San Diego Gas & Electric and BMC Software are working together as part of a coalition of more than 25 companies to convert the utility’s energy system into a digital smart grid that manages alternative energy sources such as solar and wind and accommodates the rapid adoption of electric vehicles.

SDG&E is using BMC’s Business Service Management platform to manage a high-rate of system changes in the data center and ensure continuous compliance to security policy, operational best practices and combined regulatory mandates.

BSM provides SDG&E with greater visibility into systems and network configurations, compliance and security controls. BSM will also automate changes to SDG&E’s IT environment to accommodate fluctuating demand and supply of renewable energy.

Once complete, SDG&E believes that the smart grid will incorporate all elements of the utility chain – renewable energy generation, advanced electric transmission and distribution technologies, and energy storage – to help turn customers into energy producers as well as consumers.

BMC Software helps SDG&E maintain system availability and improve data center security by controlling who can access servers and network devices, capture data, audit the environment and apply changes or deploy new software.

President Obama has dedicated more than $4.5 billion to smart grid development as part of his economic stimulus package to help reshape the nation’s energy policy. SDG&E, and the organizations working on the smart grid demonstration project, including BMC Software, is seeking $100 million of those funds to complete the smart grid.