The 'curtain-raiser' of this informative and progressive exhibition was held on Thursday.

Around 34 innovators and entrepreneurs displayed a wide range of appliances and projects based on solar energy at this exhibition.

The exhibition coincided with the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, who was present at the exhibition, said that it was sad to know that there are still many families who live without light and that she is privileged to be a part of an event that could provide cheap light and energy to such families and change their life-styles for the better.

"This definitely is a way forward and I would only be happy to help. I think we really are the privileged lot. We call India one of the fastest growing economies and it's really sad to think that there are still many families, so many villages who don't have the basic necessity of light. It's just so easy for us to make it easy for them and we have that power to give them power," Shetty added.

Earlier, Minister of New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah noted that with an increasing focus on energy-efficient, renewable and low-carbon technologies, events like this exhibition are excellent platforms to create mass awareness about latest technologies.

Appreciating the efforts of the organisers, Abdullah said he had seen hundreds of families in the rural and also urban India who relied on kerosene lanterns and wood for light and fuel causing adverse effects on their health.

A prime attraction at the exhibition has been the 'solar lantern' as an initiative towards switching to solar energy for a sustainable future.

Among the participants are several government and private agencies like Ministry of New and Renewable Energy ONGC, ACC, Philips, Nokia and SAP India. Some NGOs and a couple of global companies like Cleantech, Finland, Bureau du Québec are among the participants.