The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday approved plans to move forward with wind and solar energy projects at the Water Pollution Control Facility.

The Selectmen reviewed two projects -- one featuring a wind turbine and the second featuring solar energy fields -- presented by Water Pollution Control Facility Director Guy Campinha and representatives from consulting firms involved with the projects.

An analysis of data found that the winds are strong enough in the area of the sewer plant to support a wind turbine, explained representatives from Atlantic Design Engineers, the firm that conducted the study.

The study was funded with a nearly $40,000 grant provided by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, Campinha said.

About half of that funding paid for the set up of a meteorological tower at the plant, which provided data to determine wind strength and speed.

Recently, Campinha explained, the Clean Energy Center has expressed doubt about Wareham's willingness to commit to building wind turbines.

The Clean Energy Center decided that "because of the climate in Wareham [the Center] shouldn't continue to spend money" in the town, Campinha said.

The Selectmen were mostly supportive on Tuesday, however, voting 3-1 to allow Campinha to use the remaining Clean Energy Center funding to complete the study.

Selectman Ellen Begley was opposed, citing concerns about the health effects and the noise levels associated with wind turbines. Campinha said after the meeting that those types of issues are taken into consideration when completing the final feasibility study.

Representatives from Siemens were also on-hand to discuss the possibility of setting up solar panels in at least three fields at the sewer plant.

The fields are empty because they were formerly used to store sludge leftover from the water treatment process before the sewer plant upgraded to modern processes that make the storage areas obsolete, Campinha said.

Daniel Smith of Siemens said that installing the ground solar panels could generate 1.3 megawatts per year.

The wind turbine could generate about 1.6 megawatts per year, Campinha said.

Smith explained that one way to build the solar panels is to hire a private company to build them and then purchase the energy from that company at a cheaper rate than it is currently purchased from utility companies.

Smith mentioned a few communities where installation of solar panels resulted in significant cost savings.

The Selectmen voted 3-1 to create a proposal inviting companies to bid on the project by June 1.

Selectman Cara Winslow voted in opposition, noting that the town was informed during a previous discussion with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources that energy-saving strategies resulted in greater cost savings when many projects are done at once in a town.

Selectmen Chair Steve Holmes noted that if the sewer plant waited for other town facilities to join it, the project might never get off the ground.

"We're not going to hold things up," Holmes said. "We need to start moving things in a direction.

In other town business:

Selectmen-elect Peter Teitelbaum expressed hope that the legislation filed by the governor's office to authorize his recent election to the Board of Selectmen will be completed by next week's Selectmen meeting.

Teitelbaum said that the bill is currently in the hands of the state legislature's Joint Committee on Election Laws and is awaiting approval by the Senate.

Teitelbaum was elected to former Selectmen Michael Schneider's resigned post. Schneider resigned too late for his seat to easily be added to the election ballot, forcing the Board of Selectmen to seek special legislation.

Town Moderator Claire Smith said that anyone desiring to give handouts at Town Meeting must get them approved by the town as soon as possible.

Smith said though deadline for getting approval has passed the town is still accepting late applicants who get the handouts in immediately.

The Board approved the use of town roads for the Multiple Sclerosis Cape Cod Getaway, a bike ride and fundraiser for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, on June 23 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Board appointed Joseph Leggett as an associate member of the Conservation Commission to a term to expire on June 30, 2012.