Smart TVs are cheaper. As already mentioned in another response, just use a smart TV in dumb mode. You get the streaming providers to subsidize your purchase without you giving them any money.
Measuring efficiency of photovoltaic panels takes into account the maximum amount of energy that can be recovered for a given amount of sunlight (a theoretical max of about 1kw/m^2). So 20% efficiency implies that 20% of the total energy that hits a given area of panel is converted to electrical energy (the rest is presumably reflected off or converted to heat). Whether the area is 2 or 3 dimensional is irrelevant; any upper layer will necessarily result in diminished energy passed to the lower layers.
Solar panels have already hit above 20% efficiency. 60 times that would mean 1200% efficient. I'm no thermodynamics expert, but I'm pretty sure that's impossible.
It's worth noting that the story was for mask mandates, not masks in general. I'm reasonably certain that the science still says that masks can be effective in preventing the spread of Covid.