We did our best to fact check our estimates and calculations. It took a long time. We’re not scientists, we’re citizens and writers. But we would love your input into this if there is a particular statistic that you think needs serious adjustment…
• Increase in energy consumption in Spain since 1990: 66%
• Largest source of that increase: transportation
• Price of a liter of gasoline in Barcelona: 1.40 euros
• Distance from Barcelona to the beaches of Sitges: 40 km
• Fuel efficiency of a Seat Ibiza: 13.7 km per liter
• Cost of gas to drive to Sitges: 4.09 euros
• Cost of gas to drive to Paris: 102 euros
• Main cause of global warming by humans: carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from burning oil, gas and coal
• CO2 released on a drive to Paris: 154 kg
• CO2 released per passenger on a flight to Paris: 100 kg
• CO2 absorbed from the atmosphere by one adult tree in a year: 12.5 kg
• Time it takes eight trees to absorb one Paris flight’s worth of CO2: 1 year
• Approximate time it took for that flight to Paris: 1.5 hours
• Cost of a kilowatt hour of electrical power from Endesa (with taxes): 0.17 euros
• Source of Spanish electricity in 2010: burning oil, gas and coal (87%)
• Main sources of Spanish energy supplies: Algeria & Nigeria
• Amount of energy from renewable sources in Spain in 2010: 13%
• Average CO2 emissions per kilowatt hour from electricity and heat generation : 0.39 kg
• Cost of running a large fan for 10 hours a day: 5 euros per month
• CO2 released into the atmosphere by that fan: 12.9 kg per month
• Number of trees you should plant per month you run your fan: 1 – 2
• Cost of cooling a 100m2 store or office with an air conditioner per month: 210 euros
• CO2 released into the atmosphere by that central air conditioner: 487.5 kg per month
• Number of fans you could run for the same cost: 42
• Hours per year of sunshine in Barcelona: 2500
• Daily power of this sunshine: 5.5 kWh/m2
• Hours you could run a 60W light bulb from the sun that hits a cafe table: 91,7
• Hours you could run a fluorescent light bulb from the sun that hits a cafe table: 550
• Conservative estimate of the rooftop area of an average block in l’Eixample: 2,549 m2
• Solar power hitting the roofs on one block in l’Eixample: 14,019 kWh/day
• Average power I use in my apartment every month (according to Endesa): 271 kWh
• Number of years I could power my apartment using one day of sun from my block’s roof: 4.3
• Average number of buildings on a block in l’Eixample: 25
• Average number of apartments in a building in l’Eixample: 30
• Average number of apartments on an Eixample block: 750
• Number of apartments that could be powered by sun from the block’s roof per month: 1,582
• Average efficiency of silicon solar panels: 15%
• Total number of apartments that could be powered, given average efficiency: 237
• Total number of apartments that could be powered, given average efficiency and space for sheds and laundry lines on the roof: 116
• Cost of cooking a 2 kg beef roast for 4 hours at 175°: 1.36 euros
• Kg of CO2 released into the atmosphere by that roasting: 3.12
• Kg of CO2 released by raising one cow on a feedlot: 5,400
• Minimum number of trees you should plant after serving beef to eight people at a dinner party: 2
• Number of dinner parties you could have before having to plant those trees if you serve lentils: 26
• Bon profit.