The solar pyrolysis of materials has emerged as a promising technology for their efficient conversion into solid char, syngas and oil. The technology has its challenges, however, as constraints such as solar intermittence and scalability must be overcame for solar pyrolysis to thrive. The present work presents a review of the developments in solar pyrolysis considering a such as development by country, solar technology employed, etcetera. Moreover, details on the challenges and potential future developments are presented. It was found that most of the development in solar pyrolysis has been focused on waste-handling, and that a particular challenge exists in an adequate control system to achieve the desired end products.