Headquartered in Irvine, California, VIASPACE has quickly gained a reputation as a clean energy company that provides products and technology for renewable and alternative energy designed to reduce or eliminate dependence on fossil and high-pollutant energy sources. Today, VIASPACE announced it has appointed a large shareholder to its Board of Directors.

VIASPACE, known for growing Giant King Grass, a low-carbon, renewable biomass dedicated energy crop, appointed Dr. Kevin L. Schewe to the company’s Board of Directors at a board meeting that was held on January 19, 2012. Dr. Schewe is a Board-Certified Radiation Oncologist and a Fellow of the American College of Radiation Oncology. He possesses over 25 years of successful practice in the fight against cancer.

Dr. Schewe currently serves as the Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at the Red Rocks Medical Center in Golden Colorado and also at the Thornton Cancer Center Department of Radiation Oncology in Thornton, Colorado. Dr. Schewe is a co-owner of these centers and is renowned for his development of a premium line of skin care and cosmetic products that help to naturally heal, protect and repair not only the damaged skin of cancer patients, but also to individuals who have experienced skin damage resulting from an array of other factors.

Dr. Schewe commented on his appointment by stating, “I am excited and honored to be elected to the VIASPACE Board of Directors. I firmly believe that VIASPACE has a ‘game-changing’ product with Giant King Grass and its numerous bioenergy and biochemical applications. In addition, I believe that Giant King Grass is beautifully a global product–meaning VIASPACE has the absolute potential to undertake what I’ve always dreamed of from a business perspective—an ‘instantaneous global roll-out.’ There are many geographic points on the globe that are primed and ready to go forward in a significant way with a renewable bioenergy product like Giant King Grass and we are now poised to take advantage of this ‘perfect timing.’”

Dr. Carl Kukkonen, VIASPACE CEO added, “I have been in communication with Dr. Schewe for over a year, and was very impressed with his enthusiasm, knowledge and commitment to VIASPACE. I introduced Dr. Schewe to board members and I am delighted that he was elected to the board and that he accepted.”

Currently, VIASPACE is trading in the $0.01 range. To learn more about the company as a whole, visit its corporate website at www.viaspace.com

Let us hear your thoughts below:

VIASPACE, Inc., a clean energy company providing products and technology for renewable and alternative energy that reduce or eliminate dependence on fossil and high-pollutant energy sources, and its subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy, Inc. today announced the company has taken the first steps with Seema Energy of Thailand to test and cultivate Giant King Grass as a fuel to run a large biomass power project in Asia. Giant King Grass has successfully been grown in China, but this agreement will allow for the supply of seedlings and the testing facility needed to see if it can be cultivated under Thai climate conditions.

“This is a landmark agreement for VIASPACE to support the largest biomass power project being developed in Asia. Thailand is implementing a new Feed-In Tariff as foreshadowed in the Cabinet announcement last summer and we expect this to extend to support energy crop projects. The agreement with Seema Energy provides a platform for significant growth for VIASPACE in Thailand and South East Asia,” said Dr. Carl Kukkonen, CEO of VIASPACE in a press release on Monday.

Seema Energy’s project is one of the first 90 MW dedicated energy biomass projects in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand and it will use up to 930,000 tonnes of Giant King Grass to supply electricity to the Thai Grid. Seema Energy is working with contractors and suppliers with experience in biomass projects. The project should achieve financing by 2012 and begin commercial operation in 2014. The Thai government has made renewable energy projects like this a priority as it strives to use domestically developed and grown energy sources to protect it from the volatile conventional energy commodities such as gas and coal.

“This is also an important project for Thailand,” said Pongchat Limvichit, Director, Seema Energy in the press release, “It paves the way for Thailand to access a domestically developed and grown energy source and provide an energy hedge against increasingly volatile conventional energy commodities such as gas and coal. This is especially important for Thailand which faces difficulties in developing conventional energy projects – in particular coal-fired power plants.”

For more information, visit www.VIASPACE.com or www.VIASPACEGreenEnergy.com

Let us hear your thoughts below:

VIASPACE Inc. and its renewable energy subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc. announced this morning that their Green Log™ brand fireplace and campfire logs were exhibited at the National Hardware Show held in Las Vegas, Nevada over the weekend. The National Hardware Show is an annual gathering of buyers and sellers in specialties such as hardware tools, lawn and garden, and outdoor living. Many of the major players in the fire log industry also had exhibits at the show.

Chief Executive Carl Kukkonen stated, “The Green Log is a product that we have spent a lot of time and effort in developing. We believe the Green Log is the most eco-friendly fire log product on the market, and at the trade show, we were able to educate people about the many benefits of the Green Log.”

Mr. Sung Chang, President of VIASPACE Green Energy commented, “The National Hardware Show allowed us to get the Green Log name out there. Many prospective customers were at the trade show along with our competitors in the fire log industry. From what was seen at the trade show, our competitors have already identified VIASPACE as a viable contender in the fire log industry. Potential buyers of the Green Log have expressed interest in our product and we are following up with them.”

The Green Log is VIASPACE’s first commercial product made with Giant King Grass. A renewable and sustainable product as opposed to other artificial fire logs that are made with petroleum-based materials or trees that take decades to fully grow, this product takes only 3 minutes to fully light, but burns for up to 5 hours.

A video featuring Green Logs was produced for use at the National Hardware Show and can be seen at the following link: http://ow.ly/5gl4m

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

The 21st Century is becoming the century of renewable energy, much as the 20th Century was the century of fossil fuels. And such a major resource shift will no doubt mean a change in resource power centers. Energy shifts are a part of history, and energy capitals are part of the mix. It can be useful to remember that, in the late 1800s, the oil capital of the world was Pennsylvania.

Imagine now a world where the focus is not on the oil-bearing deserts of Saudi Arabia, but rather on the tropics and places like Thailand. That’s just one of the countries being actively explored by VIASPACE, Inc., a leading American biomass energy company promoting the many advantages of using dedicated biomass crops versus relying on the unpredictable agricultural waste market. Biomass offers an easy-to-adopt method of generating energy, as well as mobile fuels, with a zero carbon footprint. VIASPACE in particular has developed a proprietary hybrid grass called Giant King Grass (GKG), a dedicated energy plant that grows so quickly it far out-performs switchgrass and other popular biomass candidates.

GKG can grow in a variety of soil conditions, but does best in sunny wet tropical or subtropical climates, such as in Southeast Asia, already considered home to much of the world’s attainable biomass. This opens up global possibilities, pointing largely at developing countries where labor tends to be cheap. These are countries anxious for new industry, especially when that industry is non-invasive, does not affect food crops, and is environmentally positive. GKG is seen as the best biomass solution, and biomass is increasingly seen as the best renewable energy solution, more reliable and cost competitive than wind or solar.

VIASPACE is currently working with a number of companies in Thailand who are seeking to use GKG as a cheaper biomass source than ag-waste, confirming the value of using dedicated agricultural crops. One of VIASPACE’s prospective partners in Thailand may build several plants that will use an anaerobic digestion process to create power plant fuels from GKG if testing goes well. VIASPACE CEO Dr. Carl Kukkonen recently said he expects to have the grass growing in Thailand within a few months.

For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.VIASPACE.com, or the company’s Giant King Grass products site at www.VIASPACEGreenEnergy.com

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

VIASPACE, Inc.  is a clean energy company focused on providing products and technology for renewable and alternative energy that reduce or eliminate dependence on fossil fuels and other high-pollutant energy sources. Through its subsidiary, VIASPACE Green Energy Inc., the Company globally markets its proprietary Giant King™ Grass –a high-yield, dedicated energy crop– as a low carbon, renewable replacement for coal to generate electricity and heat, and as a nonfood feedstock for second-generation liquid biofuels to replace fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel fuel. VIASPACE Green Energy (VGREF) also manufactures and sells Green Log™ – low carbon fireplace and campfire logs made from Giant King Grass at the company’s factory co-located at its 280 acre plantation.

