Great post. I have thought that with deployment domestic solar panels there should be standardised DC voltages for household appliances. Thinking about it, it is crazy to have almost every appliance require its own little transformer. If you have tried traveling with a laptop, video camera, digital camera, and mobile phone you will know what a hassle it can be.
One way to get standardisation would be to utilise the USB standard. Many small appliances connect to a USB port and recharge off it. Small appliances could standardise on the USB voltage. A larger voltage would be needed for more energy hungry non-recharging appliances.
DC power could also reduce the problem of devices draining power in stand-by mode as they would not need to transform AC power 24/7.
