Yttrium (Y)-doped titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles have been identified as promising photoanode sources for improving solar cell efficiency due to favorable electronic properties and defect chemistry tunability. This review evaluates the recent literature on Y-doped TiO₂ for use in photovoltaic devices, which focuses particularly on green synthesis methods and the resultant impact on structural, optical, and electronic properties. Y-doping in TiO₂ nanoparticles has been the subject of many studies in the context of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and perovskite solar cells (PSCs), but relatively few DSSC studies have applied significant green synthesis principles. Of the literature surveyed, there is only one study that assessed Y doping in TiO₂ while also applying green synthesis principles and measuring device efficiency, and this represents a significant gap in the literature. In recognizing this gap, we have described green synthesis methods that we have categorized as plant extract-based, microbial, and eco-friendly solvothermal, but from literature that employs different dopants or metal oxides. When compared using the same photovoltaic parameters, it is found that the addition of Y to TiO₂ nanomaterials typically has a positive effect on the solar energy conversion efficiency, particularly when exhibiting a combination of desirable morphology and surface chemistry. However, this review reveals that high efficiency devices reported in the literature have only focused on conventional chemical methods, and that material performance about solar energy conversion efficiency is not well connected to principles of sustainability. We recommend more sustainable synthesis in future studies that would lead to less harmful methods of producing materials for future generations.