“14 foot tall Giant King Grass can be harvested two or three times a year as a fuel for power plants or feedstock for biofuels”

VIASPACE Green Energy Inc. (VGREF) globally markets its proprietary Giant King™ Grass –a high-yield, dedicated energy crop– as a low carbon, renewable replacement for coal to generate electricity and heat and as a nonfood feedstock for second-generation liquid biofuels to replace fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel fuel. The company also manufactures and sells Green Log™ low carbon fireplace and campfire logs made from Giant King Grass.

Biomass is carbon neutral. Biomass is a renewable energy source that comes from plant material such as Giant King Grass. Photosynthesis converts solar energy and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into plant material. Burning plant material in a power plant releases the carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, but it is reabsorbed again when the next crop grows making it carbon neutral.

Biomass is an important renewable energy source for both developing and industrialized countries. Heavy dependence on coal and imported petroleum has led to a major increase in global carbon dioxide emissions as well as significant geopolitical, economic and environmental issues.

Giant King Grass can be burned – either directly or in pellet form – as a replacement for coal or oil in electric-power plants to produce low-carbon electricity and useful heat. It can also be used to produce bio methane in anaerobic digesters..

Giant King Grass can be used as a feedstock to make Grassoline – liquid transportation biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol, butanol and green gasoline – and to produce biochemicals and bio-plastics.

Giant King Grass is a non-food crop and can be grown on marginal lands which are not being used for growing food. Using food crops to produce biofuel is discouraged or banned in almost all countries around the globe.

Giant King Grass is low cost because of its extreme high-yield, meeting the cost targets of green energy applications. Electricity produced from burning Giant King Grass is one-fourth the cost of electricity from solar energy and half the cost of wind energy. Furthermore, Giant King Grass and other biomass power plants can operate 24 hours a day, whereas solar and wind produce electricity only when it is sunny or windy.

Giant King Grass pellets can be used to replace up to 20% of coal in existing power plants, reducing carbon emissions by the same percentage while preserving the large capital investment and allowing power companies to meet carbon dioxide emissions reduction requirements for the next 10 to 30 years.

As pressure increases for fuels that are clean burning, a lot of attention has turned to methane, the primary ingredient in natural gas, the cleanest burning of all fossil fuels. Nevertheless, burning fossil fuels of any kind, including methane, releases greenhouse gases, the principal suspect in global warming. In fact, methane itself is a powerful greenhouse gas.

So it’s easy to imagine the interest and potential involved in a form of methane that successfully addresses these environmental concerns. Bio-methane is derived from biogase, a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide produced when organic matter decomposes in the absence of oxygen. Bio-methane can be generated from agricultural or other organic waste, but also from dedicated biomass crops. The benefit of bio-methane is that the carbon released during combustion is offset by the carbon absorbed during the growing process, greatly reducing carbon footprint. The advantage of using dedicated crops as a bio-methane source is the increased stability of supplies and costs.

Bio-methane, like fossil based methane, can be used for heating, cooking, and electricity generation. It can also be used as an environmentally friendly vehicle fuel, where it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 88% compared to gasoline, over and above the carbon absorption element.

On top of this promising new field is Viaspace, Inc., developers of Giant King Grass (GKG), an exceptionally fast growing proprietary hybrid grass that is arguably the most cost effective biomass source. GKG grows so quickly that it can be harvested every month, yielding 167 tons per acre. It can then be processed, without even drying, to generate biogas containing over 5,000 cubic feet of methane, a production rate that is 50% higher than, for example, elephant grass. In addition, the byproduct of the process is organic fertilizer, which can then be put directly back in the GKG fields to further enhance growth.

For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.ViaSpace.com, or the company’s Giant King Grass products site at www.ViaSpaceGreenEnergy.com

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

For many, the growing move away from fossil fuels brings to mind the replacement of large coal, gas, or oil burning power plants with any one of several alternative energy solutions. What is too often forgotten is that fossil fuels, especially oil, are also used for other things. Most of the oil used by the U.S. (the biggest oil consumer) is not used to generate electricity. 44% of the oil used by the U.S. goes to gasoline production, while a substantial 18% goes to the production of plastics, asphalt, and other materials.

While there are many renewable resources proposed for the generation of electricity, the problem of how best to replace gasoline and plastics and all of the other fossil-based chemicals is not as easily addressed. The use of electric cars plugged into green power plants may sound attractive, but will require major long-term changes at both ends of the link. And all of those electric cars would depend upon, among other things, lightweight plastics which green power plants cannot produce.

But there is a technology that offers an answer. Biomass technology, unlike other green technologies, can be applied to both the large scale generation of electricity and the production of mobile fuels, as well as the growing number of complex chemicals that we’ve all learned to depend upon.

Although many of the technical issues involving the use of biomass have already been solved, the biomass industry has until recently faced the same roadblock hindering other green industries, the cost challenge. The use of waste agricultural materials as a biomass source has been problematic, with costs and supplies hard to predict. The use of dedicated crops is more reliable, but the length of time required for growth, replanting, and harvesting has proved costly.

Viaspace, Inc., developers of Giant King Grass (GKG), an ultra-fast growing proprietary hybrid grass, have cleared that last hurdle. GKG grows so fast, requiring no replanting, that it can be harvested continuously throughout the year, resulting in 4 times the yield of switchgrass in terms of tons per acre, and 10 times the yield of corn stover. In addition to being a cost-effective and zero-carbon footprint replacement for coal in power plants, zero-carbon due to the carbon absorbed during the growth cycle, GKG can also be converted into mobile fuels such as ethanol, methanol, diesel and gasoline (collectively known as “grassoline”). And it can be used as a feedstock for the production of bio plastics and other materials now being actively researched by many energy and chemical companies.

For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.ViaSpace.com, or the company’s Giant King Grass products site at www.ViaSpaceGreenEnergy.com

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

One of the most important considerations of any move to a green technology is the ease of conversion. A new idea that requires massive rebuilds and infrastructure changes already has a big strike against it, as unpredictable economies and tight budgets put the squeeze on even conservative plans. The most desirable technologies are the ones that can be phased in, causing the least disruption and initial costs. Unfortunately, wind, solar, and nuclear power all carry significant up-front investments.

An exception in the green lineup is biomass, the use of renewable agricultural stock for power generation. If done right, the energy generation costs of biomass approach that of coal, and the carbon dioxide footprint is nearly zero since growing the stock absorbs as much carbon dioxide as is released during burning. But one of the biggest benefits is that biomass can be used now without the costly upheavals of other approaches.

Although boilers in coal-fired power plants are generally not compatible with full biomass use, torrefaction is an emerging technology that converts biomass into bio coal that can be directly substituted in any amount for coal in existing coal plants. In addition, a relatively small modification can allow most coal plants to replace up to 20% of the coal currently being used with biomass pellets. This will reduce power plant carbon dioxide emissions by 20%, allowing them to meet reduction targets for the next decade. A pellet is simply biomass that is dried and pressed into a pellet, making it more economical to ship and process.

In order to maximize the cost effectiveness of biomass, however, the source of the feed stock is critical. At the top of the list is Giant King Grass, a proprietary hybrid grass from ViaSpace, Inc. Giant King Grass has energy properties and composition similar to corn stover and other bio-waste now used in biomass energy applications. However, it’s extremely rapid growth and multiple harvests gives Giant King Grass 10 times the yield of corn stover in terms of tons per acre, and it has four times the yield of switchgrass, a popular biomass candidate.

Given that over 40% of global electricity generated comes from coal-fired power plants, the use of cost effective Giant King Grass pellets in existing coal plants can have an immediate positive impact on carbon emissions around the world, and without the overwhelming costs.

