Seville is a flamboyant city - famous worldwide for its culture, monuments, traditions, and artistic heritage.

And did you know that Flamenco originally comes from Seville too?

But above all, the Spanish city that is famous for its oranges decided to go green and use this exact fruit to generate electricity.

Oranges Are Not Ordinary Fruit

Sevilla oranges are everything besides just some ordinary fruit. They are a true trademark that represents this southern Spanish city.

When spring comes to town, the fresh air lies thick with the smell of orange blossoms. During this season, Seville drowns in its most beautiful appearance.

But like any city in the world, there are some significant things that non-residents are unaware of.

Many of the 5.7 million kilograms (11.4 million pounds) of oranges from the city's 50,000 bitter orange trees end up wasted. They are often found squished and decaying on the city sidewalks.

In times like those, flies enjoy their feаst and swarm around these piles of gluey fermenting oranges. The rest of them get mushed in between flagstones by passing cars.

On the other hand, the whole situation is a real headache for the city's sanitation department.

Luckily, they are ready to change all of it, by taking one step at a time.

A New Beginning

Emasesa is the company that controls a large market share of Seville's water and sewage treatment needs.

Recently, they have decided to take all that orange juice, and turn it into a different sort of juice.

A press release from the company's website claims:

"Emasesa is promoting a pilot project at the Copero wastewater treatment plant for the second consecutive year to generate clean energy thanks to the juice of bitter oranges from the streets of the city."

For instance, it is a well-known fact that the juice of bitter oranges is rich in fructose. It means that it consists of very short carbon chains. This additionally causes the fermentation process to run hot.

Here lies the key that offers a smart solution. The juice would generate enough power to run five homes for a day on just one ton of oranges!

The rest of the orange that is left is turned into compost to regenerate the soil in local fields.

Even Small Steps Count

The team that stands behind this project hopes for the best.

Moreover, they believe that there is a way to use the city's oranges smarter.

Most importantly, it would be a start if oranges that weren't exported to Britain for marmalade manufacturing were sent into the methane electric plants instead.

Doing this, nearly 73,000 homes in Seville would receive green, or perhaps orange, power during the harvest season.

Spain has launched a plan to switch its electricity system entirely to renewable sources by 2050 and fully decarbonize its economy.

In other words, even small steps often lead to giant leaps. Go Spain!