Central receiver-based concentrated solar power plants part 1: A historical review

Central receiver-based systems in concentrated solar power (CR-CSP) have evolved significantly from their early beginnings with grid-connected plants in the early 80 s to a growing share of commercial deployments aiming to be competitive in the energy transition era. This paper presents a historical review of CR-CSP solar tower projects worldwide, emphasizing key technological milestones, deployment trends, and innovation phases from early demonstration plants to modern hybrid configurations at plant level. The major contributions of this paper are the graphical timeline of central receiver projects (visually mapping the emergence, decline, resurgence, and current standardization of CR-CSP systems), and the categorization of plants based on system configuration into four main categories considering: system configuration, heat transfer fluid, thermal energy storage method, and deployment model (stand-alone, co-location, and hybrid). To support the analysis, a dual-stream methodology was adopted, combining a literature-based review of historical development with a database-driven analysis of current and under-construction CR-CSP plants. The work contextualizes the evolution of CR-CSP technologies and identifies strategic directions for the future direction of the technology. The findings highlight the importance of technology standardization, modular design, and stakeholder collaboration in reducing costs, improving scalability, and supporting low-carbon energy goals, guiding future CR-CSP development. guiding future CR-CSP development. This paper forms Part 1 of a two-part series. Part 2: Components Categorization and Future Prospects builds on this foundation by analyzing subsystem technologies and innovation pathways to guide future R&D and deployment strategies.