Power Hardware-in-the-Loop (PHiL) is an extension of Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) and refers to the connection of a simulated test environment to a Device under Test (DUT), using an amplifier. Unlike Controller Hardware-in-the-Loop (CHiL), PHiL allows high power to be exchanged between the simulation and the DUT.

As with CHiL, a specialized real-time simulator is often used as the simulation environment, which allows more complex test environments, such as electrical networks, to be simulated. The real-time simulator sends setpoints for the voltage or current to the amplifier, which converts them into real voltages or currents. As a response of the DUT, a resulting current or voltage is measured at the amplifier and sent back to the real-time simulator. This creates a closed loop, which allows the simulation to react to the behavior of the DUT and vice versa.

PHiL is used in PHILSLAB for the investigation of AC and DC applications. The simulators  used are the OP5707XG real-time simulator from OPAL-RT and an MC210 programmable logic controller from Bachmann. The amplifiers are three Spitzenberger&Spies APS7500 with a total of 22,5kW and four Elektro Automatik PSB 10000 with a total of 120kW. The Spitzenberger&Spies amplifier can be used for both AC and DC tests. The Elektro Automatik PSB 10000 are used for DC tests and provide an output voltage of up to 1500V.