Today our state is in a unique position to address America’s future energy needs from our own backyard. As with any new technology, there will be critics and some who, fearful of change, hold firm to the status quo. The president of a leading computer manufacturer in the ’70s said he could not see a need for computers in homes. The one gigabyte of free disk space that Google gives its G-mail users today would have cost $42 million in 1974.

Predicting the future is difficult, to say the least. To be successful we must remain open to opportunities, while aggressively pursuing multiple fronts and staying focused on our vision.

We have an abundance of hydrogen and fuel cell research and development capabilities, compared to most states and countries, already in place in the Midlands. The National Science Foundation selected the University of South Carolina to establish the nation’s only Industry/University Cooperative Research Center in fuel cell research. Its mission is to perform research with industry aimed at developing and commercializing the use of fuel cells. There are 15 corporate members of the center, and it is still growing.

We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to position Columbia as one of the capitals of fuel cell discovery. We can take a leadership role in this area that differentiates our city and establishes us on the international stage.

Achieving this goal will require that we continue working collaboratively with a focused plan. Through the dedicated and forward-looking leadership of Mayor Bob Coble, Columbia, USC, Richland County and private sector supporters, we have demonstrated the power of collaboration. Our Legislature, with the support of the business community, had the vision to set in place long-term initiatives that will serve as the foundation of the new economy infrastructure — the endowed chairs program, the Life Sciences Act, the research universities infrastructure act, the venture capital act and creation of the research university innovation centers.

Already things are beginning to change in Columbia. We are creating an environment that attracts, develops and retains talent while matching technology with the means for production. We have investment funds for new ventures available that were not here three years ago. We have begun a growing effort to build companies around discoveries coming out of our research projects. We are seeing the first of a new generation of start-up knowledge companies attract national attention. These changes are the first breaths of the new economy that will drive our city for the next 50 years.

Incorporating hydrogen technology into Columbia’s cityscape is in our near future. In less than five years, a fuel cell shuttle will run from the airport to the Horizon Center. USC’s innovation district, Innovista, should be a national showplace for fuel cell technologies, and the Horizon Center will be home to advanced research teams, preparing for the transition to mainstream commercialization. Midlands Technical College should be on its way to developing the nation’s premier fuel cell technician program.

By seeing these innovations at work, Columbia’s citizens will be able to “touch” hydrogen technology and recognize its importance to our economy’s future — all while establishing Columbia’s reputation as the definitive “fuel cell city.”

Billions of dollars are being invested across the world by companies and governments to lower the cost of these technologies and bring them to market in the next decade. In the United States, success is critical to establishing energy independence. A number of different sources can be used to extract hydrogen to power fuel cells and several are areas of strength for South Carolina. But we need to focus on the technology in which we already have a competitive advantage, and in Columbia that is fuel cells.

It is important to consider that success simply is not possible without risk and collaboration. The exact shape that the future energy economy will take is unknown and may change significantly in the next several years. Our Midlands-based organizations pledge to partner productively with the other outstanding assets that South Carolina has, including the Savannah River National Lab, the Center for Hydrogen Research, S.C. State and Clemson’s International Center for Automotive Research, to advance the state’s role as a worldwide leader in the commerce of energy.

What we all must agree upon is that to squander the economic development opportunity before us today because of inaction or lack of coordination is simply not acceptable.

Mr. Wilson is managing general partner of The Trelys Funds. Dr. Pastides is USC’s vice president for research. They are the founders of the Next Energy initiative.