Futurama

The advantage of the kites they demonstrate here is that they leave the deck of the boat much more free for cargo than traditional sails. There have been a few 'low footprint' wind power startups for shipping but from the purely financial perspective the lost cargo volume has never yet been worth the fuel savings. Using a kite that consumes no cargo capacity could actually help an eco-technology be adopted by these shipping companies if it helps their bottom line.