The quote below has been taken from the Wikipedia article on cosmological constant, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmological_constant.
Einstein included the cosmological constant as a term in his field equations for general relativity because he was dissatisfied that otherwise his equations did not allow, apparently, for a static universe: gravity would cause a universe that was initially at dynamic equilibrium to contract. To counteract this possibility, Einstein added the cosmological constant. However, soon after Einstein developed his static theory, observations by Edwin Hubble indicated that the universe appears to be expanding; this was consistent with a cosmological solution to the original general relativity equations that had been found by the mathematician Friedmann, working on the Einstein equations of general relativity. Einstein reportedly referred to his failure to accept the validation of his equations—when they had predicted the expansion of the universe in theory, before it was demonstrated in observation of the cosmological redshift—as his "biggest blunder".
In fact, adding the cosmological constant to Einstein's equations does not lead to a static universe at equilibrium because the equilibrium is unstable: if the universe expands slightly, then the expansion releases vacuum energy, which causes yet more expansion. Likewise, a universe that contracts slightly will continue contracting.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmological_constant#History
My question is about where it says, "if the universe expands slightly, then the expansion releases vacuum energy".
I think the term "vacuum energy" above refers to the dark energy inherent to fabric of space. Why would the expansion release vacuum energy? Could you please guide me with it in simple terms?