A transient voltage suppression, TVS, assembly for protecting electrical equipment from transient electrical energy by diverting transient electrical energy away from the electrical equipment, said TVS assembly comprising: a plurality of transient voltage suppression, TVS, devices coupled together in electrical parallel and a control circuit external to the TVS devices, each of the plurality of TVS devices comprising: a first layer of wide band gap semiconductor material, said first layer being of a first conductivity type; a second layer of said wide band gap semiconductor material over at least a portion of the first layer, said second layer being of a second conductivity type; a third layer of said wide band gap semiconductor material over at least a portion of the second layer, said third layer being of the first conductivity type; a cathode electrically coupled to the first layer; an anode electrically coupled to the third layer; and a conductive path electrically coupled between said second layer and an electrical connection to said control circuit external to the TVS device, said conductive path configured to permit controlling a turning on of the TVS device at less than a breakdown voltage of the TVS device; and said control circuit comprising an output terminal communicatively coupled to the conductive paths of the plurality of TVS devices, said control circuit being configured to sense at an input a turning on of any of said plurality of TVS devices and, upon sensing said turning on, to generate a control output signal and to apply it to the conductive paths of the remaining TVS devices, thereby turning on the remaining TVS devices, such that the turning on of the plurality of TVS devices is controlled collectively at less than a breakdown voltage of any of the plurality of TVS devices. a plurality of transient voltage suppression, TVS, devices coupled together in electrical parallel and a control circuit external to the TVS devices, each of the plurality of TVS devices comprising: a first layer of wide band gap semiconductor material, said first layer being of a first conductivity type; a second layer of said wide band gap semiconductor material over at least a portion of the first layer, said second layer being of a second conductivity type; a third layer of said wide band gap semiconductor material over at least a portion of the second layer, said third layer being of the first conductivity type; a cathode electrically coupled to the first layer; an anode electrically coupled to the third layer; and a conductive path electrically coupled between said second layer and an electrical connection to said control circuit external to the TVS device, said conductive path configured to permit controlling a turning on of the TVS device at less than a breakdown voltage of the TVS device; and a first layer of wide band gap semiconductor material, said first layer being of a first conductivity type; a second layer of said wide band gap semiconductor material over at least a portion of the first layer, said second layer being of a second conductivity type; a third layer of said wide band gap semiconductor material over at least a portion of the second layer, said third layer being of the first conductivity type; a cathode electrically coupled to the first layer; an anode electrically coupled to the third layer; and a conductive path electrically coupled between said second layer and an electrical connection to said control circuit external to the TVS device, said conductive path configured to permit controlling a turning on of the TVS device at less than a breakdown voltage of the TVS device; and said control circuit comprising an output terminal communicatively coupled to the conductive paths of the plurality of TVS devices, said control circuit being configured to sense at an input a turning on of any of said plurality of TVS devices and, upon sensing said turning on, to generate a control output signal and to apply it to the conductive paths of the remaining TVS devices, thereby turning on the remaining TVS devices, such that the turning on of the plurality of TVS devices is controlled collectively at less than a breakdown voltage of any of the plurality of TVS devices.