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
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