Jordan imports 94% of its oil and gas (fossil fuels) to meet its energy needs, leaving it vulnerable to variations in fuel price. Jordan's demand for energy is growing at a rate of 3% annually. In response, the government set a target of obtaining 10% of its energy needs from renewable energy resources by increasing electricity generation share from the present 1.13 GW-1.8 GW by 2020. The sources of generation include abundant solar, wind, and biomass resources, which also enhance economic growth and reduce pollution. This article analyzed the current energy situation in Jordan and assessed the available renewable energy resources potential for direct investments. The actual contribution of clean energy is still moderate at roughly 7% of total energy demand, despite the efforts placed on the development of alternative energy resources. The national electricity supply and demand are presented, and the government initiatives, financial incentives, and tax exemptions to encourage investments in clean energy are also discussed. The renewable energy policy generates future opportunities for investors with an ambitious $20 billion energy plans as does its strategy to improve energy efficiency. This article will benefit interested clean energy investors and developers and plans for 2,000 MW investments in wind and solar energy are ready for bidders. Such an endeavor and model will also benefit neighboring countries in the region.

Cultivation of olive trees and olive oil production have been considered as a legacy for the Mediterranean region. This custom represents a very important benefit for many nations in terms of wealth and health. However, huge amounts of by-products and waste are generated during olive oil production. This represents a serious environmental impact on land and water bodies if not properly handled. Olive oil extraction generates two waste streams, a solid waste called pomace and olive mill wastewater (OMWW), which has been considered as highly pollutant and phytotoxic waste. These wastes have high disposal costs and predominantly generated from small-scale enterprises that have limited financial resources to treat them properly before discharge to the environment. Besides being a serious environmental problem, OMWW has potential economic value that remains to be utilized such as: fertilizers, valuable antioxidants agents and fatty acids needed in human diet. Also, Olive pomace is a valuable renewable energy source with an energy density of 23 MJ/kg and has become an inexpensive alternative for fossil fuels. Aiming at adding value to the olive production sectors and potential valorization options for byproducts in the MENA region, international practices applied in olive mills wastes management’s and treatment methods used in major oil producing countries are presented.

Olive mill wastewaters (OMWWs) are a significant source of environmental pollution, especially in important olive oil producing countries such as Spain, Greece, Syria, Jordan and other countries in the Mediterranean. Due to cost issue no treatments plants are currently available at the mills; therefore, OMWW is normally discharged into the environment causing serious environmental problems such as: coloring and pollution of surface and ground waters, soil surface, and foul odors problems. Approximately 209,000 tons of olives have been processed in Jordan in 2017, which generated 175,000 m³ of OMWWs. They generated rougly 3,069 tons of BOD₅, 7,956 tons of COD, 149 tons of residual olive oil, 2.07 tons of phenols, 3,753 ton total suspended solids and 4.2 ton of phosphorous. The OMWW is rich in organic matter expressed as BOD₅ and COD with COD/BOD₅ of 2.6 indicated that OMWWs is not suitable for biological treatment and therefore must be treated before discharge to the environment or sewer system. Cleaner production options and proper environmental waste management systems at the mills are needed to reduce their environmental impact. This may include the adoption of the two-phase mills to reduce water use to less than half the quantities used in traditional and three phases mills.

Soil amendment with olive cake produced from olive mills waste (olive pomace/cake) is an ordinary practice in olive producing countries in the Middle East. It is used to improve soil physical and chemical properties as well as cheep waste management approach. But, the olive cake contains small percentage of residual oil which may affect water holding capacity of soil and penetration rate in agricultural lands. The data provided in this article shows the influence of adding olive pomace to clay and sand clay soils in terms of water holding capacity (WHC), penetration depth and accumulate intake.