Cadmium and tellurium specifically are used in the manufacture of thin-film solar panels. As it turns out, those kinds of panels are currently cheaper to manufacture than silicon panels on a $ per watt basis. Trouble is that they are not very efficient (and they don’t last as long), and so they aren’t especially well-suited for rooftops or anyplace where space is limited. Plus, cadmium is a carcinogen and so thin films present a disposal problem. Still, with silicon panels you have copper and very small amounts of silver to worry about, among other things. But look around- out built environment is vast. We aren’t running out of what is required. Plus I think in the long run it makes more sense to use resources that generate power for 50 years and then get recycled instead of endlessly burning mountains of fuel.
It is partly a myth that the solar industry runs on subsidies. Sure, Germany has credits and feed-in tariffs and so on, but at the same time those are in recognition of the fact that the costs of the current power generation regime aren’t properly accounted for. In California and the Southwest, in many locations solar panels produce power more cheaply than the utilities charge for it. The main issue is that solar generation requires an up-front investment. If big investors take on that risk, or if big companies lease the panels and handle the costs through long-term financing, there is money to be made right now. Luck isn’t really required. Where we’ll need luck is in preventing the right wing lunatic fringe from sabotaging the effort based on some conspiracy theory involving Socialism and government tyranny or some such nonsense.