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Why don't build them so they can also make use of the sea and tides
as well as the wind?
Top end for wind, bottoms for tides.

technically it would be possible, but you just couldn't get much of surface area to make it effective. Tidal barrages need to cover a large part of an estuary to make them worthwhile.

Owners of old mills have used their existing infrastructure to generate electricity, but the amount they can get is usually small (few KW).

Whilst every little helps there is a huge difference in the electricity generated by a coal or nuclear power station than almost all forms of renewable power. The London Array http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Array is pretty big, but even the largest wind farm in the world doesn't generate half as much as Fiddler's Ferry.

I remember seeing, in the deserts of California, solar farms covering many acres. I've no idea how much power they produce.

There are many that believe that global warming is a load of nonsense, including David Bellamy.

Whilst the average temperature is increasing, it is just that; "average". Some believe that the the Earth isn't getting any warmer of day but not getting as cool at night. This is because of concrete and tarmac in cities absorbing heat of a day and releasing it at night (a theory called urban heat island).

Global warming is just one among many issues when it comes to considering power generation as environmental factors need to be considered such as air quality and safety.

I'm not convinced either. I just want cheaper fuel and I'm not that fussed how it's produced. At present, I believe our best resource is nuclear fission, with nuclear fusion the longer term aim.

Whenever you look at the stats for the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth they all go back to the early 1920s.