wondering the same thing about light penetration??

not very much, this is the same stuff they use in building lighting fixtures and such, the light shines straight through it as the holes are fairly large. It will cut down on some light but i dont think much.

You can buy plastic mesh screen from HD, which will have a very minimal effect on light. You can also buy universal aluminum screen door frame that can be cut to any size to create a frame for the mesh.