The objective of this article is to identify the technological development of photovoltaic cells by the analysis of patents. The Derwent Innovations Index (DII) database of Thomson Derwent was used for this research. 22,682 patents were obtained. The results indicate that 1) the number of patents deposited on photovoltaic cells grows every year, 2) the main depositor countries are the United States, China, Japan, Germany and South Korea, 3) American and Japanese organizations stand out with the highest number of patent registrations, 4) the main areas of knowledge were Engineering, Instruments and Instrumentation, Energy and Fuels, Chemistry and Polymer Science, 5) the patents on photovoltaic cells are concentrated in the area of semiconductors for the conversion of solar radiation into electric energy, in the area of generators for the direct conversion of light energy into electric energy and in the area of solar panels adapted for roof structures and 6) there is a prominence of deposited patents for polymer-based photovoltaic cell technologies, carbon nanostructures, III-V compounds, cadmium telluride and amorphous silicon cells.