Photonic power converters (PPCs) are a class of photovoltaic devices designed for efficient conversion of monochromatic (laser or LED) light to electricity. These devices are composed of multiple p-n junction diodes arranged in a tandem configuration and connected in series. They have reached high energy conversion efficiencies (70%) and areal power densities of 100 W/cm$^2$. When these devices are illuminated with a high-efficiency diode laser, they can provide isolated dc–dc conversion from the laser voltage ($^{3}$, compared with 1.5 W/cm$^{3}$ for the reference. Relative to switch-mode power conversion, the photonic technology has lower efficiency and lower power density, but superior isolation and rejection of ripple and EMI. Both technologies are highly scalable. For the second application, the same unit is applied to power a 650-V SiC mosfet gate driver requiring high galvanic isolation, demonstrating a 20 dB reduction in conducted-current EMI from the power circuit into the low-voltage control systems.