Abstract: A solar simulator includes a flash lamp 103 for radiating light to a solar battery module, a power supply 101 for supplying a current to the flash lamp, switch units 105a to 105c connected in parallel for causing a current to be supplied to the flash lamp when turned on and causing a current to the flash lamp to be shut off when turned off, ballast resistors 106a to 106c interposed between the switch units and the power supply, and a control unit 102 for performing an on/off control of the switch units and sequentially switching a switch unit to be turned on at every predetermined time, prevents thermal destruction of the semiconductors included in the switch units due to a temperature increase. Then, a constant current can be caused to continuously flow through the flash lamp 103 and can be caused to emit light for a long time.

Abstract: There are included an electric light emission continuous control unit and a power absorbing unit, and the electric light emission continuous control unit is provided with one or a plurality of large power elements to be used as a control impedance, and the large power element is continuously controlled to light a flash lamp to a determined light emission quantity. The power absorbing unit is provided with one or a plurality of power absorbing elements, and an operation of the power absorbing element is selected in a switching unit, and thereby power consumption of the large power element is controlled within a determined range.