The chief goal of this survey is about comprehensively examine a photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) system
with a sheet-and-sinusoidal serpentine tube collector (PVT-S) experimentally from the perspective of
energy, exergy and entropy generation. The results are compared with those of the PV module deprived
of cooling and the PVT unit accompanied by a sheet-and-plain serpentine pipe collector (PVT-P). A water
based nanofluid (NF) containing magnetite nanoadditives is considered as a coolant. The effects of
volume concentration of nanoadditives (f), NF mass flow rate (m_ nf ), amplitude of the sinusoidal
serpentine tube (a), and wavelength of the sinusoidal serpentine tube (w) on the performance metrics of
the PVT unit are considered. The outcomes declared that the combined use of sinusoidal serpentine tube
and NF leads to augmentation of energetic and exergetic performances of the PVT unit. According to the
results, the first-law thermal, electrical and overall efficiencies of the PVT-S unit are 20.67e30.63%, 1.94
e2.32% and 8.83e18.28% bigger than those of the PVT-P unit, respectively. In addition, the second-law
thermal, electrical and overall efficiencies of the PVT-S unit are 10.56e26.68%, 1.94e2.32% and 2.44
e4.57% greater than those of the PVT-P unit, respectively. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the increase
of f and m_ nf and the decrease of w result in an increment of performance features of the studied
PVT units. Furthermore, it was found that among the entire the items considered in the survey, the best
energetic and exergetic performances and the lowest entropy generation rate belongs to the NF-based
PVT-S unit at f ¼ 2%, m_ nf ¼ 80 kg/h, a ¼ 5 mm and w ¼ 60 mm.