Coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) has been matter of renewed interest and study in the last decade: as a worrisome issue in every short bunch and/or high charge accelerator where CSR can jeopardize the ultimate performance, and on the positive side, as a powerful beam diagnostic tool and also as a ‘dream’ synchrotron radiation source with the potential for revolutionary performances in the THz frequency range. At the Advanced Light Source, we have dedicated a multi-year activity to the investigation of CSR in storage rings. A summary of the results achieved so far is presented as well as the example of IKNO, a proposal for a source optimized for the generation of CSR to be built in Sardegna, Italy.