As load growth and renewable energy integration continue to increase in distribution networks, utilities face growing challenges in reinforcing network infrastructure. Consequently, ESS and DR have been introduced as NWAs to mitigate distribution netw...
As load growth and renewable energy integration continue to increase in distribution networks, utilities face growing challenges in reinforcing network infrastructure. Consequently, ESS and DR have been introduced as NWAs to mitigate distribution network constraints. However, the economic contributions of different flexible resource configurations and operational strategies have not been systematically evaluated in distribution network planning. Therefore, this paper proposes a framework for evaluating the economic contributions of flexible resources by comparing ESS, DR, and mixed DR/ESS configurations with conventional distribution facility expansion strategies. Seasonal load growth and PV growth rates are considered to analyze overload mitigation performance and investment deferral effects under short-term and long-term operational scenarios. Simulation results show that DR-based configurations provide high economic benefits due to their low initial investment cost, while ESS-based configurations exhibit superior technical performance in mitigating long-duration overload conditions. In addition, the mixed DR/ESS configuration provides a balanced solution in terms of technical performance and economic feasibility. The proposed framework enables comparative evaluation of flexible resource configurations and can support economically efficient distribution network planning strategies.