Nwokobia got his first taste of the power of this real-time monitoring when the system first got up and running.

FORBES: How Lehman Brothers Overcame Its Wireless Fears

Because of the current lack of real-time monitoring and controls, system operators often insist that utilities run just 50% of the maximum load through their wires.

ECONOMIST: ENERGY: Building the energy internet | The

Sir Terry Leahy, Tesco's boss, said last year that the monitoring system had reduced waiting time for customers and helped to boost the firm's profits.

ECONOMIST: Retail surveillance

"He said it is necessary to build not only rest places, but first aid stations at starting, middle and final points of the courses, and establish an automatic cableway monitoring system for a real time watch so as to take measures to prevent accidents, " said the report.

CNN: SHARE THIS

Using advanced computational techniques capable of analyzing streaming data from sensors across the grid in near real-time enable more dynamic monitoring of the entire power system across large geographic areas, and offers the potential to reach even higher levels of performance and cost-effectiveness through improved situational awareness.

ENGADGET: IBM announces Smarter Energy Research Institute, aims to improve energy grids (video)

According to Miller, TurboTax maintains a very sophisticated monitoring system of its product in real time which means that they can see a problem as it happens.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

The first step would be to integrate a smart fridge into the overall energy system as it is the first appliance opened by most users and real-time monitoring of beer temperature increases satisfaction with the energy environment for 78% of all customers.

ECONOMIST: News report