The UCLA team describes a new kind of polymer solar cell (PSC) that produces energy by absorbing mainly infrared light, not visible light, making the cells nearly 70% transparent to the human eye.
They then have nowhere to put all the light energy they are absorbing, and the resulting breakdown of biochemical pathways creates toxic oxygen-containing molecules known as free radicals.
The system has a guaranteed lifespan of 50 years and is endlessly sustainable--the underground temperature is determined mainly by the earth-absorbing solar energy.