As the world's energy needs increase – the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicted that global energy consumption will rise by 56 percent between 2010 and 2040 – having access to an alternative source of power is more important than ever.

Solar power is one such source, with governments and companies looking to harness the limitless energy of the sun by building vast installations.

Here, we take a look at eight of the most striking.

By Anmar Frangoul, special to CNBC.com

The planet's largest solar power thermal system, Ivanpah, is spread over more than 3,000 acres of Californian desert. It officially opened in February, 2014.

Joint owned by Google, NRG Energy and BrightSource Energy, the clean, renewable energy generated by Ivanpah can deliver power to 140,000 Californian households on average.

Over 300,000 mirrors use the sun's rays to create "high-temperature steam", which is used to generate energy via a turbine.

According to BrightSource Energy, the electricity generated by Ivanpah will reduce CO₂ emissions by over 400,000 tons per year.

Located on the Solucar Complex in the sun-drenched south of Spain, PS10 and PS20 were the world's first commercial solar power towers, completed in 2007 and 2009 respectively.

Occupying 148 and 210 acres of land, the plants have a capacity of 11 and 20 megawatts each.

According to Abengoa Solar, one of the companies behind the plants' development, PS10 produces electricity for 5,500 homes, saving 6,000 tons of CO_2. While PS20 – whose tower stands at 541 feet – meets the energy needs of 10,000 homes, saving 12,000 tons of CO₂ in the process.

Built by Torresol Energy and located in Andalucía, southern Spain, Gemasolar's solar power tower is 140 meters high.

The facility produces around 110 gigawatt hours of electricity per year, enough to power 25,000 homes and reduce annual CO₂ emissions by 30,000 tons.

The plant's "molten-salt heat storage system" enables energy to be produced 24 hours a day, whether the sun is shining or not.

The United Arab Emirates is one of the planet's largest producers of natural gas and oil, with around 97.8 billion barrels of proven oil reserves.

Despite this abundance of resources, the federation's authorities are investing money in solar infrastructure.

Shams 1, located to the southwest of Abu Dhabi, is a concentrated solar power (CSP) plant with more than 250,000 mirrors and a capacity of 100 megawatts, making it one of the largest CSP plants in the world.

The plant became operational at the beginning of 2013. According to the Shams Power Company, the plant is expected to displace 175,000 tons of CO₂ every year, which it says is "equivalent to planting 1.5 million trees or taking approximately 15,000 cars off the road."

One of the largest solar sites in the United States, the Copper Mountain Solar Facility in Nevada, consists of three separate parts: Copper Mountain Solar 1, 2 and 3.

Completed in December 2010, Copper Mountain Solar 1 has a capacity of 58 megawatts and uses almost one million photovoltaic panels -- which generate electricity directly from the sun's rays -- to power roughly 17,000 homes.

Copper Mountain Solar 2 is expected to be completed in 2015, and will generate electricity to power 45,000 homes. While the third site – also scheduled for completion next year – will have enough capacity to supply 80,000 homes.

India has set ambitious targets for solar energy, with the aim of producing 20,000 megawatts of solar power by 2022.

The country's largest state, Rajasthan is home to one of the country's largest solar power facilities.

Completed in 2013, the Godawari Solar Project is on a 370-acre site and has a capacity of 50 megawatts. The project is expected to offset more than 112,000 tons of CO₂.

Winner of the 2012 POWER-GEN Solar Project of the Year Award, this 166 megawatts solar park is located on a former lignite mining site in eastern Germany.

It is the largest solar project is Germany - which is the world's biggest solar market, according to Reuters - covering more than 870 acres.

The country aims to generate between 40-45 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025.

Situated in the Crimea, a part of the world currently wracked by instability, Perovo was completed in 2011.

With a capacity of 105 megawatts and more than 440,000 solar panels, it is one of the largest photovoltaic power stations in the world.

According to Activ Solar, which built the facility, Perovo reduces CO₂ emissions by 107,069 tons per year.