For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.ViaSpace.com, or the company’s Giant King Grass products site at www.ViaSpaceGreenEnergy.com

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

VIASPACE Inc. announced today its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2011. Revenues for first quarter 2011 totaled $582,000, which included $534,000 from subsidiary Inter-Pacific Arts (IPA), while cost of revenues was $461,000. Gross profit for the quarter was reported at $121,000. Net loss for the first quarter 2011 was $762,000, less than $0.01 per share.

Commenting on the results, VIASPACE Chief Executive Dr. Carl Kukkonen stated, “We reiterate our revenue guidance for IPA for the first-half of 2011. Previously, we announced that revenues for first-half of 2011 would be at least $2.76 million compared with $1.38 million in 2010, a 100% increase from prior year. Revenues for IPA for the second-quarter are forecasted to be at least $2.23 million. The business economy for our US retail customers is improving, and their satisfaction with our pricing and high-quality products is leading to significant new orders. Between April 1 and May 10, we shipped 16 containers of framed art to customers in the US. The factory is very busy and I am confident we will reach the target for the first-half of 2011.”

“Our strong focus for growth remains on Giant King Grass with its high yield and low cost which we believe will play an important role in the global biomass electricity and biofuels future. We are pursuing a large Giant King Grass pellet mill in the Dominican Republic, and power plant opportunities in China and Southeast Asia with DP CleanTech, a world leader in biomass power plants operating 20 biomass power plants in China and 30 in Europe. Recent testing by three companies has confirmed that Giant King Grass is an excellent feedstock for cellulosic biofuels such as ethanol and butanol as well as for biochemicals and bio plastics.”

Kukkonen added, “I am also pleased to announce that our largest shareholder, director and President of VIASPACE Green Energy, Mr. Sung Chang, has agreed to a one-year extension of the first payment due to him under the promissory note related to our acquisition of IPA. Sung is committed to the success of VIASPACE and we are both working together to build value for all of VIASPACE shareholders.”

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

VIASPACE Inc., a clean energy company growing Giant King™ Grass as a low-carbon, renewable biomass crop, today reported that CEO Dr. Carl Kukkonen and VIASPACE Green Energy President Sung Chang each visited Singapore to meet with potential business and research & development partners.

Dr. Kukkonen met with Simon Parker, CEO of DP CleanTech, a world leader in biomass power plants with a reference list of 20 operating 100% biomass power plants in China and 30 in Europe. The company has tested Giant King Grass and found it to be nearly identical to agricultural waste such as corn straw and wheat straw which is burned in many of their power plants. According to today’s press release, VIASPACE and DP CleanTech are working together to develop opportunities in China and Southeast Asia for a Giant King Grass plantation co-located with a DP CleanTech power plant.

Dr. Kukkonen also met with a project developer to discuss a proposed 30 MW power plant fueled by Giant King Grass, and with a party interested in converting biomass into a gaseous fuel.

Furthermore, Kukkonen gave an invited presentation at the Bioenergy and Biorefinery Conference which is attended by top biomass researchers from Singapore as well as other countries. The presentation, entitled “Giant King Grass: A Dedicated Energy Crop for Bioenergy and Biorefineries,” is now available to investors on the homepage of the VIASPACE website (www.VIASPACE.com). VIASPACE is advancing discussions about potential collaborations with universities and government-backed research institutions in Singapore.

VIASPACE Green Energy President Sung Chang later made a trip to Singapore to follow-up on the 30 MW power plant opportunity as well as initiate discussions on another potential Giant King Grass fueled power plant.

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

Talk about renewable energy has never carried with it more urgency than it does today. But much of it focuses solar and wind, not noticing that, in terms of efficiency and cost effectiveness, a growing number of people see biomass as the single most promising approach to renewable energy, both short and long term. Biomass provides down to a zero carbon footprint, depending upon how much of it is used, together with 24/7 sourcing and reliability, without requiring the development of complex new technologies or infrastructure. Best of all, if done right, biomass offers the most cost-effective renewable energy solution.

There is, however, a key to successful biomass. Today, biomass power plants are fed primarily by agricultural and forestry waste, including corn stover, wheat straw, rice husks, and wood waste. But huge logistics and cost factors have greatly reduced the appeal of using waste as a viable energy source. Agricultural waste is seasonal, available only at a given source crop’s harvest. In addition, it must be gathered and transported from many wide-spread locations, increasing costs and adding to emissions from transportation. Market prices are unpredictable, as shown by recent dramatic increases in places like China and India, making it difficult to give reliable operation projections or to get financing. This is aggravated by the inevitable and controversial interplay of such waste sources with food production.

The solution is to have a dedicated energy crop, relatively free from the disruptive influences of outside forces, but not just any crop. Giant King Grass (GKG), a proprietary hybrid grass from ViaSpace, Inc., is safe and non-invasive, and is also one of the most efficient sources of captured solar energy on the planet. It can grow up to 13 feet high in just a few months, when it can be harvested and immediately grown again without re-seeding. As a result, it can reduce biofuel feedstock costs by up to 40%, making it the renewable energy resource that is truly competitive with coal. Supplies and costs are predictable, allowing financing, and power plants can run 24/7 without worrying about source fuels. Remember that only such a reliable source of alternative power can effectively reduce the need for standby coal power plants.

Since GKG absorbs as much carbon during growth as it releases during burning, it is effectively carbon neutral. In fact, although 100% biomass use requires different boilers, existing coal burning power plants can be readily modified to use up to 20% biomass, reducing their carbon footprint. Such projects are already under way by ViaSpace. The longer term goal is to incorporate many smaller 10-30 megawatt 100% biomass power plants with GKG plantations, effectively eliminating the need for fuel transportation, and adding to GKG’s already significant cost benefit.

For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.ViaSpace.com, or the company’s Giant King Grass products site at www.ViaSpaceGreenEnergy.com

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

For years, the use of renewable biomass fuels for energy generation focused on the idea of using agricultural waste as the primary feedstock. On the surface it all seemed to make sense. Every year, huge amounts of bio-waste are generated in the growing of various crops, essentially there for the taking. Soon projects generating electricity from corn stover, wheat straw, rice husks, sawdust, and woodbark were being touted as the future of green energy.

It wasn’t long, however, before the seriousness of various problems associated with the use of agricultural waste for energy generation became clear.

• Agricultural waste prices can vary wildly in the marketplace, affected by unpredictable market forces, precluding the possibility for dependable long-term economic cost calculations, making it difficult to get financing.
• The availability of agricultural waste is irregular, peaking when a crop is harvested, and then unavailable until the next harvest. Even sawdust availability varies with construction cycles. In addition, supply sources from farmers are dependent upon what the farmer decides to grow in a given year, and cannot always be relied upon.
• Different crops have different fuel values, resulting in inconsistent feedstock energy potential.
• Agricultural waste must be transported from scattered locations, with all of the associated logistic issues.

The answer is the development and use of dedicated energy crops, designed and grown to best suit the generation of energy. Giant King Grass, a proprietary hybrid grass developed by ViaSpace, Inc., is so efficient at capturing the sun’s energy, growing up to 13 feet in a few months, that is can reduce biofuel feedstock costs by up to 40%. It can be harvested and ready to grow again immediately, without replanting, offering multiple crops per year, further increasing efficiency. With such a cost-effective and dependable resource, dedicated and controlled for energy production, economic projections and financing are no longer a problem. And, of course, there is no interference with food crop production. Eventually, energy crop plantations can even be set up side by side with specially built power plants, eliminating the need for crop transportation.

For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.ViaSpace.com, or the company’s Giant King Grass products site at www.ViaSpaceGreenEnergy.com.

