“What we dream of is that these people at night, can not only enjoy cold beer but maybe they can even watch TV,” said creator Lars Krückeberg... really? how about better medical technology, clean water, better tools or access to information? not access to reruns of Seinfeld.
they mention this as a business, but they do not mention how much one of these boxes will cost, delivered. aside from selling cold beer and mind numbing TV at night, how much of a market is there for electricity? if there is no electricity there now, is it safe to assume no one has items that need electricity? I can see how this can bolster a fledgling area that has intermittent electricity and is generally prospering, but if it's in the middle of nowhere, what is the value add past cold beer?
how long will it take to make enough money to pay for the box? (before who ever payed for the box makes their money back) do the locals have the money to afford this? if not, who is making the up-front investment?
too many questions unanswered. Maybe if a local govt got involved and was developing an area, this could be really helpful.

A response to TheWizard's comment and to anyone who may have similar concerns:
The reason the Solarkiosk was created and designed, which took a long time, was precisely to address the most ardent needs of neglected off-grid communities. Some of those needs include providing reliable charging capability for cell phones, as well as for LED lamps & LED flashlights in order to reduce the need for unsustainable, dirty and/or unsafe fuels, such as kerosene and firewood, which are used for basic daily tasks. Off-grid communities spend on average 40% of their income on dirty, dangerous fuels. Furthermore, although a significant percentage of the African population have cell phones, many have to walk for several hours in order to charge them. Also, the kiosk was specifically designed to include a fridge for medication storage and to power computers so that people can potentially have access to information.
The fact that the kiosk can cool drinks and power a TV are just additional capabilities of the kiosk, but were not the reason this technology was created.
Additional inquiries are welcomed through our website www.solarkiosk.eu

This is a good all-in-one solution to creating power, jobs and services for remote communities. Can see local entrepreneurs and tech companies investing in this.

This seems more suited to areas with access to electricity. Being in Africa and knowing how popular businesses that are run from such kiosks are; there can be a definite incentive for someone to opt for a SolarKiosk rather than the current freight container kiosks that has power supplied to it from the grid. I can see this reducing the running expenses of the business given the amount of sunlight we have here and the rising costs electricity. However, opting to switch to the SolarKiosk would largely be determined by the price in comparison to what's available. Eskom, our electricity utility in South Africa, could look at subsidizing these in their Integrated Demand Management programs which seek to reduce the load on the national grid to avoid black-outs.

The answer that MockingBird TheWizard is looking, is in the question he is asking: who pays the up-front investment? We all should… But judging by the tone he is asking the question, he rather would not!
Seriously, what's wrong with replacing fossil fuel burning generators with solar enregy? I applaud these kind of initiatives wholeheartedly, although, I would choose another strategy to impose clean energy generation to our pyromanic obsession to procure energy. One with a much more immediate impact... Any guess ?

How much electricity does it generate?

I imagine the amount is 'enough' and when that is used up there is 'more' safe, accessible and reliable - isn't that the whole idea? That's the way it works at my house.

It would help Ethiopians if Germans only sold healthful things in these kiosks instead of unhealthy stuff like soft drinks. In other words, they should be selling things that help Ethiopian society remain and become more sustainable instead of bringing destructive consumerism to this and other countries. They could be providing family planning services, selling native seeds not GMO's, and renewable home energy products, cheap used computers and Internet service to educate and keep them informed.

I wonder why these kiosks couldn't be thought of as homes for small families, couples, or singles?

re; ezeflyer
I think more good would be done by mass manufacturing and cheaply selling a copy of the Icy Ball (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icy_Ball) and small a durable, easily repaired, generator that can be hand cranked, pedaled, an animal or mechanical prime mover.