With the construction of the new turbines about a quarter of P.E.I.'s electricity will come from wind. CBC

The Wind Energy Institute of Canada on P.E.I. is building a new wind farm to study how to use the electricity it generates when the wind is not blowing.

There are currently no commercial-scale storage solutions for wind energy operations, meaning the electricity must be used as it is generated.

The Institute is building a five-turbine, 10-MW wind farm near North Cape, and will test whether it can successfully store some of the electricity for future use.

Institute executive director Scott Harper told CBC News Wednesday the electricity from the wind farm will mean up to a quarter of P.E.I.'s total energy needs will be coming from wind.

"Ten megawatts in P.E.I. is relevant, because our load is so small. You put 10 megawatts on the grid in Ontario and it's noise, like it barely registers on the scale," said Harper.

"We can model things here really well, and easily and prove that they work, in Prince Edward Island."

Harper said the turbines will be operating by the end of the year and the wind storage portion of the project should be running by next summer.