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

People are quick to use the word “green”, applying the term to almost any energy converting process that reduces pollution. The problem with most so-called green solutions has been that there are so many things that limit their use. Until now the green movement has depended upon people, sometimes independently and sometimes through the government, being willing to subsidize green technologies, paying a premium to help the environment. And sometimes the solutions are not as green as they seem on the surface.

Nuclear power doesn’t produce greenhouse gases during generation, and so has been termed a green energy source. However, aside from potential environmental risks involved with the operation of nuclear power plants, it can take a lot of energy to process the uranium necessary to create fissionable nuclear fuel, and there is still the long term environmental gamble associated with spent nuclear fuel.

Solar power, in the form of photovoltaics, generates electricity directly from sunlight, with thermal solar technology generating power from the heat of the sun, both without polluting emissions. But the initial costs for both are still so high that the solar industry is largely subsidy dependent, and cost-effective storage of electricity for use at night remains an issue.

Wind power captures a form of solar energy from the sun-driven movement of the air, but has its own set of problems. Ignoring the controversy regarding the construction, hookup, and support of massive wind farms the size of small cities, there is the problem of reliability. The grid must guarantee enough power to meet customer needs all day every day. Conventional power plants can’t be turned off every time the wind starts blowing. As a result, wind power is increasingly seen as less of a replacement and more as simply frosting on the cake.

Biomass energy generation, the burning of renewable plant material to make electricity, has gained much of its traditional support based upon its practicality. It doesn’t require costly changes in infrastructure, or the development of new technologies. It’s available now, at a cost closer to that of fossil fuels than other alternatives. Biomass is essentially a form of solar energy, but using the highly efficient sun-capturing process developed by nature. The technologies are already available to eliminate pollution concerns, largely because the basic process itself is carbon clean, absorbing as much carbon during the growing process as is released during the burning process. Generally, the only real concerns have been associated with the possible impact that biomass demands might have upon the growth of food crops.

ViaSpace has managed to address the food crop issue, while simultaneously increasing efficiency and reducing costs. Its proprietary hybrid grass, called Giant King Grass, uses sunlight so efficiently that it can grow to 13 feet tall in a matter of months, ready to harvest and grow again without re-planting. With an energy yield three to four times that of other grasses, and able to grow on land not competing for food crop use, Giant King Grass makes biomass more economically compelling and safe than any other energy source, the greenest thing on earth.

For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.ViaSpace.com, or the company’s Giant King Grass products site at www.ViaSpaceGreenEnergy.com.

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

This morning before the opening bell, VIASPACE Inc. and its subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc. (VGREF) reported that Giant King Grass was featured in the April issue of Biorefining Magazine. Included in the article was data that compared the composition of Giant King Grass to corn straw and wheat straw. The sugar composition is important for fermentation processes to produce bioethanol, butanol, biochemicals and bioplastics.

The Biorefining Magazine article entitled “A Field of Promise: VIASPACE reports independent test results of Giant King Grass evaluation” was written by Erin Voegele. Biorefining Magazine provides its subscription base with in-depth coverage of advanced biomass refining technology scale-up, project finance, policy and markets.

Today’s press release included an excerpt of the article: “Data gathered during independent evaluations of VIASPACE Inc.’s Giant King Grass demonstrate the crop has essentially the same properties as corn stover and wheat straw. According to VIASPACE, the third-party testing included evaluations of the crop’s sugar and lignin content, several levels of pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis to sugars.”

“These initial results show that a ton of Giant King Grass can yield as much bioethanol as a ton of corn stover,” stated VIASPACE Chief Executive Carl Kukkonen. “This validates Giant King Grass, a nonfood, dedicated energy crop, as a competitive feedstock for producing cellulosic biofuels.”

When reviewing these results, it is very important to keep in mind that the per acre yields of Giant King Grass are up to 10 times higher than those of corn stover. ‘With our high yield, we believe that Giant King Grass can reduce biofuel feedstock costs by up to 40 percent, even when compared to projected prices for corn straw as agricultural waste,’ Kukkonen added.

In addition to obvious yield benefits, Giant King Grass can be harvested several times per year while leaving the soil ecosystem relatively intact, providing advantages regarding soil erosion, carbon sequestration and potential nitrogen fixation from the atmosphere.

The Biorefining Magazine article can be accessed at http://www.biorefiningmagazine.com/articles/5392/a-field-of-promise

VIASPACE is currently pursuing opportunities for Giant King Grass to be used as a fuel for biomass electric power plants, as a feedstock for producing biogas through anaerobic digestion, and as a feedstock for biorefineries to produce biofuels, biochemicals and bioplastics. Boasting extremely high yields per acre, Giant King Grass is attractive as a reliable, low cost alternative to coal and oil for electricity and biofuels production.

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

VIASPACE Inc., a clean energy company focused on growing Giant King™ Grass as a low-carbon, renewable biomass crop, today reported that Giant King Grass was featured in an article published in the April issue of Biomass Power & Thermal Magazine, a monthly trade publication for industry professionals that utilize biomass for the generation of electricity, thermal energy, or both.

Titled “Trends in Thailand–A push for biomass power expansion might make Thailand a prime market in the global industry”, the article features an interview with VIASPACE CEO Dr. Carl Kukkonen, a picture of Giant King Grass, and DP CleanTech with whom VIASPACE has signed a memorandum of understanding.

VIASPACE is working with several companies in Thailand for the purpose of using Giant King Grass as a fuel for biomass electric power plants, and as a feedstock for producing biogas through anaerobic digestion. Giant King Grass has been extensively tested and is suitable to be burned in power plants. With the ability to be used as 100% of the fuel or feedstock, or in combination with other agricultural waste, the high yield of Giant King Grass makes it attractive as a reliable, low cost alternative to coal and oil for electricity and biofuels production.

According to the BIOMASS magazine article, “Government policy in Thailand encourages further power production from biomass than is already being realized. That expansion could catapult the country to the top of the biomass market chain, and global companies are starting to take notice. Recognizing Thailand’s potential, China-based solutions provider DP CleanTech has opened an office in Bangkok, after successful development of many biomass power plants in China, and more in the works. ‘DP CleanTech has identified Thailand to be the next major market in its rapid rollout of biomass power systems in Southeast Asia,’ the company’s website says.”

BIOMASS magazine continues, “But that expansion could also cause competition for feedstocks and, according to some, even a shortage. And on the heels of that shortage comes a price increase for raw material according to Kukkonen. VIASPACE is working with several companies in Thailand that are interested in growing and using its trademarked biomass feedstock, Giant King Grass, as a cheaper alternative to pricier feedstock materials available now. The price hike has increased plant operating costs for companies in long-term power purchase agreements that were signed with lower feedstock price assumptions, Kukkonen says. Since relying on the spot market has proven to be an ineffective strategy, companies are looking for a more reliable and secure feedstock, he adds. Most biomass power plants in Thailand either use direct combustion or employ anaerobic digestion processes.”

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

ViaSpace, Inc., holder of the rights to Giant King Grass, a unique hybrid grass unmatched in its ability to capture sunlight for biomass energy production, believes biomass holds the economic key for a smooth transition to clean power.

As global energy demands continue to balloon, and as finite fuel resources become harder to locate and tap, the cost of fossil fuels has increased to the point that various green energy sources are now being seriously considered as potential competitors. In today’s ongoing recessionary environment, however, the cost factor remains a major killer for most alternatives. Take a look at the figures below showing the costs (in USD per kilowatt-hours-electric) for various energy sources, keeping in mind that coal accounts for nearly 1/2 of all electricity generated in the U.S, and for nearly 1/3 of world energy use.

