[Animats]

The author seems very confused about whether they're talking about the grid or devices.

Which is surprising, given his background, a degree in electrical engineering and jobs with power companies.[1]

This may be an argument for using more DC-DC converters and fewer transformers. The classic problem with shipping DC around is that voltage conversion is expensive. DC-DC converters have improved a lot. This article may be a dumbed-down version of that argument.

A nice thing about large transformers is that those big hunks of copper and iron have a lifespan of 30 to 75 years. Replace those with a DC-DC converter, and it will probably have semiconductor lifespan problems. Plus someone will add on a data connection, firmware updates, a web server, and an antivirus program.

[1] https://grid.pitt.edu/people/gregory-f-reed