Connecticut is leading the United States in producing and researching fuel cells, including the Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center at the University of Connecticut. The cells run on methanol, hydrogen and other fuels that are cheaper and more efficient than traditional forms of energy.

"The technology is here. It works. It's proven it works," said Jennifer Gangi, program director of Fuel Cells 2000, a Washington, D.C., group devoted to promoting the commercialization of fuel cells.

The technology isn't new, though. Apollo 11, the ship that took the first men to the moon, used fuel cells for power.

State Sen. Donald Williams, president pro tempore of the Senate, said fuel cells could lead to job growth and slow job loss in Connecticut. When Franklin Farms, a mushroom farm, announced in April it was closing, Williams suggested fuel cell technology could be one way to cut costs for businesses that require high amounts of energy to produce their products.

Most fuel cells use a chemical reaction to produce energy and give off heat and water as by-products.

That's how the fuel cells at Mohegan Sun work.

The casino uses two to produce 400 kilowatts of the 30 megawatts of power needed to run its facilities.

That could fuel up to 400 houses. One megawatt is equal to 1,000 kilowatts.The cells send the hot water that is produced to the restaurants and restrooms and the boiler system. The energy produced is cheaper and there is an energy savings in heating water in the boiler because it is already sent in hot.

Total savings is between $24,000 and $38,000 per month, according to Jean McInnis, environmental protections department administrator for the tribe.

The casino also saves $310,000 each year in payments to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The DEP planned to charge Mohegan Sun that much for elevated vehicle emissions from the hundreds of cars that visit the casino each day. But fuel cells emit less than other energy sources and that canceled out the vehicle emissions. McInnis said the cost savings and the ability to help the environment made the decision to install the cells a no-brainer.

Dan Webster, plant manager at the casino, said he has had no problems with the cells since they were installed in 2002.

"They run. They're reliable. We haven't had any hiccups yet," Webster said. "The only time they ever go down is for planned, routine maintenance."

Charlie Moret, managing director of marketing and communications at Connecticut Innovations, which administers the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, said using fuel cells would reduce harmful emissions from traditional power generation.

He said the state is requiring Connecticut power companies to contract for 100 megawatts, which could power about 100,000 houses, to add to the electrical grid by 2008.

But cost is a major problem.

The cells cost Mohegan Sun $2.8 million to install. A large casino would be able to make up that cost in the long run, but smaller businesses, schools or households couldn't afford the technology yet.

"The cost is probably the single largest barrier to widespread development," said Herb Healey, senior manager at United Technology in Hartford, which produced Mohegan Sun's fuel cells. "We certainly have a ways to go in the industry to make them a significant part of the generating capacity."

UConn's Global Fuel Cell Center is working on ways to bring the cost of fuel cells down and find practical uses for them.

Students work alongside researchers at the center, which opened in 2002 under a partnership with Connecticut Innovations and through grants from the state and federal governments.

The center's director, Ken Reifsnider, said researchers are working on ways to make fuel cells more efficient and smaller, so they can be used many ways, including powering cell phones, laptop computers, vehicles and households.

"We're going to find out over the next couple of years what it makes sense to use fuel cells in," Reifsnider said.

Durability is another unknown.

"We don't know how long they work," Reifsnider said. "There's every evidence they're going to last a long time."

Research Scientist Zhen Guo recently was working with a 1¼10-kilowatt fuel cell that runs on methanol. It powers a small fan. Similar technology could be used to develop cells for small portable devices, though they haven't been widely developed and aren't cost effective.

"As long as you add methanol, it will continue running," Guo said. "Last week it ran 200 hours."

While there have been huge steps in developing fuel cells, Reifsnider and others say the technology won't be in homes or vehicles anytime soon.

Gangi said she doesn't expect them in affordable vehicles until 2015.

And the cells that could run a single household still cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Right now, she said, they're primarily used for back-up power for places that cannot afford to lose energy, such as hospitals. But as the prices come down, they will soon make sense for businesses here.

Gangi said another concern for some is that hydrogen, which is highly flammable, is used as a fuel source in fuel cells. But she pointed out that gasoline also is flammable.

Williams said fuel cells could mean the difference between closing a manufacturing facility or keeping it open.

"It can help save jobs," Williams said. "Until we find alternative fuel that is safe and reliable, jobs will be reliant on fossil fuel prices."

Williams said the state needs to step up and help subsidize the cost of purchasing the cells so they can be used more often by businesses. Currently, the state has a $21 million grant program for renewable energy.

Reifsnider said motivation is also needed to make change.

"The only real reason to make change in this country is cost savings," he said. "There's no question it's the primary driver."

He said $3 per gallon for gasoline hasn't pushed enough people to cry out for change. But he expects those prices only to go higher and that, he said, will spur the need for renewable energy sources.

"Fuel cells are a path to a sustainable future. Gasoline is not a path to a sustainable future. In fact, it is not a path to the future at all," Reifsnider said.