, Energy Foundation), philanthropic funders (Energy Foundation, JPB Foundation), and state and municipal government bodies (City of Oakland, San Francisco Environment Department, and CPUC-administered committees including CAEECC and the Demand Flexibility Rulemaking Income Verification Working Group). Geographic reach has expanded into Massachusetts and Minnesota in addition to its California base.

The business model is project-based professional services consulting priced via engagement scope rather than SaaS or licensing. Go-to-market is sales-led and trust-based: clients are acquired through direct relationships, sector referrals, and demonstrated expertise in regulatory proceedings, with top-of-funnel demand generated by the "Thought Library" blog, LinkedIn, and Eventbrite-promoted trainings. The team is small—approximately ten core consultants plus collaborating consultants and advisors—drawing on backgrounds at the DOE Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, the California Public Utilities Commission, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, San Jose Clean Energy, and UC-system research institutions. Technology is limited to standard productivity and marketing tooling; there are no proprietary software products or AI/ML systems disclosed.

Strategic activity in 2024-2025 includes four dated hires (Catherine Casomar, Jade Lu, Mahal Garcia Liu, Nidhi Upadhyaya), geographic expansion into additional state regulatory venues, the 2025 JMK Innovation Prize for the Better Data Center Project, and co-facilitation partnerships with Birch Road Consulting, Resource Innovations, Transformative Strategies Consulting, Raab Associates, Ember Strategies, and Upright Consulting Services. The company appears bootstrapped and founder-controlled, with no disclosed external institutional funding, parent company, subsidiaries, or M&A activity.

Name

Common Spark Consulting

Legal name

Common Spark Consulting

Website

https://common-spark.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Common Spark Consulting is a Berkeley-based environmental consulting firm founded in 2018 that provides facilitation, energy policy expertise, and strategy development services to utilities, environmental justice organizations, government agencies, and philanthropic clients on clean energy equity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Consulting Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Renewable Policy & Regulatory Strategy (National/State/Local) (EUAMANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK), Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) & Clean Energy Standards Compliance (EUAMANAF), Grid Interconnection, Transmission Policy & Market Rules (EUAMANAC), Incentives, Subsidies & Tax Policy (ITC/PTC, FiTs, Auctions/CfDs) (EUAMANAE)

Keywords

• Energy policy consulting
• Stakeholder facilitation services
• Environmental justice consulting
• Clean energy strategy
• Energy equity training

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Professional consulting fees for facilitation, energy policy expertise, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and technical assistance services delivered to government agencies, nonprofits, utilities, and advocacy organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Common Spark Consulting provides professional facilitation, energy policy advisory, and strategic planning services to government agencies, utilities, environmental justice organizations, and climate advocacy groups. The firm unpacks energy policy issues across local, state, and national levels and convenes stakeholder processes aimed at integrating equity considerations into clean energy and regulatory outcomes. Its signature Energy (in)Equity training program is a separately bookable professional development series applying a racial justice lens to energy industry work.

Product overview

Common Spark Consulting is a consulting services firm, not a software product company. The company offers a unified set of professional services centered around facilitation, energy policy expertise, strategy development, and the Energy (in)Equity training program. Services are delivered through direct consulting engagements with client partners rather than a software platform or product architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Facilitation Services Facilitation services for impactful conversations, stakeholder engagement, and consensus-building processes across energy policy venues, delivered to government agencies, utilities, environmental justice organizations, and advocacy groups.
• Energy Policy Expertise Energy policy advisory services unpacking issues across local, state, and national levels with deep expertise in energy equity and justice, supporting clients in translating complex regulatory and policy issues into actionable strategies.
• Strategy Development Holistic strategy development supporting client organizations in transformational work on their priorities, with emphasis on thoughtfulness and intention across climate, housing, and energy equity issues.
• Energy (in)Equity Training A professional training series applying a racial justice and equity lens to unveil systemic injustices perpetuated through the energy industry and identify actionable approaches for change. Offered multiple times per year to the public and by request for organizations, with registrations managed via Eventbrite.