• Solar Photovoltaic (.30 – .40)
• Solar Thermal (.20 – .26)
• Wind (.10 – .15)
• Biomass (.09)
• Coal (.08)

The cost advantages of biomass as a viable energy alternative are clear. Although the fuel supply costs for solar and wind power are not an issue, the capital costs are significant, as opposed to the relatively low costs required for the existing technologies used in biomass power production. And biomass offers efficient and dependable electricity generation 24 hours a day, in any weather conditions, further reducing per unit energy costs.

Biomass is considered to be any energy source arising from renewable plant material, such as wood, corn, sugar, and grasses. It can be burned to generate electricity and heat, but it can also be used to generate methane, liquid biofuels, biochemicals, and even plastics. This is important, because many of the man-made materials we depend upon today are currently produced from fossil resources. It’s this versatility, together with its low cost and off-the-shelf technology, that that has fed the growing appeal of biomass as a green solution that really works.

Of course, at the heart of the biomass story, as with any eco-friendly energy source, is the fact that it is essentially carbon neutral, putting the brakes on greenhouse gas emissions. The plant material that is burned to generate electricity absorbs as much carbon during the growth process as is released during the burning process. ViaSpace has a special advantage here, since Giant King Grass can be easily processed into pellets for use in existing power plants. The company is already negotiating contracts to allow existing utilities to reduce their carbon footprint.

For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.ViaSpace.com, or the company’s Giant King Grass products site at www.ViaSpaceGreenEnergy.com

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

VIASPACE Inc., a clean energy company focused on providing products and technology for renewable and alternative energy, today reported its financial results for the fourth-quarter and year ended December 31, 2010.

Fourth quarter 2010 total revenues were reported at $1,040,000, up more than 22% from the $851,000 that was reported for the same period in 2009. Cost of revenues totaled $752,000 in Q4 2010, compared to $541,000 in Q4 2009. Gross profit for the quarter was $288,000, compared to gross profit of $310,000 a year earlier.

Total operating expenses for the quarter were $922,000, including $860,000 of selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expense and $62,000 for operations. SG&A included $420,000 in stock-based compensation. Total operating expenses for fourth-quarter 2009 were $1,068,000 and included $1,062,000 in SG&A and $6,000 for operations. SG&A in 2009 included $345,000 in stock-based compensation. Operating loss totaled $634,000, compared to an operating loss of $758,000 in fourth-quarter 2009.

Net loss for the fourth-quarter of 2010 was $657,000, significantly lower than the $839,000 reported for the fourth-quarter of 2009.

Total revenue for the full year of 2010 was $3,643,000. This compares to total revenue of $4,376,000 in 2009. For 2010, cost of revenues was $2,634,000, compared to $2,686,000 in 2009. Gross profit for 2010 was $1,009,000, compared to gross profit of $1,690,000 for 2009.

Total operating expenses for 2010 were $3,828,000, including $3,650,000 of selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expense and $178,000 for operations. SG&A included $1,690,000 in stock-based compensation. Total operating expenses for 2009 were $4,417,000 and included $4,387,000 in SG&A and $30,000 for operations. SG&A in 2009 included $1,784,000 in stock-based compensation. Operating loss for 2010 was $2,819,000, compared to an operating loss of $2,727,000 in 2009.

Net loss for the full year was $2,833,000 compared to $2,909,000 in the year prior.

VIASPACE Chief Executive Dr. Carl Kukkonen commented, “IPA artwork sales for fourth-quarter 2010 were 48% higher than fourth-quarter 2009. We also have previously announced that IPA revenues for the first six months of 2011 are expected to be at least $2.76 million –100% higher– compared with $1.38 million in 2010. Our strategy to reduce costs while maintaining quality resulted in lower operating costs for the fourth-quarter compared to 2009 levels. I was at IPA in January during a customer product inspection and they stated that our quality is excellent. The business of our retail customers in the US is slowly improving, and their satisfaction with our pricing and high-quality is leading to significant new orders. VIASPACE is committed to growing our framed art business.”

“Our strong focus for growth remains on Giant King Grass with its high yield and low cost which we believe will play an important role in the global biomass electricity and biofuels future,” he added.

In today’s press release, VIASPACE also told investors that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with PT Provident Agro of Jakarta Indonesia with the goal of using Giant King Grass as feedstock for a large scale pellet mill to manufacture a minimum of 300,000 metric tonnes per year of pellets for the export market, primarily in Europe. Provident Agro owns extensive oil palm plantations and land in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, Indonesia with a total land bank of 150,000 hectares (370,000 acres) producing more than 23,500 tons of crude palm oil each year. VIASPACE also signed an MOU with General Biofuels, potentially resulting in an exclusive agreement to develop a large Giant King Grass plantation and a 250,000 to 400,000 tonne per year biomass pellet plant in the Dominican Republic.

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

It is, without question, one of the most promising approaches to renewable, clean, and dependable energy to ever come along. And yet, in spite of its originality, it involves largely off-the-shelf technologies. Welcome to the world of Giant King Grass (GKG), a fast-growing hybrid grass that is neither genetically modified nor invasive, a proven source of power plant and automotive energy that is both carbon neutral and economical. This energy crop belongs solely to California based ViaSpace, Inc.

What is a power plantation? Imagine this: A 3,700 acre Giant King Grass plantation, where GKG is planted once, and then harvested multiple times each year. It grows exceedingly fast, efficiently capturing the sun’s energy and absorbing carbon dioxide, shooting up to 13 feet high in just a few months. The land being used is marginal land, not imposing on food production in any way. The grass is easily harvested and processed for burning in a 30 MW power plant located nearby, releasing only the previously absorbed carbon, making the whole process carbon neutral.

The close proximity of the power plant means the only thing leaving the plantation is the generated electrical energy, minimizing any pollution from the transport of fuels. The energy is dependable, available day or night in any weather. No experimental technologies or elaborate new infrastructure are required, and, due to the rapid growth and energy richness of GKG, the system is economical today. In addition, part of the harvest can be efficiently processed into various liquid fuels for use in transportation and materials.

The power plantation is a unique combination of renewable energy source, viable only due to the remarkable properties of Giant King Grass, together with a nearby existing-technology power plant. Even if the power plant is not onsite, GKG offers all of the advantages sought from a renewable energy source, but with none of the economic and technical issues normally associated with solar, wind and other approaches.

The best feature of Giant King Grass may in fact be that there is no need to wait for clean renewable power plantations to dot the planet. GKG is already well on its way to cleaning up the power industry. ViaSpace has been approached by industry and government specialists from around the world seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of existing power plants through the use of shipped GKG pellets. The company is now actively engaged in pursuing contracts to supply GKG through partnerships and joint ventures.

For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.ViaSpace.com

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

Nearly 30% of all the energy used in the world comes from coal, bringing with it all of the associated greenhouse gas and other pollution issues. As world governments find themselves under rapidly growing pressure to move to renewable energy sources, mounting evidence suggests there is only one solution that is renewable, carbon-neutral, cost effective, available 24 hours a day in any weather, and that uses existing technologies and facilities. It knocks out even the cleanest fossil fuels, along with nuclear, solar, and wind power.

The solution is a remarkably fast-growing hybrid grass called Giant King Grass, the sole property of California based ViaSpace, Inc., and it’s the single cheapest green and renewable alternative to coal for electricity. As if that weren’t enough, it can also be used to produce liquid bio-fuels (known as Grassoline), to economically replace gasoline for transportation vehicles. It can even be used to produce natural gas, along with various biochemicals and bioplastics.

The carbon secret behind Giant King Grass is that, in the growing process, it absorbs as much carbon dioxide as is released when it is burned to produce energy, making it effectively carbon neutral. The economic secret is that, even though it is neither genetically modified nor invasive, it grows unbelievably fast, allowing it to be planted once and harvested multiple times throughout the year, continuously for years, making it more cost effective than any other approach. There’s simply nothing else in the world like it.

