Obviously, Google and others have a million and 1 other ways to uniquely identify you. Google's search isn't free.
To put some context around it, google search runs on several hundred thousand servers. The leccy bill for each server (power and cooling) will be around £500pa at their (presumably) good rates. These will be connected to thousands of switches and routers, each pulling probably £5k pa in leccy. Then you have bandwidth and transit costs, that puts everything else into insignificance. And staff. And their posh headquarters, and all their global buildings. Then all the "commercial agreements" with global ISPs to get their content near the end user, that I wont go into for NDA.
So they need to make a shit load of money. And that means tracking you. Understanding you. Understanding your habits.
I've banged on so many times here, internet services ARE expensive to provide, and if *anything* is free, understand the revenue streams involved to pay for providing that service.
Would have thought they would have followed some of thier advertisers and invested in solar power, wind power and hydro power etc and lead by example.
Most large datacentres do use some form of renewable... ...but datacentres are 24/7, and the only places to get 24hrs of daylight also get 24 hours of darkness
Additionally, as we know, renewable energy is more expensive than pissing off the tree huggers.
So the costs will be broadly correct
. But the energy costs are insignificant compared to other costs. And its all bloody expensive.