Study from Finland shows a connection between the northern lights and the weather on Earth. This is also reflected in the winter electricity bill.
Very high geomagnetic activity led to a reduction in consumption of up to 600 gigawatt hours compared to average activity - equivalent to the monthly heating energy of about 330,000 Finnish households. The study is the first to show how this space weather can affect electricity consumption on Earth, says Timo Asikainen, a researcher in the University of Oulu's Space Climate Group.