Duke Energy Corp. has filed paperwork with the North Carolina Utilities Commission to construct a solar photovoltaic energy microgrid and battery storage facility in Hot Springs, North Carolina.

According to a press release, Duke Energy intends to invest $500 million in battery storage within the Carolinas over the next 15 years. An estimated 300 megawatts of battery energy storage is slated for the Carolinas.

“The Hot Springs Microgrid project,” said the company, “will consist of a 2-megawatt (AC) solar facility and a 4-megawatt lithium-based battery storage facility. The microgrid will provide a safe, cost-effective and reliable grid solution for serving the Hot Springs area.”

The 15-acre facility in Hot Springs — a town of an estimated 560 people — is the latest in Duke Energy’s Western Carolinas Modernization Project, which intends to produce renewable green energy for the region. Plans include closing a coal-fired power plant in Asheville in 2019.

Microgrid development, though clean, generally creates few jobs in the areas where they’re installed.

“The beauty of a microgrid is that it operates without much oversight,” says Randy Wheeless, a media relations contact for Duke Energy. “It may create some construction jobs early on.”

Wheeless explains that the energy provider operates a similar site in Smoky Mountains National Park, which he describes difficult to access. Such facilities are ideal for remote populations, but can be scaled to fit larger ones.

“At Camp Lejeune,” he says “the solar is already there; we’re working with them for something similar in the future — a large installation that could still have solar and battery. We do think we can upscale those.”

Duke Energy’s shares rose 96 cents, or 1.17 percent, to $83.21 in Wednesday trading.