VIASPACE Press Release

GIANT KING GRASS AND PELLETS TESTED BY BIOMASS ENERGY LAB, A NEW JOINT VENTURE OF TIMBER PRODUCTS INSPECTION INC. AND PETERSEN CONTROL UNION

02/23/2012

IRVINE, California and Conyers, Georgia- February 23, 2012-VIASPACE Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: VSPC - News), a clean energy company growing Giant King^TM Grass as a low-carbon, renewable biomass dedicated energy crop, and its subsidiary VIASPACE Green Energy Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: VGREF) and Timber Products Inspection Inc. announced that Giant King Grass and pellets made from Giant King Grass were among the first biomass samples tested by Biomass Energy Lab in Conyers, Georgia.

The tests included proximate and ultimate analyses, elemental analysis mineral ash analysis and ash fusion properties. Giant King Grass pellets have a gross calorific value  (HHV) of 18.33 - 18.81 GJ per oven dry ton, and a net calorific value of 16.64 - 17.20 GJ per ton of as received pellets with approximately 8% moisture content.

VIASPACE CEO, Dr. Carl Kukkonen stated that, "The data confirms the excellent energy content of Giant King Grass pellets.  We were very pleased to work as an inaugural customer of Biomass Energy Lab. Since many of our potential customers are in Europe, it is important to have testing done by a laboratory that is accredited under European fuel quality specifications. We are sharing the complete data with potential customers in Europe, China, Japan and Korea."

Manager of Biomass Energy Services, Chris Wiberg reports, "Biomass Energy Lab is fully operational and ready to provide laboratory analysis for a variety of wood and agricultural products including pelletized and densified fuel products.  We enjoyed working with VIASPACE and Giant King Grass. This gave us a good opportunity to use our knowledge in the emerging market for perennial grass.  Our joint venture partner, Control Union also operates TLR International Laboratories in the Netherlands, and now US companies can have their products tested to European specifications here in the US."

About Biomass Energy Lab

Biomass Energy Lab (BEL) of Conyers, Georgia, is a joint venture of Timber Products Inspection Inc. (TP) and Petersen Control Union of Rotterdam Netherlands which also operates TLR International Laboratories in the Netherlands. BEL offers comprehensive testing lab services for both international and domestic biomass and pelletized fuel markets. Operating as the only US lab that is fully compliant and accredited under the European fuel quality specifications, BEL offers biomass fuel certification schemes, including QA/QC consulting and program management.  In addition to these services, TP has been accredited by the American Lumber Standard Committee as a testing lab and auditing agency for the Pellet Fuels Institute's (PFI) Densified Biomass Fuel Standards Program. Biomass Energy Lab can be reached at 770-992-8000 or http://www.biomassenergylab.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, for energy pellets, as a feedstock bio methane production and cellulosic biofuels, and for other low-carbon, renewable energy products. For more information, please go to http://www.viaspace.com/ or contact Dr. Jan Vandersande, Director of Communications, at 800-517-8050 or mailto:[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.

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