Perhaps most importantly, it is a non-food crop, and does not impinge upon crop land. The World Wildlife Foundation estimates that between 250 and 800 million hectares (618-1976 million acres) worldwide of additional agricultural land “could be brought into production without encroaching upon areas of high ecological or social value”. With Giant King Grass’s high yield, it would take far less than that, roughly a 5% increase in world cropland, to produce the energy needed to replace all coal being used in the world today.

For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.ViaSpace.com

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

In the world’s ongoing search for the ideal renewable energy source, it’s beginning to look like the winner may be a dream crop called Giant King GrassTM. It’s a dream crop because, unlike anything else grown on earth, it has all of the properties of a perfect renewable energy source.

The final proof of that came in the form of recently released official independent test results from a large corporation, which does not want to reveal its name because of its leading position in the industry. The tests (conducted at that unnamed corporation’s own expense) confirm that, besides being a low-cost carbon-neutral solution to worldwide energy generation, Giant King Grass can in fact also be used to produce second-generation cellulosic biofuels, such as ethanol and butanol, in addition to biomass-based chemicals. And, unlike corn and wheat sources, it does it all economically and without impacting the food chain, essentially solving the two biggest issues faced by biomass.

Basically, Giant King Grass is a fast-growing, high-yield, hybrid grass that is neither genetically modified nor invasive. Its most miraculous property is its almost unbelievable per-acre productivity, resulting in a potential 40% reduction in biofuel feedstock costs. It can be planted once, and then continuously harvested multiple times every year, yielding up to 10 times the per-acre tonnage of, for example, corn stover.

The fact that Giant King Grass can also be a renewable and economical source of secondary biofuels and chemicals, including bio-plastics and liquid fuels for transportation, is a huge boost for ViaSpace and the biomass industry. Taken together with all its other properties, Giant King Grass seems to be developing into the king of energy crops, opening up a multi-billion dollar global market.

• Carbon Neutral – Giant King Grass absorbs as much carbon as is produced in the power generation process.
• Cost Effective – Giant King Grass represents a major cost-of-production breakthrough, solving a problem that has plagued the second-generation biofuels industry.
• Food Independent – Giant King Grass is a non-food crop, and can be grown on marginal land not used for food production.
• Reliable – Giant King Grass, unlike solar and wind power alternatives, can be efficiently stored and used to produce power day or night, in any weather condition.
• Ready To Go – Giant King Grass is easily used in either natural or pelletized form, integrating easily with well-established existing technologies and facilities.

ViaSpace has been contacted by companies around the world, and is already putting together a project with a major European electric utility looking to economically reduce their carbon footprint.

For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.ViaSpace.com

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

VIASPACE Inc. and its subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc. (OTCBB: VGREF) announced today that a new audio interview with CEO Dr. Carl Kukkonen is available at www.ChartPoppers.com/iReports.

In the press release, Dr. Kukkonen added to his recorded remarks, “The interview was conducted last week before the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. VIASPACE has many good friends in Japan, and I want to express my sorrow for the tragedy.”

“The ensuing nuclear emergency is also a setback for low carbon energy in the world,” he continued. “Although controversial, nuclear electricity plants present a potential large-scale low carbon replacement for coal-fired power plants. Both nuclear and coal provide day and night electricity with large-scale capabilities of 1000 MW or more. In contrast, solar provides transient electricity only during the daytime and wind on windy days. I believe that natural gas will play a larger role in electricity production in the future, as will biomass. A large biomass power plant today produces 30 MW of electricity. Therefore 33 new biomass power plants are required to replace a single 1 MW nuclear or coal plant. It will be an era of smaller, more distributed electric power generation. Giant King Grass with its high yield and low cost can play an important role in the biomass electricity future.”

Pellets made from VIASPACE’s Giant King Grass can replace up to 20% of coal in existing power plants to reduce carbon emissions. The crop can also be used as a feedstock for new transportation fuels such as cellulosic ethanol, butanol and green gasoline.

In addition to news of the interview, VIASPACE told investors it is seeking applicants for a new position of Senior Manager of Bioenergy Project Development. The new appointment will lead biomass power project development efforts for the company. The job description is posted on several websites including http://biofuelsdigest.jobamatic.com/a/jbb/job-details/460335.

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

Dr. Carl Kukkonen, the founder and CEO of ViaSpace and its subsidiary ViaSpace Green Energy, provided an important summary of the developing biofuel company and its plans in a recent audio interview. In it, Kukkonen covered not only the company’s unique selling proposition, but also pointed to some specific projects and potential customers the company is developing.

ViaSpace is all about the science of efficient energy, a subject the Kukkonen knows well, having a Ph.D. in theoretical physics and having directed a research center for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. As he indicated, ViaSpace is in business to provide a low cost fuel for clean, renewable, and dependable bio-electricity power plants. The company’s strong business advantage is their crop, called Giant King Grass, the fastest growing crop in the world, and the lowest cost biomass fuel in the world.

A non-food crop, Giant King Grass is able to produce many more tons per acre than corn, meaning easier land requirements and lower costs. Completely safe with no genetic modification, the grass grows a full crop 2-3 times a year, without requiring re-planting. It grows, can be harvested, and then grows again, continuing for many years. The ultimate goal is to integrate a Giant King Grass plantation with a processing and power plant, meaning that the only thing produced and distributed would be pure energy, a highly efficient arrangement.

From an environmental standpoint, Giant King Grass has its biggest advantages. Unlike coal, or other fossil fuels, it is fully renewable, available forever. It is also environmentally healthy, releasing no more carbon dioxide than it consumes in the growing process, making it effectively carbon neutral. In addition, unlike solar or wind solutions, it is easily stored, ready for energy generation any time of the day or night, in any weather. Further, it dovetails easily into the existing energy infrastructure, since it is readily processed into easy to use pellets. As if that weren’t enough, Giant King Grass can also be processed into liquid biofuels, for use in cars and planes, and can even be used to produce plastics and other products.

Kukkonen spoke about a 280 acre plantation and nursery already up and running, to be used in part as a demonstration site for potential large energy customers. The site has been visited by potential customers from around the world, and ViaSpace is already working on a joint venture agreement to produce Giant King Grass in the Dominican Republic, for processing and shipment to a major European electric utility, generating millions in revenue, and opening the door to other opportunities.

For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.ViaSpace.com

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

Today before the opening bell, SmallCapVoice.com announced that a new audio interview with VIASPACE Inc., a clean energy company providing products and technology for renewable and alternative energy that reduce or eliminate dependence on fossil and high-pollutant energy sources, is now available for playback.

The interview can be heard at http://smallcapvoice.com/blog/3-4-11-audio-interview-with-viaspace-otcbb-vspc

A recognized corporate investor relations firm, with clients nationwide, SmallCapVoice is known for its ability to help emerging growth companies build a following among retail and institutional investors. The firm offers individual investors all the tools they need to make informed decisions about the stocks they are interested in. Tools include stock charts, stock alerts, and client information sheets that can assist with investing in stocks that are traded on the OTC BB and Pink Sheets.

VIASPACE, Inc. is a clean energy company focused on providing products and technology for renewable and alternative energy that reduce or eliminate dependence on fossil fuels and other high-pollutant energy sources. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides raw material for cellulosic biofuels; develops and markets fuel cartridges, products and technology for methanol fuel cells; markets rechargeable lithium-ion batteries; and is developing security-related technology and systems for military/defense and commercial applications.

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

This morning, VIASPACE Inc. and its subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc. (OTCBB: VGREF) announced the incorporation of VIASPACE Green Energy Pte. Ltd. in Singapore. According to the release, the new company is 100% owned by VIASPACE Green Energy Inc.

