Brian Murphy has left PrimeStar Solar. The company is developing cadmium-telluride solar panels and counts General Electric as a major investor.

Speaking at the Thin-Film Solar Summit in San Francisco Tuesday, Murphy said he completed his service last week. The three-year-old company in Arvada, Colo., hasn't announced a new chief executive, and Murphy is still listed as the company's CEO on the website.

Murphy told me that he left because the company is doing well, and it's not unusual for the CEO to move on at this point. He said he didn't leave on bad terms with GE.

"As you look at companies globally, when they achieve successful milestones, they often need different talents. PrimeStar has been successful, and it's time for somebody to lead the company to the next phase of growth," he said. 

GE became PrimeStar's majority shareholder last year. Since then, GE said it has grand plans for producing cadmium-telluride solar panels with the GE brand. Meanwhile, GE is shutting down its only solar panel factory in the United States, a facility to make crystalline silicon solar panels in Delaware.

Back in June this year, Murphy said PrimeStar was preparing to launch its first product by the end of this year. Murphy declined to say whether that was still the plan when I asked him about it Tuesday.

Murphy said he is looking for new opportunities in solar, particularly in the thin film segment. He previously founded Fulcrum Technologies, a project management company and counted Alcoa and ST Microelectronics among his customers. He also was a manager for the plasma display product line at Applied Films, which is now part of Applied Materials in Santa Clara, Calif.