This paper deals with the design of a single glazed flat plate Photovoltaic Thermal (PV-T) solar collector. First, the thermal and electrical performances of several single glazed flat plate PV-T concepts based on water circulation are investigated, using a simple 2D thermal model, then different ways of improvement are presented. It mainly consists in focusing on the heat transfer between PV cells and fluid, and also on the optical properties of materials. Thus, the most appropriate concept configuration has been identified and suitable material properties have been selected. A prototype collector has been designed, built and tested. A high thermal efficiency was reached at zero reduced temperature. For this level of thermal efficiency, the corresponding electrical efficiency has is lower than efficiency of a standard PV panel using the same technology. However, this solar PV-T collector is reaching, in these standard conditions, the highest efficiency level reported in the literature. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.