Dr. Carl Kukkonen, chief executive of VIASPACE and the newly formed company, has plans to meet with potential customers and partners in Asia. He will also make an invited presentation at the “Bioenergy and Biorefinery Conference– Southeast Asia 2011– From Feedstock to Market” which will be held in Singapore March 23-25, 2011. Dr. Kukkonen’s presentation is titled “Giant King Grass: A Dedicated Energy Crop for Bioenergy And Biorefineries.”

In mid-February, VIASPACE announced the very encouraging results of independent testing of Giant King Grass as a feedstock for biorefineries and biofuel plants using the fermentation method. The test data showed that VIASPACE’s proprietary Giant King Grass has essentially the same properties as corn stover and wheat straw, which are currently leading candidate feedstocks for making cellulosic biofuels and a wide range of biochemicals.

Dr. Kukkonen recently reported: “These initial results show that a ton of Giant King Grass can yield as much bio ethanol as a ton of corn stover. This validates Giant King Grass, a nonfood dedicated energy crop, as a competitive feedstock for producing cellulosic biofuels…Most importantly, an acre of Giant King Grass yields up to 10 times greater tonnage than an acre of corn stover, which is the stalk and leaves leftover from harvesting an acre of corn…With our high yield, we believe that Giant King Grass can reduce biofuel feedstock costs by up to 40%, even when compared to projected prices for corn straw as agricultural waste. As a result, Giant King Grass promises the cost-of-production breakthrough that has plagued the second-generation biofuels industry.”

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

VIASPACE Inc. and its subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc. (OTCBB: VGREF) today announced that VIASPACE and General Biofuels have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a large Giant King Grass Plantation and a 250,000 to 400,000 tonne per year biomass pellet plant in the Dominican Republic.

In discussions for nine months, VIASPACE and General Biofuels have presented the project to large potential customers in Europe. One potential customer has already tested Giant King Grass.

General Biofuels has agreed to act as the lead developer and operator; procure land, obtain debt and equity financing, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts, and credit enhancements. VIASPACE, on the other hand, will provide source material, and nursery and plantation development for the Giant King Grass.

General Biofuels Chairman Ruby Sahiwal stated, “We believe that our joint venture with VIASPACE will lead to the lowest cost energy pellets in the industry. With the high yield of Giant King Grass, we can deliver sustainably grown energy pellets at the same or lower price than current wood waste pellets. We are beginning our partnership with VIASPACE in the Dominican Republic, but looking to expand in other areas of the globe.”

According to the press release, the current market price for wood pellets is $170 per ton delivered to Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The Times of India recently reported in an interview with General Biofuels Chief Agriculture Officer Mr. Amrik Singh Gill — “Indians are now looking for investment opportunities in the cultivation of Giant King Grass (GKG), a non-food dedicated energy crop that can be grown on marginal lands which are not used for growing food crops. Crops like maize, sugarcane etc. were used for producing green energy, but due to worldwide protests against a possible food scarcity following use of food crops for producing energy, people were now looking for investment opportunities in growing Giant King Grass especially in the countries with highly tropical conditions . . . He informed that GKG was viewed as the fastest growing crop which provided large volume of biomass. ‘One hectare of land produces 350 tons of green biomass which is an important source of renewable energy’ . . . Amrik Singh said that his company’s pilot project was also on and they would start producing green energy in next two years time.”

VIASPACE’s CEO Dr. Carl Kukkonen plans to visit India in April to meet potential customers, and will present Giant King Grass test results at the World Renewable Energy Technology Congress to be held April 21-23, 2011 in New Delhi.

Giant King Grass is a high-energy, low carbon fuel for electricity generating power plants, and an excellent feedstock for production of clean biomethane and liquid biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol, butanol and green gasoline.

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

Today, VIASPACE Inc., and its subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc. (OTCBB: VGREF), announced that CEO Dr. Carl Kukkonen was featured in an exclusive new audio-taped webcast interview for the purpose of updating VIASPACE shareholders and the investment community about the company’s recent developments and growth plans. The webcast is now available on the “Webcasts” page at www.TheGreenBaron.com.

During the interview, Kukkonen covered a variety of topics including:

• How Giant King™ Grass can effectively replace coal as the heat source used by power plants to produce electricity. Giant King Grass is carbon-emissions neutral and can help power plants worldwide meet their objectives of lower carbon emissions.

• Giant King Grass can produce ten times more mass per acre than corn straw or wheat straw or other agricultural waste feedstocks. Higher yield is a main differentiator when compared to other biomass alternatives along with the fact that Giant King Grass can grow on marginal land and does not need to use land currently used for food production.

• Recent independent testing of Giant King Grass showed good results as a feedstock for producing second-generation cellulosic biofuels, such ethanol and butanol, and biomass-based chemicals. In summary, the test data shows that VIASPACE’s proprietary Giant King Grass has essentially the same properties as corn stover and wheat straw, which are current leading candidate feedstocks for making not only cellulosic biofuels but also a wide range of biochemicals.

• Recent announcement that the Company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PT Provident Agro of Jakarta Indonesia with the goal to use Giant King Grass as feedstock for a large scale pellet mill to manufacture a minimum of 300,000 metric tonnes per year of pellets for the export market, primarily in Europe. Provident Agro owns extensive oil palm plantations and land in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, Indonesia with a total land bank of 150,000 hectares (370,000 acres) producing more than 23,500 tons of crude palm oil each year.

• VIASPACE’s Inter-Pacific Arts business unit has received new customer orders for framed art for delivery in the first half of 2011. The Company expects revenues for the first half of 2011 to double 2010 levels. Revenues were $1,377,000 for the first six months of 2010. Inter-Pacific Arts is profitable and the Company plans to use those profits to invest in the development of its Giant King Grass business.

• VIASPACE also continues to promote its first renewable energy/biomass product for sale: Green Log™ fireplace and campfire logs which are manufactured from Giant King Grass for sale to potential customers that include large and medium size hardware stores, big box stores, grocery stores, and drugstore chains and other retailers. Green Logs are the first manufactured fire logs to be produced solely from a dedicated renewable energy crop.

In today’s press release, it was also noted that The Green Baron Report recently issued an updated “Stock Pick” profile on VIASPACE, Inc. to its members and is available on their website. The report focused on how VIASPACE’s Giant King™ Grass is becoming a respected biomass alternative for replacing fossil fuel. The report noted that, “The Company has spent the past two years educating world leaders and company executives about the benefits of this environmental answer to energy production. Although it seems like it’s been a long road, we believe success is now within reach.”

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

VIASPACE Inc. and its subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc. (OTCBB: VGREF) today reported the results of recent independent testing of Giant King Grass as a feedstock for producing second-generation cellulosic biofuels, such as ethanol and butanol, and biomass-based chemicals.

In short, the test data showed that VIASPACE’s proprietary Giant King Grass has essentially the same properties as corn stover and wheat straw. These feedstocks are currently the leading candidates for making cellulosic biofuels as well as a wide range of biochemicals.

VIASPACE Chief Executive Dr. Carl Kukkonen stated, “These initial results show that a ton of Giant King Grass can yield as much bio ethanol as a ton of corn stover. This validates Giant King Grass, a nonfood dedicated energy crop, as a competitive feedstock for producing cellulosic biofuels.

“Most importantly, an acre of Giant King Grass yields up to 10 times greater tonnage than an acre of corn stover, which is the stalk and leaves leftover from harvesting an acre of corn,” Kukkonen added, “With our high yield, we believe that Giant King Grass can reduce biofuel feedstock costs by up to 40%, even when compared to projected prices for corn straw as agricultural waste. As a result, Giant King Grass promises the cost-of-production breakthrough that has plagued the second-generation biofuels industry.”

“Giant King Grass had already been shown to have excellent properties for direct combustion for electricity generation and for biogas production using anaerobic digestion,” Kukkonen concluded. “This new data on its potential for biofuels places Giant King Grass in a unique position as a low-cost feedstock with universal application in the worldwide push toward clean electricity generation and production of cellulosic ethanol and other liquid biofuels.”

