A closer look

You can force water up a mountain without electricity just by repeatedly slamming a door in its face. A hydraulic ram pump lets water flow down a pipe until it naturally pushes a waste valve shut. This sudden stop creates an immense kinetic shockwave, known as water hammer. That violent pressure spike forces a tiny fraction of the water past a secondary one-way valve and up a steep hill, endlessly repeating the violent process using only gravity.