The energy balance of the Mata de caña, Cordoba, Colombia, is presented and the renewable energy potential is estimated. It is shown that only a rigorous approach to sustainability guarantees an impact on the economic development of the community, taking into account the sustainability criteria required by the Clean Development Mechanism. An energy model was developed to calculate the demand for irrigation, according to climatic, orographic and crop variables.
Key words: sustainable development, renewable energies, CDM, LULUCF.
