Abstract: Aiming to enhance profits of the energy storage (ES) configuration for incremental power distribution systems, this paper proposed an ES planning method based on the intellectual generating method of operational strategies. First, the types of available revenues and corresponding operational constraints were analyzed. By establishing models of ES costs and revenues, the profit ranking of different revenues could be obtained. Based on the annual and daily load characteristics, as well as the principle of preferentially obtaining high returns, an intellectual generating method of operational strategies was proposed. Then, an ES planning model for incremental distribution systems was established considering the decline of ES capacity in the discharge process. The proposed model can be used to maximize the economic profits with the annual simulation based on the proposed intellectual generating method of operational strategies. The differential evolution algorithm was adopted to solve the problem. Case studies show that the proposed planning method can effectively improve comprehensive profits of ES configuration. And the profits of improving system reliability are great when the system is under lower redundancy. The research results can provide a useful reference for ES configuration in the incremental distribution network systems.