# Towards Flexible Distribution Systems: Future Adaptive Management Schemes
## 2 Evolution of Flexible Distribution System
### Three-Stage Evolution Path toward Flexible and Digitalized Electricity Distribution Systems  
The achievement of future visions [1,3] and the evolution to a flexible electricity distribution system (Figure 2) is divided in this paper into three stages (Table 1). During the evolution, different types of new management [20,21] and market schemes [15,22,23,24] are needed in order to enable large-scale use of LV and MV network-connected customer flexibilities. The new structures have to be compatible with each other in all evolution stages and act as enablers of the evolution together with new regulation and operation/planning principles.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c c} \hline
**Development** & **Stage 1** & **Stage 2** & **Stage 3** \\
**Stage/Level of** & **(Today/Short-Term)** & **(Short/Mid-Term)** & **(Mid-/Long-Term)** \\ \hline (1) Amount of controllable flexibilities & -/+ & ++/+++ & +++ \\ (2) Accurate forecasting (weather, flexibility, prices, etc. and multi-timescale: real-time, 15 min, hour, day, week, month, year) & + & ++/++ & +++ \\ (3) ISO flexibility needs (\(\Rightarrow\)new marketplaces and schemes needed, see 7) & +/- & ++/+ & ++/++ \\ (4) DSO flexibility needs in distribution networks (e.g., for congestion management, voltage control, etc.) & +/- & ++/+ & ++/++ \\ (5) Required TSO-DSO coordination & - & + & ++/++ \\ (6) Coupling between different energy sectors & - & + & ++/++ \\ (7) New market schemes (e.g., local peer-to-peer energy markets and flexibility markets for small-scale flexibilities) and & +/++ & ++/++ & +++ \\ products/solutions/services fulfilling individual customer needs & (based on use of AI and data analytics) & & ++ \\ (8) Regulation development (related to flexibilities (e.g., BESSs) use/taxation, energy communities, sector coupling, new market schemes, etc.) use/taxation, energy communities, and new market schemes & - & ++ & +++ \\ (9) Number of different type of energy communities and microgrids & - & +/++ & ++/+++ \\ (10) Adaptive control and management methods & + & ++ & +++ \\ (11) Accurate monitoring of distribution networks (i.e., number of measurements from MV and LV networks for real-time network state knowledge) & - & + & ++ \\ (12) Advanced ICT-based protection and control solutions & - & + & ++ \\ (13) Operation and planning principles based on flexibilities use & -/+ & ++ & +++ \\ and resiliency maximization & + & ++ & ++ \\ (14) Resiliency & + & ++ & ++ \\ \hline (very low/low), + (small/medium), ++ (medium/high), ++ (high/very high). & - (very low/low), + (small/medium), ++ (medium/high), ++ (high/very high).  
The evolution stages are dependent on different issues (1-14) and dependencies between them as well as on the level of the existence/deployment of these matters (Tables 1 and 2 and Figure 3). In this paper, the focus is on the evolution and development of adaptive control and management methods. Therefore, in Table 2, the potential evolution of (10) adaptive control and management methods, (11) accurate monitoring of distribution networks, and (12) advanced ICT-based protection and control solutions during stages 1-3 (see Table 1) is described as an example with more details.  
Figure 2: Future flexible and digitalized electricity distribution system.