Giant King Grass Pellets Tested By Korea Forest Research Institute

IRVINE, Calif., July 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- VIASPACE Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: VSPC - News), a clean energy company growing Giant King™ Grass as a low-carbon, renewable biomass crop and its subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: VGREF), today provided results of testing of Giant King Grass energy pellets by the Korea Forest Research Institute (KFRI) which conducts pellet testing, and is developing pellet standards for Korea.

KFRI conducted 12 tests of Giant King Grass pellets and determined the energy content to be 4450 kilocalories per dry kilogram. This is equal to 18.6 MJ per kilogram (metric units) or 7997 BTU per pound (British units). This is Higher Heating Value (HHV) which is also known as Gross Calorific Value (GCV). Previously, testing by SGS North America on the same pellet batch determined the Gross Calorific Value to be 7724 BTU/dry lb which is equal to 18.0 GJ/dry kilogram or 4300 kcal/kilogram.

The Korean results represent a 3% higher energy content.  The source of the small discrepancy is not known. Previous tests on the grass itself before pelletizing have yielded 18.4 GJ per dry kilogram.

VIASPACE CEO Dr. Carl Kukkonen states, "Testing by the Korea Forest Research Institute is required by potential Korean customers. They are a top tier, well-respected laboratory, and we are pleased to have their results. One major advantage of Giant King Grass is that VIASPACE has an extensive database of measurement results on Giant King Grass for applications such as direct combustion, pellets, biogas production and liquid biofuels. These test results are from independent laboratories and internal laboratories of potential customers.  This database gives customers assurance and confidence that they know what they are getting with Giant King Grass."

A strategic position paper, "Pellets Are Coming to Asia" written by Poyry, a global consulting and engineering company states, "Pellets are a fast track to boost renewable energy production and reduce CO2 emissions. These desired features are expected to escalate the global pellet market from 16 million tonnes (2010) to 46 million tonnes by 2020. Europe has become an established, yet growing, pellet market but Asia is expected to kickstart in 2012 with the introduction of the renewable portfolio standard in Korea. ... Both Korea and Japan have promising policies in the pipeline and these are expected to drive pellet consumption. ... Neither Japan nor Korea has the domestic resources to meet the expected pellet demand."

The Poyry paper is available for download at http://www.cmtevents.com/eventposts.aspx?feedid=1218&ev=110917&

Pictures of the Giant King Grass pellets can be found at www.VIASPACE.com and www.VIASPACEGreenEnergy.com.

About VIASPACE Inc.

VIASPACE is 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. Through its majority-owned subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc., the Company grows Giant King Grass as a low-carbon fuel for electricity generating power plants, as a feedstock for bio methane production and cellulosic biofuels such as ethanol and butanol, and for biochemicals and bioplastics.  For more information, please go to www.VIASPACE.com or www.VIASPACEGreenEnergy.com or contact Dr. Jan Vandersande, Director of Communications, at 800-517-8050 or [email protected].

Safe Harbor Statement

Information in this news release includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation, risks outlined in our periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, as well as general economic and business conditions; the ability to acquire and develop specific products and technologies; changes in consumer and business demand for the Company's products; competition from larger companies; changes in demand for alternative and clean energy; risks associated with international transactions; risks related to technological change; and other factors over which VIASPACE has little or no control.

SOURCE VIASPACE Inc.