  For the past six years, the EUV Variability Experiment (EVE) onboard the
Solar Dynamics Observatory has been monitoring changes in the Sun's extreme
ultraviolet output over a range of timescales. Its primary function is to
provide measurements of the solar spectral irradiance that is responsible for
driving fluctuations in Earth's ionosphere and thermosphere. However, despite
its modest spectral resolution and lack of spatial information, the EVE
spectral range contains many lines and continua that have become invaluable for
diagnosing the response of the lower solar atmosphere itself to an injection of
energy, particularly during a flare's impulsive phase. In addition, high
temperature emission lines can also be used to track changes in temperature and
density of flaring plasma in the corona. The high precision of EVE observations
are therefore crucial in helping us understand particle acceleration and energy
transport mechanisms during solar flares, as well as the origins of the Sun's
most geoeffective emission.
