def get_total(lines):
    """
    This function takes in a list of lines and returns
    a single float value that is the total of a particular
    variable for a given year and tech.

    Parameters:
    -----------
    lines : list
        This is a list of datalines that we want to total.

    Returns:
    --------
    total : float
        This is the sum total from the data lines.
    """
    total = 0.0
    for line in lines:
        data_sep = line.split()
        total += float(data_sep[0])

    return total