Prof. Dr. Peter Schmuck is a social science-oriented action researcher and sustainability scientist. In interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams, he has been involved in major transformation projects since 1998, particularly in the field of decentralized and participatory energy transition.
His practical projects include converting the energy supply in 200 communities in Germany (www.energiewendedörfer.de). As a scientifically working psychologist, his focus is on positive psychology (life goals and well-being) and on the psychology of sustainable development, which he co-founded.
Privately he is a family man (seven siblings, wife, several children and grandchildren), mountaineer (Saxon sandstone) and poet.
Dr. Peter Schmuck PhD
University of Gottingen
Areas of Expertise
Publications
Schmuck, P. & Grawath, R. (2023). Handbook for Light Ambassadors. ISBN: 978-1-4478-6309-0
Schmuck, P. Eigner-Thiel, S., Karpenstein-Machan, M., Sauer, B., Roland, F. and Ruppert, H. (2013). Bioenergy villages in Germany: The history of promoting sustainable bioenergy projects within the “Göttingen Approach of Sustainability Science”. In M. Kappas & H. Ruppert (Eds.), Sustainable bioenergy production: An integrated approach (pp. 37-74). Heidelberg: Springer.
Wüste, A. & Schmuck, P. (2013). Social acceptance of bioenergy use and success factors for communal bioenergy projects. In M. Kappas & H. Ruppert (Eds.), Sustainable bioenergy production: An integrated approach (pp. 293-318). Heidelberg: Springer.
Schmuck, P., Wüste, A. & Karpenstein-Machan, M., (2013). Applying sustainability science principles of the Goettingen approach on initiating renewable energy solutions in three German regions. In M. Kappas & H. Ruppert (Eds.), Sustainable bioenergy production: An integrated approach (pp. 319-338). Heidelberg: Springer.
Schmuck, P. (2013). The Göttingen Approach of Sustainability Science: Creating Renewable Energy Communities in Germany and Testing a Psychological Hypothesis. Umweltpsychologie, 17, 119-135.
Schmuck, P., Wueste, A. & Karpenstein-Machan, M. (2012). Initiating and Analyzing Renewable Energy Transitions in Germany. In Stremke, S. & Dobbelsteen, A. (Eds.), Sustainable Energy Landscapes: Designing, Planning, and Development (pp. 335-354). Boca Raton, London, New York: Taylor & Francis.
Wilkens, I. & Schmuck, P. (2012) Transdisciplinary Evaluation of Energy Scenarios for a German Village Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Sustainability 2012, 4, 604-629.
Wüste, A. & Schmuck, P. (2012). Bioenergy Villages and Regions in Germany: An Interview Study with Initiators of Communal Bioenergy Projects on the Success Factors for Restructuring the Energy Supply of the Community. Sustainability 2012, 4, 244-256.
Schmuck, P. & Schultz, W. (2010) Psychologie et développement durable: Un programme de recherche. In K. Weiss & F. Girandola (Hrsg.), Psychologie et développement durable (S. 23-36). Paris: Editions in Press.
Karpenstein-Machan, M. & Schmuck, P. (2010). The bioenergy village in Germany: A lighthouse project for sustainable energy production in rural areas. In M. Osaki, A. Braimoh & K. Nakagami (eds.), Local perspectives on bioproduction, ecosystems and humanity (pp. 184-194). Tokyo: United Nations University Press.
Karpenstein-Machan, M. & Schmuck, P. (2007). The bioenergy village. Ecological and social aspects in implementation of a sustainability project. Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy, 1, 1-7.
Grouzet, F., Kasser, T., Ahuvia, A., Dols, J., Kim, Y., Lau, S., Ryan, R., Saunders, S., Schmuck, P. & Sheldon, K. (2005). The structure of goal contents across 15 cultures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89, 800-816.
Schultz, W., Gouveia, V., Cameron, L., Tankha, G., Schmuck, P. & Franek, M. (2005). Values and their relationship to environmental concern and conservation behavior. Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology, 36, 457-475.