With such activity already under way nearby, there's no reason Eastern Connecticut should not be sniffing about for our piece of the action.

For example, Norwich officials should be considering tax incentives, identifying land in the business park or a deal for a closed factory or brownfield property. The city ought to be able to entice such an industry here.

In the business park, a parcel recently rejected for condominiums could well be the site of scientific research labs. Daticon, a provider of legal support services, in the business park, changed ownership last year and may not be with us long-term; let's investigate its plans and act accordingly.

With all that is taking place hereabouts -- two casinos, the incipient Utopia projeect, Norwich on the cusp of dramatic transformation -- this is the most exciting area of Connecticut, arguably of all New England, even the Northeast.

Fuel cell technology is not complicated and has been in use about 40 years.

Here, in a nutshell, is what fuel cells are all about:

Alkaline-powered fuel cells provided electricity and drinking water for the crew of Apollo 11 who visited the Moon in 1969.

Fuel cells can be powered by several sources: phosphoric acid, solid oxide, methanol, ethanol, gasoline and more. NASA, among others worldwide, is exploring regenerative fuel cells. They could become popular as closed-loop power generators. A solar-powered electrolyser separates water into hydrogen and oxygen, which, in the cell, generates electricity.

Fuel cells operate like batteries, although they don't lose power and need not be recharged. They produce energy and heat as long as fuel is supplied.

And energy production is caused by chemical reaction -- not combustion. That makes them very attractive in this age of global warming.

Like batteries, fuel cells can be hooked up in series and power output increases proportionally to the added cells.

This is clean technology, and scientific researchers are well paid. If there is a downside to it, it's not readily identifiable.

Fuel cells are in use all over the place, and proponents say it's just a matter of time before they will power devices as disparate as cell phones and automobiles. Fuel cells designed for residential use -- with a power output of 5 kilowatts -- are about the size of a small car. So, it's anyone's guess when fuel cells will be so refined and miniaturized that they will accommodate cell phones, but practical installation in production automobiles is said to be just a decade away.

The day of the gasoline-powered internal-combustion engine is fading fast. In fact, if gasoline-powered vehicles were invented yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency, among others, likely would not tolerate internal combustion for vehicular travel.

When a motorist visits the gasoline pump and fills the tank, the motorist thinks "20 gallons of fuel," while the disinterested observer might think, "130 pounds of high explosive."

Fully 19 countries use fuel cells as the partial power source for hospitals, office buildings, schools, power plants and other applications.

Nearby, Mohegan Sun uses fuel cells to augment its electricity and hot-water needs. The casino has two fuel cells that produce 400 kilowatts of the 30 megawatts needed to power its diverse functions.

In producing energy, most fuel cells give off water as their waste product, and the energy is produced cheaply. Those are very attractive advantages, but the darn things are big for the function they perform, and they are pricey.

The two in use at the Sun were built by United Technologies. With installation, the cost was $2.8 million.

Given all the advantages of fuel cells -- water as byproduct, chemical reaction as power, multiple fuel sources -- widespread use would seem a no-brainer. But issues such as size, price and a refueling infrastructure must be figured out.

We advocate science teachers discussing fuel cells in their classes to educate the next generation about what the state is doing and how the cells have the potential to change their lives.

Fuel-cell energy production remains more costly than combustion. With all their advantages over combustion, the popularity and use of fuel cells is directly proportional to their cost. Economics separates fuel cells from widespread use.

Last year's base realignment and closure round nearly snatched away the U.S. submarine base at Groton and threw a fright into the region and the state. We have got to act before the Pentagon's next BRAC round successfully targets the sub base, and sub builder Electric Boat has no reason to stay.

Such a development would cost the state more than 30,000 jobs and $3 billion in annual economic activity.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Norwich -- and/or other Eastern Connecticut communities -- should set about attracting this industry. And quickly.