Standardization of Hosting Capacity: A Comprehensive Review of Limiting Factors, Assessment Methods, Enhancement Strategies, and Standardization Gaps

Hosting capacity (HC) has become a key concept in planning and operating modern distribution networks to sustainably integrate distributed energy resources (DERs), including photovoltaic systems, wind generation, battery energy storage, and electric vehicles. However, the literature shows variation in HC definitions, assessment assumptions, limiting criteria, and reporting practices, complicating cross-study comparison and utility implementation. This paper examines HC from four interconnected perspectives: limiting factors and performance indices, assessment methods, enhancement strategies, and standardization efforts. The review examines the influence of voltage constraints, thermal loading, power quality, protection coordination, network topology, system inertia, regulatory requirements, and load diversity on HC. It compares major assessment approaches, including deterministic, stochastic, time-series, optimization-based, iterative, hybrid, data-driven, and artificial intelligence-based methods, highlighting their strengths, limitations, and suitable applications. The paper also reviews HC enhancement techniques for sustainable network capacity utilization, including network reinforcement, smart inverter control, demand-side flexibility, energy storage, and coordinated multi-layer control. Particular attention is given to emerging HC standardization and the gaps between formal standards and the research frontier, especially in probabilistic, dynamic, and real-time assessment. Overall, HC depends on binding network constraints, operating conditions, assumptions, and controls, while methodological and reporting gaps limit comparability and sustainable DER integration.