San Francisco Conference Marks First U.S. Presentation on Giant KingTM Grass
Irvine, CA- November 12, 2009- VIASPACE Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: VSPC), a clean energy company growing Giant KingTM Grass as a renewable, low carbon, energy crop, today announced that Chief Executive Dr. Carl Kukkonen will make a presentation on Giant King Grass at the Next-Generation Biofuels Feedstocks USA Conference to be held November 16-17, 2009, at Le Meridien Hotel in San Francisco.
The conference-to identify renewable energy feedstocks with the most potential-will be attended by leading experts, business executives, investors and others to discuss the challenges and opportunities in next-generation biofuels feedstocks. The conference will compare how existing and next-generation feedstocks impact the environment and greenhouse gas emissions. Prices, market trends and yield potential will also be discussed.
VIASPACE Chief Executive Dr. Carl Kukkonen remarked: "Whether biomass is used to generate electricity or as feedstock for producing green gasoline, price, supply reliability, technical performance and environmental effects are critical issues. We feel that, in general, dedicated energy crops grown specifically for use as feedstock can meet the needs of energy producers. The very high yield and verified technical performance of Giant King Grass make it a highly competitive and economically advantageous energy crop. As a result we are seeing increasing interest in our Giant King Grass and are in discussions to establish long-term supply agreements."
Kukkonen said that, from a business standpoint, even a relatively small 30-megawatt (MW) biomass-dedicated power plant would use 175,000 tons of Giant King Grass each year and potentially generate $6.3 million in grass sales. A much larger 2,000-MW coal-fired power plant, by replacing only 20% of its coal with Giant King Grass pellets, would require approximately 2.3 million tons of grass pellets per year, representing sales of approximately $230 million. Both projections are based on current prices for biomass and pellets.
About VIASPACE Inc.
VIASPACE is an alternative energy company providing products and technology for renewable and clean energy that reduce or eliminate dependence on fossil and high-pollutant energy sources. The Company provides raw material for cellulosic biofuels and develops and markets fuel cell cartridges, products and technology. VIASPACE subsidiary Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation owns a portfolio of fuel cell patents licensed from Pasadena-based California Institute of Technology (Caltech), which manages NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where the direct methanol fuel cell was invented. For more information, please see http://www.viaspace.com/ or contact Dr. Jan Vandersande, Director of Communications, at 800-517-8050 or IR@VIASPACE.com.
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, 2008, 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. |
