Novel sensitivity-based evaluation of life cycle conversion efficiency in building integrated semitransparent PVT systems for cold climate applications

This paper evaluates the total energy output, including thermal energy, thermal exergy, electrical energy, and daylight savings from a semitransparent photovoltaic thermal air collector integrated into the south facing roof of a building in series connection. System viability is assessed using energy performance metrics, including energy payback time, energy production factor, and life cycle conversion efficiency (LCCE). The system demonstrated an LCCE of 0.82, highlighting its sustainability and energy efficiency. A sensitivity analysis is conducted for key design parameters, such as the number of clear days, module area, and air mass flow rate, to check the robustness of the model. The results show that system performance is highly sensitive to variations in the number of clear days and mass flow rate of air, emphasizing their importance for design optimization. The results are validated against experimental trends from the literature.