I've been thinking for the last few years that ships moved tons of goods using just the wind for centuries, and that nowadays, autonomous schooners that cross t

I've been thinking for the last few years that ships moved tons of goods using just the wind for centuries, and that nowadays, autonomous schooners that cross the ocean are more of a basic engineering challenge that would require no miracles. Further, these schooners could probably be fully or mostly solar-powered - if it's wind that moves them, their operation basically means running some motors and such to adjust the sails. Which is to say, with some adjustments in our expectations of speed and a concerted effort of building the new system, there is no reason not to think that global trade could continue indefinitely without relying on oil. No reason, that is, other than pirates, which is the one problem I have not solved in my daydreams about these ships of the future. The one essential ingredient for such a vision, is a world in which humans do not, or at least rarely, steal. So this is not so much a counter to the article, as a lament. Humans can accomplish a lot with some effort, and they can prevent good things with even less effort, sadly...