The current global epidemic and population growth, which led to an increase in energy consumption, highlighted the need to maximize solar energy extraction. Because nanofluids have good intrinsic thermal properties, they are employed to improve the effectiveness of solar collectors. One of the primary research themes in solar energy consumption is to boost the effectiveness of the harvesting technologies. Thus, it is essential to examine the performance of solar energy harvesting devices based on nano fluids. Therefore, it is crucial to look at how well nanofluid-based solar energy production systems work. The article includes information on how various properties can be changed to efficiently harvest solar energy, as well as a summary of recent advancements in nanofluid-based solar energy extraction devices. From this review, it is observed that 85.4% enhancement in solar collector utilizing graphite as TES material, 38.4% enhancement in solar water heater using CuO nanofluid, 84.74% enhancement in thermal efficiency of PV/T system using NEPCM and 196% gain in exergy efficiency of solar still using Ag nanofluid.