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> most stars have planets in orbits closer than is Earth’s.

I don't think that this is true. IIRC it's an artifact of the techniques we use to detect extrasolar planets -- our techniques are biased to detect planets that are closer to their stars than further away,

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Yes, we have several techniques for detecting exoplanets, and at least two of them have that bias. However, what I said still holds - our best estimates are that most stars with planets have (at least some) planets in orbits closer than is Earth’s, and therefore asserting that “planets with sufficient energy density at their surface to support complex life are rare” is unwarranted

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