Amazon’s newest fulfillment center in Japan is designed to operate more sustainably by adopting both geothermal and solar power.

The company will use the Earth’s own underground temperature to heat and cool it via geothermal technology, as well as leverage vertical solar panels to help power its operations with carbon-free energy, according to a statement.

Located in Nagoya, Japan, the fulfillment center will use geothermal technology known as geo-exchange for heating and cooling, which means Amazon will harness underground temperatures to regulate the indoor climate of the building more efficiently compared to traditional systems. 

This will also be 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 U.S.

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 efficient and uses 30% less energy compared to regular air conditioning systems.

This fulfillment center has solar panels installed on the roof, but also in the parking lot and vertically on the building’s south-facing walls. 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 5.5 MW, making the onsite solar power system one of the largest at a logistics facility in Japan and the largest onsite solar project by capacity in Amazon’s portfolio outside of the U.S. The fulfillment center will also be equipped with a 2.9-megawatt-hour (MWh) battery storage system.

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.