A control system configured to control a conductivity modulated device of a power switching array that is configured to control energy delivery to a load, the control system comprising: a system controller configured to sense a power event in the control system and to output a command signal to adjust a drive characteristic of the conductivity modulated device in response to the sensed power event; and a switch controller (114, 515, 615) coupled to the system controller and configured to receive the command signal, the switch controller further configured to control energy delivery to the load by controlling turn on and turn off of the conductivity modulated device, wherein the switch controller comprises an adjustable drive element (124, 126) configured to control a rise time of a voltage across the conductivity modulated device, a fall time of the voltage across the conductivity modulated device, or both the rise time and the fall time, an interface coupled to the system controller and configured to receive the command signal, wherein the interface is configured to interpret the command signal to output a drive characteristic signal that represents one or more drive characteristics for the conductivity modulated device, and a drive characteristic control configured to receive the drive characteristic signal and vary the drive characteristic of the conductivity modulated device, wherein the drive characteristic control is configured to: vary the adjustable drive element (124, 126) to adjust the rise time of the voltage across the conductivity modulated device, the fall time of the voltage across the conductivity modulated device, or both in response to a first command in the command signal generated by the system controller; and not vary the rise time, the fall time, or both from a default value in response to the second command in the command signal. a system controller configured to sense a power event in the control system and to output a command signal to adjust a drive characteristic of the conductivity modulated device in response to the sensed power event; and a switch controller (114, 515, 615) coupled to the system controller and configured to receive the command signal, the switch controller further configured to control energy delivery to the load by controlling turn on and turn off of the conductivity modulated device, wherein the switch controller comprises an adjustable drive element (124, 126) configured to control a rise time of a voltage across the conductivity modulated device, a fall time of the voltage across the conductivity modulated device, or both the rise time and the fall time, an interface coupled to the system controller and configured to receive the command signal, wherein the interface is configured to interpret the command signal to output a drive characteristic signal that represents one or more drive characteristics for the conductivity modulated device, and a drive characteristic control configured to receive the drive characteristic signal and vary the drive characteristic of the conductivity modulated device, wherein the drive characteristic control is configured to: vary the adjustable drive element (124, 126) to adjust the rise time of the voltage across the conductivity modulated device, the fall time of the voltage across the conductivity modulated device, or both in response to a first command in the command signal generated by the system controller; and not vary the rise time, the fall time, or both from a default value in response to the second command in the command signal. an adjustable drive element (124, 126) configured to control a rise time of a voltage across the conductivity modulated device, a fall time of the voltage across the conductivity modulated device, or both the rise time and the fall time, an interface coupled to the system controller and configured to receive the command signal, wherein the interface is configured to interpret the command signal to output a drive characteristic signal that represents one or more drive characteristics for the conductivity modulated device, and a drive characteristic control configured to receive the drive characteristic signal and vary the drive characteristic of the conductivity modulated device, wherein the drive characteristic control is configured to: vary the adjustable drive element (124, 126) to adjust the rise time of the voltage across the conductivity modulated device, the fall time of the voltage across the conductivity modulated device, or both in response to a first command in the command signal generated by the system controller; and not vary the rise time, the fall time, or both from a default value in response to the second command in the command signal. vary the adjustable drive element (124, 126) to adjust the rise time of the voltage across the conductivity modulated device, the fall time of the voltage across the conductivity modulated device, or both in response to a first command in the command signal generated by the system controller; and not vary the rise time, the fall time, or both from a default value in response to the second command in the command signal.