Geothermal system reduces energy use by 30% for heating and cooling by tapping into the Earth’s natural underground temperature.
5.5 MW solar system—Amazon’s largest outside the U.S.— includes vertical panels to optimize energy capture and reduce building heat.
Expected Zero Carbon Certification by 2026, supported by 2.9 MWh battery storage and advanced sustainability technologies.
Amazon has unveiled a groundbreaking fulfillment center in Nagoya, Japan, designed to integrate advanced geothermal and solar technology to minimize its environmental footprint.
The facility is Amazon’s first globally to feature vertical solar panels on the building’s exterior walls, in addition to rooftop and parking lot panels. These installations form a 5.5-megawatt (MW) system—the largest onsite solar project by capacity in Amazon’s portfolio outside the United States. A 2.9 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery storage system will complement the array, ensuring carbon-free energy availability even when sunlight is limited.
“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,” the company stated.
By mounting solar panels vertically on the south-facing walls, the center maximizes solar absorption throughout the day—including during early mornings and late afternoons. These vertical panels also function as a heat shield to reduce indoor temperatures during summer months.
Inside the facility, Amazon is deploying a geothermal system—also known as geo-exchange—to manage heating and cooling more sustainably. The system circulates water through 200 bores drilled over 300 feet deep to harness the Earth’s stable underground temperature.
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“In the summer, the geothermal heat pump absorbs the Earth’s coolness and circulates it throughout the building. In the winter, it reverses the process to draw warmth from the ground,” the company explained. Compared to traditional HVAC systems, this method uses 30% less energy.
Due to its comprehensive sustainability features, the Nagoya center is expected to earn the Zero Carbon Certification from the Living Future Institute by the end of 2026.
“Amazon is committed to powering our operations more sustainably and accelerating new forms of energy technology,” the company emphasized. “That’s why we’ve invested billions in nuclear energy projects and technologies, as well as other carbon-free energy sources.”
This development represents another step in Amazon’s broader decarbonization strategy, demonstrating how large-scale logistics infrastructure can align with ambitious climate goals.
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