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The constant innovation in technologies for generating electrical energy through the use of renewable resources has allowed them to become competitive with traditional technologies in recent years. This has made them a great option for large-scale systems. Currently, new photovoltaic technologies enable higher energy conversion efficiencies while reducing costs through the implementation of new materials, the latter being a key criterion for their subsequent large-scale deployment. This article presents a literature review on the technological evolution of photovoltaic solar generation, evaluating and analyzing only articles published between 2013 and 2023, using the PRISMA methodology (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). From a total of 307 articles identified in prestigious databases such as Science Direct, IEEEXplore, and Scopus, a subset of 12 scientific articles has been systematically selected and reviewed according to specific inclusion and exclusion criteria defined by the researchers. The synthesis of the content of the selected articles reveals that emerging technologies, such as multi-junction cells, perovskite cells, organic solar cells, and thin-film heterojunction cells, have achieved higher efficiencies than conventional solar cells and offer more competitive prices, facilitating the expansion of photovoltaic systems in multiple applications.
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