The increasing penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) in distribution systems may result in a number of technical problems such as over-voltage, overloading, maloperation of protection systems and power quality issues. One approach to address the above-mentioned issues is upgrading the distribution network, which is quite costly. The second approach is to limit the penetration of DERs to the hosting capacity (HC), which is defined as the maximum DER capacity that can be installed in a system without violating the operational constraints. Understanding this concept can assist utilities to ensure the reliable operation of the system. There have been different studies to identify the HC in a system. Nevertheless, the uncertainties associated with the DERs and loads have not been addressed properly in such studies. Besides, it is very difficult to quantify the findings of those studies and make general conclusions, as they were often based on specific networks, while their methods is time consuming in a big distribution network. Furthermore, the impact of voltage control schemes and emerging technologies, such as electric vehicles (EVs) and battery energy storage systems (BESSs) on the HC have not been studied, adequately. Thus, in this thesis, we propose a suitable HC assessment framework, as well as utilize some of the conventional and emerging resources to increase the HC.