Amazon’s newest fulfillment center in Japan is designed not only to ensure customers receive their orders, but to operate more sustainably—using the Earth’s own underground temperature to heat and cool it, as well as leveraging vertical solar panels to help power its operations with carbon-free energy.
Located in Nagoya, Japan, the fulfillment center will use geothermal technology known as geo-exchange for heating and cooling. This means we’ll harness underground temperatures to regulate the indoor climate of the building more efficiently, compared to traditional systems. It’s also the first Amazon building globally to feature vertical solar panels on the walls, and will be the company’s largest onsite solar project outside of the US.
Using Earth’s carbon-free energy for heating and cooling
Think of a wine cellar or a basement where the temperature is consistent year-round. The Earth works the same way with its own natural thermostat, but on a much larger scale.
In the summer, when temperatures rise, a geothermal heat pump will move water through 200 bores drilled more than 300 feet deep to absorb the Earth's naturally stable temperature. It will then bring that coolness back to the building's first floor to keep indoor temperatures comfortable. In the winter, the process is reversed, as the ground at this depth stays relatively warm. The circulating water absorbs heat and brings it back up to warm the building.
This natural heating and cooling system is not just smart - it's also efficient. Compared to regular air conditioning systems, it uses 30% less energy, which is better for the environment.
Installing solar panels on walls to maximize renewable energy generation
In places like Japan where available land can be scarce, building new carbon-free energy sources is increasingly challenging. That’s why Amazon is getting creative to capture more solar energy.
This fulfillment center not only has solar panels installed on the roof, but also in the parking lot and vertically on the building’s south-facing walls, the first Amazon building globally to incorporate vertical solar panels. These panels can absorb extra sunlight early in the morning and late in the afternoon as the sun moves across the sky. They can also act as a giant heat shield for the building, helping to keep it cooler during hot summer days.
The solar panels have a combined capacity of 5.5MW, making it one of the largest onsite solar power systems at a logistics facility in Japan, and the largest onsite solar project by capacity in Amazon’s portfolio outside of the US. The fulfillment center will also be equipped with a 2.9 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery storage system, which will supply carbon-free energy to the building when the sun isn’t shining during the day, or at night.
Due to its numerous sustainability features, the fulfillment center is expected to earn the “Zero Carbon Certification” from Living Future by the end of 2026.
Amazon is committed to powering our operations more sustainably and accelerating new forms of energy technology. That’s why we’ve invested billions in nuclear energy projects and technologies, as well as other carbon-free energy sources. You can learn more about Amazon’s energy work here.