Environment & Energy

I've heard that a large percentage of the world's silver, too, is now used in making solar panels. Reminds me of when the Manhattan Project commandeered the entire US stock of silver bullion, because copper was needed for the war effort - but the many tons of silver was returned, later, fully accounted for, with losses of only a few ounces.
Any possibility of graphite, or even more exotic superconductors, standing in for some of copper's functions? I know one of the three science Nobels awarded to New Zealanders was for work on conductive plastics. (The other two were for Maurice Wilkins, with Crick and Watson, for the DNA double helix, and Rutherford, for his work on the nucleus. Rather ironic, since the country has effectively banned both nuclear power and genetic engineering, for agriculture at least.)