VIASPACE CEO to Speak at Biomass Pellets Trade Asia Conference in Korea

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 3, 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 announced that chief executive Dr. Carl Kukkonen has been invited to speak at the 2nd Biomass Pellets Trade Asia to be held in Seoul, South Korea September 7-8, 2011. Dr. Kukkonen's presentation is entitled "Wood Pellets or Agricultural Pellets - Pluses and Minuses", and will cover energy content, emissions, technical issues for applications in large and small boilers, and pellet availability and cost.

The Biomass Pellets Trade Asia conference aims to provide first-hand insights on the pellet demand in North Asia, supply outlook and investment opportunities in this value chain.  Topics include:

• South Korea and North Asia's Growth in biomass-based power generation & industrial cogeneration (CHP)
• Influence of energy policy on demand/supply of biomass (Agricultural/Forestry Biomass, Wood Pellets, Wood Chips, etc)
• Supply dynamics & usability of Agro biomass from South East Asia

Information on the conference can be obtained at http://www.cmtevents.com/aboutevent.aspx?ev=110917&

Previously VIASPACE 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 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).

VIASPACE CEO Dr. Carl Kukkonen states, "I am pleased to have the opportunity to present Giant King Grass at the Pellets Trade Conference in Korea. Today the global pellet market is mostly wood pellets made from sawdust and other wood waste. The world supply of wood waste is limited, and new pellet sources from agricultural products such as Giant King Grass are becoming attractive. In my presentation I will compare agricultural pellets using Giant King Grass as a concrete example with wood pellets.  The world markets want sustainably grown energy crops, and want to make sure that the rain forests are not cut down to make energy pellets.  The test data from the Korea Forest Research Institute shows that Giant King Grass has excellent energy content."

In 2010, the South Korean assembly approved a renewable energy bill to require 14 state-run and private power utilities to boost supplies of renewable energy starting in 2012. Korea does not have the ability to produce significant amount of pellets in their country and will depend on imports from China and Southeast Asia.

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.