PEA’s Clean Energy Intern, Caila Caiter-Edwards, sat down with Renewable Energy Design Group (RED Group) founders Cynthia and Jeff Redwine to learn more about their 14 years in the clean energy business. PEA is proud to have RED Group in our Green Business Network
CCE: Hello, Jeff and Cynthia Redwine! Thank you both for joining us for this interview. Excited to hear more about all you have going on at the RED Group.
For those who are just meeting you, could you talk a little bit about the mission behind RED Group? Also, I’d love to know how you first got hooked on solar energy and what the road from that initial interest to today has looked like for you both.
CR: Renewable Energy Design Group (RED Group) has been installing clean energy systems since 2012. We and Melvin Jewett are the owners. And our first solar energy project was working as Peace Corps volunteers with a dedicated group of community members to bring clean, reliable, and affordable energy to the school, communal house, cooperative office, and every hut in Parara Puru, Panama. Melvin began his solar career by volunteering during the Solarize Charlotte campaign in 2014, where he met us. As co-owners, we have a passion for helping integrate solar into homes, businesses and the communities in which we live. Our core values are Safety, Quality and Family and our commitment to these values is lived out by our small, tight-knit team specializing in solar photovoltaic (PV) design and installations in North Carolina and South Carolina.
CCE: It sounds like the Peace Corps was much more than just a service experience—it was the 'spark' that brought this vital work back to the Carolinas. We’ve seen such incredible growth in clean energy lately, but making the jump can still feel daunting. Drawing on your experience with so many different families, what do you see as the biggest roadblock for going solar in our area right now? How do you help them navigate those initial challenges?
JR: Yes, our two-year Peace Corps service and subsequent employment was definitely formative for our worldview as well as our launchpad into solar. While the basic technology of solar itself has not changed much in decades, there have been dramatic declines in prices to consumers and exciting developments in battery storage. Recent state and federal legislation seeks to undermine clean energy, funneling subsidies for fossil fuels into increased corporate profits, but solar remains one of the cheapest sources of electricity.
As a first step, owners should understand how solar works—and how it's priced. Renewable Energy Design Group takes time to educate owners and ensure that properly installed systems are designed for optimal production. The technology itself is legitimate and highly effective, and with transparency and integrity, owners can trust that solar is a proven and wise investment.
CCE: You’re so right—clean energy just makes more sense with every passing year, and it’s great to see more paths for families to afford it. Since you guys have been in the solar game for a long time, I’m curious: what’s the 'next big thing' that has you excited? Is there a specific breakthrough in battery tech or any other clean energy news that you all have found yourself “geeking” out over?
JR: Battery storage remains the next big thing — and the timing has never been better in North Carolina. Prices have been trending downward for five years, and Duke Energy's Power Pair program is currently offering rebates of up to $5,400, making it a great time to take the leap.
CR: There's also a bigger community benefit. As more people adopt battery storage, we strengthen the grid for everyone. These systems reduce strain during peak demand events — events that have historically meant firing up dirty coal-powered peaking plants. Pairing solar with batteries is cleaner and smarter for the whole state.
And for battery owners, the systems sync with Duke's time-of-use rates to optimize when and how energy is used — providing real protection against Duke's ongoing rate hikes. It puts the power back in the hands of homeowners and businesses, and that's exactly what we're here to help people do.