Cellulosic ethanol is expected to cost $2.00-$2.25 per gallon as global demand for cellulosic biofuels creates a multibillion-dollar market in the next few years. Under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard, 12.95 billion gallons of renewable fuel were required to be used in 2010, increasing to 36 billion gallons per year by 2022. Similar requirements are in place in Europe and many other countries.

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

Before the opening bell today, VIASPACE Inc. and its renewable energy subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc. (OTCBB: VGREF) announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PT Provident Agro of Jakarta Indonesia with the objective of using Giant King™ Grass as feedstock for a large scale pellet mill to manufacture a minimum of 300,000 metric tonnes per year of pellets for the export market, primarily in Europe.

Owning extensive oil palm plantations and land in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, Indonesia with a total land bank of 150,000 hectares (370,000 acres), Provident Agro produces more than 23,500 tons of crude palm oil each year. Provident Agro is owned 50% by the Saratoga Group and 50% by Provident Capital Indonesia. The Saratoga group, headed by Edwin Soeryadjaya, Ernst & Young’s Indonesian Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010, has extensive holdings in energy and natural resources including coal and palm plantations.

As terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, Provident Agro will initially plant a 25 acre test plot in Indonesia using Giant King Grass seedlings provided by VIASPACE. The press release did not offer further details of the business relationship. Provident Agro has signed a Nondisclosure and Non-Circumvention Agreement with VIASPACE, and has visited the Giant King Grass plantation in China as part of its due diligence.

Giant King Grass is an exceptionally high-yield, nonfood, low carbon energy crop that can be burned in electric power plants to replace coal. With only minor modifications, many existing power plants can burn as much as 25% Giant King Grass pellets instead of coal, reducing carbon emissions substantially and meeting their emissions targets for the next 10 to 20 years while preserving their large capital investment. New power plants are capable of burning up to 100% Giant King Grass.

Bloomberg recently reported, “The highest-priced coal in two years is making wood pellets a viable fuel alternative for U.K. power producers, heralding a doubling of electricity generation from biomass in the next three years…Benchmark coal for delivery next month in Northwest Europe has climbed 40 percent this year to close at $116.25 a metric ton yesterday, the highest since Oct. 24, 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from broker prices. Pellets have fallen 0.7 percent this year to 126.30 euros ($167) a ton, according to APX-Endex, an Amsterdam-based exchange that plans to begin trading of wood contracts on its system by mid-2011…Power companies are turning to biomass as the profit from coal-based electricity generation slides.”

Giant King Grass is a dedicated and sustainable energy crop that provides an attractive alternative to wood pellets which are being criticized for diverting wood waste from current applications in the pulp & paper, plywood, veneer and engineered wood products industries.

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

VIASPACE Inc. and its renewable energy subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc. (OTCBB: VGREF) today reported that Chief Executive Dr. Carl Kukkonen traveled to the Philippines and to the Giant King™ Grass plantation in January following his previously reported meetings in Thailand. Kukkonen discussed potential electric power plants and pellet mills that could be co-located with Giant King Grass plantations in several areas of the Philippines.

Kukkonen stated, “The Philippines has a significant shortage of power, and the government is encouraging clean renewable electricity from biomass. I met with the Philippines Department of Energy and with businessmen and local government officials. The Department of Energy will release its pricing for biomass electricity in the second quarter of the year. The weather in the Philippines is good for Giant King Grass; land is available and the potential for biomass is very high. Giant King Grass was well received.”

In China, VIASPACE made four separate visits to the Giant King Grass plantation and Green Log™ factory for potential customers. One group from Thailand is developing a 25 MW biomass power plant in Thailand to provide electricity and process steam for their processing factory which is currently under construction. A second group is examining Giant King Grass as a clean source of heat in the cement industry.

A large Chinese energy company planning to develop a 50 megawatt biomass power plant toured the Giant King Grass plantation as well. According to the press release, this company has many other operating power projects and the proposed biomass power plant, awaiting government approval, would be located near the current Giant King Grass plantation. The last group to visit the plantation was a one that currently operates an electric power plant in Cambodia. Their intention is to add additional capacity using biomass.

In closing, VIASPACE told investors it anticipates being able to announce more details about Giant King Grass business arrangements in the near future.

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board

VIASPACE, Inc. is a clean energy company focused on providing products and technology for renewable and alternative energy that reduce or eliminate dependence on fossil fuels and other high-pollutant energy sources. Through its subsidiary, VIASPACE Green Energy Inc., the Company globally markets its proprietary Giant King™ Grass –a high-yield, dedicated energy crop– as a low carbon, renewable replacement for coal to generate electricity and heat, and as a nonfood feedstock for second-generation liquid biofuels to replace fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel fuel. VIASPACE Green Energy also manufactures and sells Green Log™ – low carbon fireplace and campfire logs made from Giant King Grass at the company’s factory co-located at its 280 acre plantation.

VIASPACE Green Energy Inc. (OTCBB: VGREF) globally markets its proprietary Giant King™ Grass –a high-yield, dedicated energy crop– as a low carbon, renewable replacement for coal to generate electricity and heat and as a nonfood feedstock for second-generation liquid biofuels to replace fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel fuel. The company also manufactures and sells Green Log™ low carbon fireplace and campfire logs made from Giant King Grass.

Biomass is carbon neutral. Biomass is a renewable energy source that comes from plant material such as Giant King Grass. Photosynthesis converts solar energy and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into plant material. Burning plant material in a power plant releases the carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, but it is reabsorbed again when the next crop grows making it carbon neutral.

Biomass is an important renewable energy source for both developing and industrialized countries. Heavy dependence on coal and imported petroleum has led to a major increase in global carbon dioxide emissions as well as significant geopolitical, economic and environmental issues.

Giant King Grass can be burned – either directly or in pellet form – as a replacement for coal or oil in electric-power plants to produce low-carbon electricity and useful heat. It can also be used to produce bio methane in anaerobic digesters.

Giant King Grass can be used as a feedstock to make Grassoline - liquid transportation biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol, butanol and green gasoline – and to produce biochemicals and bio-plastics.

Giant King Grass is a non-food crop and can be grown on marginal lands which are not being used for growing food. Using food crops to produce biofuel is discouraged or banned in almost all countries around the globe.

Giant King Grass is low cost because of its extreme high-yield, meeting the cost targets of green energy applications. Electricity produced from burning Giant King Grass is one-fourth the cost of electricity from solar energy and half the cost of wind energy. Furthermore, Giant King Grass and other biomass power plants can operate 24 hours a day, whereas solar and wind produce electricity only when it is sunny or windy.

Giant King Grass pellets can be used to replace up to 20% of coal in existing power plants, reducing carbon emissions by the same percentage while preserving the large capital investment and allowing power companies to meet carbon dioxide emissions reduction requirements for the next 10 to 30 years.

In addition to Giant King Grass, through its subsidiary Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corp., VIASPACE designs and manufactures disposable methanol fuel cartridges that supply the energy source for fuel cell powered portable electronics such as notebook computers and mobile phones. Fuel cells cleanly and efficiently convert methanol into electricity without burning and provide longer operating time and instantaneous recharging compared to traditional batteries.

Through its advanced-technology subsidiary, Ionfinity, VIASPACE is also collaborating with Caltech and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to develop and commercialize new sensor technology that can detect very small amounts of hazardous materials such as explosives, chemical/biological weapons, toxic gases and drugs. Utilizing Ionfinity’s miniaturization technology, new portable monitoring devices and detection systems are being developed for homeland security, defense, biomedical, industrial process control, agricultural and environmental safety applications.

Let us hear your thoughts: VIASPACE, Inc. Message Board