The piezoelectric transformer (PT) is an electro-mechanical device that transfers electrical energy through a mechanical vibration. In this paper, a PT operating in the contour vibration mode is introduced for an application of fluorescent lamp ballast. Utilizing its inherent characteristics of the LC resonator and a high voltage gain to ignite the lamp in light load condition, an investigation of a power piezoelectric transformer as a potential component for a fluorescent lamp ballast is discussed. PT is easy to be produced in mass and reduces the cost of the ballast. The modified equivalent circuit model of the PT considering the operating current level is derived to design the fluorescent lamp ballast. This model describes the voltage gain of the PT in wide load variations and various input current levels. The experimental and simulation results are provided to verify theoretical analysis. The power capacity of the currently developed PT is relatively low (15W), but it can be increased by adopting a multi-layer structure and is currently under investigation. It is also possible to parallel the PT for higher power processing.