I haven't read the book, but I wish to make a subtle but important distinction between 'energy' and 'entropy'.
Whenever we say energy in common parlance, we actually mean a source of low entropy (energy). From the perspective of physics, "life" is a non-equilibrium process so the crucial input is low entropy stuff (fuel/food/etc), which can be 'used' by the organism while converting that stuff to high entropy waste.
As far as we know, energy is always conserved; strictly speaking there is never an energy crisis. It's all about (low) entropy.
Whenever we say energy in common parlance, we actually mean a source of low entropy (energy). From the perspective of physics, "life" is a non-equilibrium process so the crucial input is low entropy stuff (fuel/food/etc), which can be 'used' by the organism while converting that stuff to high entropy waste.
As far as we know, energy is always conserved; strictly speaking there is never an energy crisis. It's all about (low) entropy.