Quantifiable outcome

• 11 meetings facilitated for PG&E Equity Committee on tariffed on-bill financing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Just End Gas (JEG) NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Common Spark serves as the JEG facilitator, organizing and facilitating monthly meetings incorporating training and featured speakers from organizations engaged in gas transitions. Provides technical assistance to environmental justice JEG members.
• PG&EcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommon Spark was contracted by PG&E to facilitate an Equity Committee as part of regulatory requirements to convene stakeholders advising on inclusive utility investment and tariffed on-bill financing for customer clean energy upgrades. This involved guiding 11 committee meetings covering regulatory requirements, benefits and risks to low and moderate income customers, and financial modeling.
• NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRDC collaborated with Common Spark to produce a landscape assessment of housing policy intersecting with climate and energy, conducting interviews with staff, listening sessions, and research to inform NRDC's inaugural organization-wide housing strategy. Also contracted for hydrogen advocacy convening.
• Birch Road ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommon Spark, in collaboration with Birch Road Consulting, co-facilitates the California Energy Efficiency Coordinating Committee (CAEECC) and its working groups. Joint facilitation partnership for consensus-building work.
• Resource InnovationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommon Spark and Resource Innovations are leading facilitation and research for the Income-Graduated Fixed Charge Income Verification Process Working Group in California, borne from CPUC's Demand Flexibility Rulemaking.
• Transformative Strategies ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommon Spark and Transformative Strategies Consulting are conducting research and interviews on Thermal Energy Networks, developing public-facing landscape analysis and private recommendations for philanthropic funders on equitable TENs.
• Upright Consulting ServicessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommon Spark in partnership with Upright Consulting Services is working with Marin Community Foundation to develop, support, and facilitate a Community of Practice for Climate Justice grantees.
• Raab AssociatessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommon Spark collaborated with Raab Associates and Birch Road Consulting to co-facilitate the Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (EEAC) for the Three-Year Planning process for MassSave energy efficiency programs.
• Greenlining InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreenlining Institute sponsored Common Spark work on workforce opportunities for equitable climate future and decarbonizing affordable housing convenings. Also engaged for strategic planning for energy equity team.
• Energy FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy Foundation supports regular gatherings of climate and environmental justice advocates, with Common Spark facilitating dynamic meetings working with advocates and hosting partners Hua Nani Partners.
• Ember StrategiessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommon Spark, with Ember Strategies, facilitated San Francisco Environment Department stakeholder convenings to develop zero emission building standards.
• Movement Strategies CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMovement Strategies Center partnered with Common Spark and JPB Foundation on reimagining the Energy Efficiency for All program into EEFAx.
• Public Health Law Center (PHLC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPHLC asked Common Spark to facilitate a stakeholder convening to develop consensus on a citizen's petition to HUD calling for equitable decarbonization and phase out of gas appliances in public residences.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MCR Performance Solutions: California and Northwest energy evaluation and consulting firm. Melanie Gillette collaborates with Common Spark; both serve utility and regulatory clients on energy efficiency evaluation, EM&V, and stakeholder-facing work in overlapping geographies.
• Gridworks: Nonprofit clean energy policy consultancy that designs and facilitates collaborative processes on grid policy across U.S. states. Katie Wu, Common Spark's Managing Director, previously served as Gridworks' California Director of Policy, indicating direct product, customer, and methodology overlap.
• Raab Associates: Energy efficiency consulting firm specializing in stakeholder process design and facilitation. Co-facilitates the Massachusetts EEAC Three-Year Planning process with Common Spark and Birch Road, providing near-identical product/service and customer profile.
• Birch Road Consulting: Energy efficiency and regulatory facilitation consultancy that co-facilitates CAEECC and the Massachusetts EEAC with Common Spark. Closely aligned in service mix (stakeholder facilitation, regulatory proceeding support) and client base (utilities, state agencies, efficiency program administrators).
• Strategen Consulting: Clean energy policy and strategy consultancy serving utilities, regulators, and clean energy companies on transportation electrification, distributed energy resources, and rate design. Overlaps with Common Spark on CPUC-adjacent regulatory strategy and utility-side advisory work in California and beyond.
• Ember Strategies: Mission-driven environmental and clean energy consultancy that partners with Common Spark on stakeholder convenings such as San Francisco's zero emission building standards. Comparable in client profile (municipal agencies, climate advocates) and service mix (facilitation, strategy).
• Elevated Engagement: Regulatory policy analysis and facilitation firm where Common Spark's collaborating consultant Tanya Paslawski is principal. Highly comparable on procedural justice, regulatory advocacy, and committee facilitation services in energy and climate proceedings.

Broad incumbents

• Resource Innovations: Large national energy efficiency, decarbonization, and equity-focused consultancy. Partners with Common Spark on the CPUC Income-Graduated Fixed Charge Working Group; overlaps significantly on utility and regulatory clients but operates at significantly greater scale and scope across broader energy services.

Emerging players

• Energy Futures Group: Mission-driven clean energy consulting firm providing technical, policy, and program design services to utilities, regulators, and foundations. Comparable on customer profile and energy efficiency / equity program design work, particularly in the Northeast.
• Cascadia Law Group: Pacific Northwest environmental and energy law and policy firm advising on clean energy, climate, and environmental justice matters. Comparable to Common Spark on clean energy policy advising and EJ-clients, with overlapping regional and regulatory reach in decarbonization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/common-spark

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Common Spark Consulting