In light of advancements in energy sources in remote areas of Jordan that occurred at the onset of the 21st century, it is crucial to explore how solar energy has been applied as one of the most vital innovative and renewable sources of energy. A 400 watt-peak solar photovoltaic (PV) stand-alone system with battery storage was created to generate an economical PV energy to supply electricity to remote areas that cannot be served by power grid because of long distances and high cost. This system was applied and assessed in terms of its socioeconomic effects between April and May 2016. The system is made up of eight 50 watt-peak 12-volt solar modules mounted on a metal frame. Seven houses and a school were each provided with a 400 Watt-peak system, and these systems are assessed to determine their social and economic practically. A survey regarding the socioeconomic effects of the systems was also given to users, the results of which indicated that, on average, the beneficiaries had increased time staying awake and later sleeping in the evening than when they used their old system and spent more time watching TV. Other information provided by participants showed that some users bought TVs, cassette players, washing machines and fans following the implementation of the solar system in their houses. Findings also indicated that they stopped using kerosene for lighting following their obtaining the solar system. With the exception of faults to the isolated battery and lamp manufacturing, no major issues or downsides were seen in using the designed solar system, according to the observations of participants who had used it. Assessment of the new system suggests that it has great effects on the socioeconomic situation, is easy to use, can be replicated, plays a huge role in improving living standards, heightens awareness of national issues via mass media exposure, enhances children's educational habits and generally enhances the rural way of life.

Due to long drought periods and over utilizing of range lands in the arid lands of Jordan, the land is degraded and lost most of its natural vegetation. To rehabilitate the natural vegetation cover, there is a need to enhance the fertility of soil to be able to support vegetation under limited amounts of rainfall. One of the available and viable options that might be able to provide a solution for the soil poverty is applying materials with high organic contents such as biosolid. Bio-solids are nutrient-rich organic materials from the treatment of domestic sewage in a wastewater treatment facility. Bio-solids are a beneficial resource, containing essential plant nutrients and organic matter and are recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. A pilot study is designed based on randomized block design in which five treatments are used to represent the loading rates of bio-solids application. These loads were 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 tons/ha with four replicates for the control and each application load. Samples from Bio-solid, soil and plants are tested for chemicals and microbes. Chemical tests include: As, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Hg, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn, while microbial tests include: total fecal Coliform, Salmonella, and Helminthes eggs. Results of total microbial count in bio-solids, soil and plant samples indicated that there were no detectable counts found in all of the experimental plots. Results showed increase in most of the heavy metals concentration in soil treated with bio-solids from that of soil in control plots; some of these elements doubled after applying the bio-solid. For the dry plant matter, analysis for heavy metals showed that most of the heavy metals studied were below the detection limit. Only the Cr, Cu and Zn are changed but not significantly compared with the control plot. Results obtained were showed that the highest dry biomass value was obtained with bio-solids loading rate 40 tons/ha and more. Increasing rate of application after 40 tons/ha did not show significant differences in the biomass yield. Also, the total nitrogen in the plants increased by 40% for all bio-solid application loads compared with the control lot.How to cite this paper: AlAyyash, S.M.,